Step By Step Corporate Gifting Guide
The value of corporate gift-giving goes far beyond expressing gratitude to a customer or rewarding an employee. A well thought out gift can increase productivity, boost morale, improve relationships, and offer ongoing brand exposure.
Reasons For Giving Promotional Gifts
To better understand which promotional product is right for your business it’s important to understand the reason behind the gift and who it is for. Corporate gifting is an act of generosity designed to provoke an emotional response for a variety of reasons depending on the receiver’s relationship with the company. See below for some of the reasons for giving promotional gifts to customers, employees and suppliers.
- Existing Customers. For existing clients, it is a way to build stronger relationships, develop brand loyalty and express how grateful you are to have their business. The simple action of gifting promo products stimulates better interaction within the relationship.
- Prospective Customers. For prospective clients, it’s a chance to persuade, promote and establish relationships by keeping your brand at the forefront of the mind.
- Employees. For employees, it’s an opportunity to express gratitude for all the hard work, celebrate milestones or promotions in a person’s career and create a sense of loyalty among staff.
- Suppliers. For suppliers, it is a way to maintain existing relationships by expressing gratitude for the services provided. It is especially important to maintain long-term relationships with your suppliers.
6 Key Factors In Choosing Effective Promo Products?
It’s important to remember that every industry, every business, and every customer is different. It is near impossible to pick one item that will resonate with all. The idea is to choose something that will have the most impact on the majority of people while aligning with your brand values and public image. Here are some of the key factors to keep in mind when choosing corporate giftware:
- Lifespan
- Usefulness
- Relevance
- Attractiveness
- Number Of Impressions (how many people will see the product over its lifetime)
- Return On Investment
5 Tips On How To Choose The Right Corporate Gift
Not sure how to go about choosing the right corporate gift? Here are 5 top tips to set you on the right track.
1. Understand The Receiver
When choosing a promotional product to give as a gift is it vital to do some degree of research into personalities, preferences, and lifestyles. Corporate gifting is most successful when you know the gift matches the receivers’ values, and that it may be useful to them in their daily lives.
2. It’s Not Just About Christmas
Avoid relying on Christmas as the only time you offer promotional gifts to show appreciation. Corporate gifting is all about building ongoing relationships, popping up only once a year at a time when there is a lot of gifts being passed around won’t make as big of an impact as more regular offerings outside of the holiday season.
3. Customise Using A Corporate Gifting Website
While it is standard practice to purchase corporate gifts ahead of time, allowing people to choose their own is also a growing trend. This involves engaging the services of a reputable corporate gifting company that can provide access to a catalogue of items where individuals can choose what they want from an approved list. This not only aids in a more personalised approach, it means the receiver is less likely to throw the item away or find it not of any use.
4. Stick To The Budget
While we all want to please the receiver, blowing the budget is not a good idea. Being generous doesn’t mean you have to go to extremes, giving a memorable marketing gift is just as effective as an expensive one. We all love getting free stuff and sometimes it’s the smallest of things that can have the biggest impact. If it is something you obviously spent time and effort creating, your promotional gift is more likely to stand out.
5. Keep It Relevant
Does your promotional gift relate to your business? Is there a story behind it that conveys some meaning about your business and what it does or sells? The most memorable corporate gifts reinforce the product or service that you provide.
Your Complete Corporate Gifting Guide For 2021
How do you find the right corporate gift? What are the best corporate gifts? Choosing the perfect promotional gift to promote your brand is a bit intimidating once you realise just how many great products are out there. Take a look at our list of what’s trending in corporate gift giving for 2021 below.
1. Custom PPE
Very much a sign of the times, custom PPE such as face masks are one of the most popular corporate promo products for 2021. Given the ongoing COVID situation, it is unlikely that they will go out of favour any time soon, a high quality, well designed attractive face mask has the opportunity to provide a good boost in visibility for years to come, and are unlikely to be thrown out.
Trending In PPE
- Custom Face Masks with Logo
- Protective Goggles
- Branded Hand Sanitiser
2. Work From Home Products
The shift in working remotely has also become one of the top drivers of new trends in the corporate gifting environment. While office products like pens, notepads and sticky notes have always been popular in the corporate gifting market, office items that people may not have at home and are useful are now at the height of popularity.
Trending In Work From Home
- Stress Balls
- Pen holders
- Tape dispensers
- Pens
- Stationery sets
- Calculators
3. Environmentally-Friendly Promotional Products
Environmentally friendly corporate gifts continue to be one of the best all-around promotional gifting options. Whether for employees, suppliers or clients, eco-friendly gifts send a message of sustainability, environmental consciousness and show thoughtful consideration of the environmental impact. All of this can help boost the perception of your brand and what it stands for.
Trending In Eco-Friendly
- Reusable Tote Bags
- Stainless Steel Straws
- Bamboo Cutlery sets
- Wooden Toys
- Chopping Boards
- Reusable food wrap
4. Electronic Gifts
Technology derived promo gifts are one of the major front runners for 2021. The bonus of tech gifts is that they can be applied to almost any business making them a universal option in the corporate gifting market. The key to the effectiveness of tech promo gifts is that they always tick the usefulness box.
Trending In Electronics
- USB Drives
- Powerbanks
- Headphones
- Selfie Sticks
- Mouse and/or mouse pads
- Bluetooth Speakers
5. Promotional Clothing
The go-to promo product for many businesses, hats, tee shirts and hoodies are among the favourites but this category can extend to any type of apparel. Branded clothing is something that tends to stick around for extended periods if it is well executed and the products are of good quality.
Trending In Clothing
- Hats
- Tee Shirts
- Hoodies
- Hi Vis Vests
- Jackets
- Socks
6. Promotional Bags
Countless styles and designs make promotional bags a good choice for those who wish to personalise their gifts. Bags can be easily printed with logos, images and other materials and are likely to be used and kept for extended periods of time. A promotional bag meets and exceeds the number one criteria for good corporate gifting – that of being useful and easily integrated into daily life.
Trending In Bags
- Tote Bags
- Cooler Bags
- Backpacks
- Picnic Bags
- Sports Bags
7. Branded Drinkware
Another top favourite in the corporate gifting market is reusable water bottles and coffee cups. The vast variety of options these days tick all of the boxes; easy to add branding in various ways, highly useful, and even eco-friendly!
Trending In Drinkware
- Reusable Coffee Cups
- Reusable Water Bottles
If you need more help deciding on an appropriate corporate gift it’s a good idea to get in touch with a team that specialises in promotional merchandise. They will be more than happy to guide you through the process or see here for information on why promotional products are an important marketing strategy.