Corporate gifts are an ideal opportunity to connect with your clients to thank them for their business and, at the same time, reinforce the value of your brand. But buying the perfect corporate gift for your clients can be a daunting task, especially with so many gift options to choose from. So before you make a decision about your corporate gifts, it’s worth bearing in mind a few essential tips. Tip 1 Know Your Customer We all love to receive an unexpected gift, but we also prefer to receive gifts we like or at the very least, gifts we can use. So sending call centre workers a set of golf balls is unlikely to generate much goodwill. Consider how appropriate the intended gift is for the recipients. It’s unlikely you’ll satisfy everyone but it’s worth aiming to please the majority. Tip 2 Avoid Gimmicks Despite the choice of stress balls, snow domes and other creative corporate gift solutions, the most desirable business gifts continue to be traditional favourites such as fruit baskets, wine and chocolates.

But even in these categories it’s worth looking out for gimmicks: edible chocolate flowers, for example. Why? Because almost without exception, gimmicky products lack quality. Gift recipients prefer a superior product over a clever gimmick every time. Tip 3 Go For Quality When you send a corporate gift you’re making a statement about the quality of your brand, so sending a poor quality gift can be a costly mistake. If your budget is tight consider a smaller gift of high quality. Recipients will thank you for it. Tip 4 Include a Gift Card Sending a corporate gift without some form of a gift card is a wasted opportunity. Having reminded the recipient of your brand, ensure they have something they can pin to their cubicle wall or department notice board. A gift card printed with your company contact details is ideal for this purpose. Tip 5 Be Aware of Company Gift Policies Many companies now have in place a gift policy, limiting the value of corporate gifts their employees can accept. A gift of fairly low monetary value typically under 10 is considered acceptable within most company gift policies. Tip 6 Review Your Mailing List If you’re planning a corporate gifts mailshot you’ll want to get the most value from your campaign. It’s all too easy to waste money sending gifts to people who’ve left the company or moved to a different role within it, so it’s worth reviewing your mailing list carefully beforehand.

The most important recipients should be your current customers, because they’re the most likely to buy your products or service again. Next, we recommend targeting those who have demonstrated an interest in your products or service for example by requesting a quotation or a brochure about your company as these are potential customers who may respond positively to a small reminder gift. You may also wish to target ‘influencers’, as these are the employees that sit between you and the potential decision-maker responsible for selecting your company for its products or service. Finally, there’s the new opportunities, ie those companies that fit within your target market. It’s worth a phone call to each one to establish who would be the most appropriate recipient for your corporate gift. Although this may appear a time-consuming exercise, it will ensure your mailing list is up to date and relevant.