I love gift-buying. When holiday season rolls around, I am the one that spends an obscene amount of time trying to decide which hiking socks really embody the recipient’s aura. Then, I painstakingly add a perfect, color-coordinating Christmas bow to every box…and my husband cringes as I get glitter…everywhere.
And client gifts are no exception. If you’ve skimped on client gifts in the past, here are 5 reasons you shouldn’t make that same mistake twice.
1. Attitude of gratitude
When I purchase my client a gift, it is first and foremost an act of gratitude. Sometimes the gift says, “Thank you for taking a leap of faith on a small business.” Other times it’s a “Seriously, that webinar prep took about a thousand times longer than we thought…and I know you only co-hosted with me because I asked you to” gift. But, whatever the case, client gifts are always, at their core, revealing an attitude of gratitude. And that’s something you should communicate to your customers every chance you get.
2. Communicate something about your brand
For those of you who don’t know, my first company was called Health and Fitness Activations. I guess technically, it was a lemonade stand when I was 10, but I digress. At Health and Fitness, I would always buy clients gifts that fell within the health and fitness realm. Sometimes this was an upscale branded gym bag. Other times it was a gift card to a day spa. But you could know that if you got a gift from Health and Fitness Activations, it was going to show you that we live out our value of sharing our passion for living a healthy lifestyle with others.
3. Let your client know you appreciate them for more than just their business.
This may not be true for everyone, but I can say that I genuinely enjoy the friendships I have made with clients throughout the years. I have a client from my last job that now often joins me for Christmas Day family gatherings. When I purchase gifts, I make sure that it makes sense for that specific individual. Are they an athlete? Maybe a sports-recovery gift box. Are they a working parent who tells you about the struggle of work-life balance? Maybe a gift card to an activity they can do with their little ones. By getting your client something for them specifically, you are showing them that you care about them personally, and not just their business.
4. Branded corporate gifts give the client an ongoing reminder 
If you choose to get your client a luxury branded corporate gift (as opposed to the standard pens, t-shirts, etc.), your client will keep it for the long haul and think of you and your company every time they use said item. In my career, I’ve done branded plant-holders, the gym bags I mentioned earlier, and (probably not surprisingly) wooden boxes like the ones we have at beCAUSE minded. These are all great ways to add your brand name to a practical client gift that they use for years.
5. Connect with them on a shared passion
If there’s an opportunity for you to connect with your client through a thoughtful client gift, take it! I am a working mom with 2 businesses. I am also pretty health conscious. And just keeping my business running, my kids fed and my body rested is…pretty much impossible. So, when I bought a gift for a like-minded client recently, I decided to skip the branded business gifts and went for something completely different. I semi-stalked her and Google mapped her address and got her a gift card to a healthy restaurant that offered food for take-out. Suddenly our relationship went from vendor/client to two women with demanding careers trying to navigate a pandemic with young kiddos at home. And the gift of a nourishing meal was just right for that occasion.
If you weren’t already convinced, hopefully this has shown you that there’s incredible value in taking the time to purchase a meaningful client gift.
And if you need some more ideas, follow us @becauseminded where we are always giving tips on how to master the art of corporate gifting.
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