Corporate gifts are often left to the last minute – but it can have a significant impact to your business. When used well, corporate gifts and branded merchandise can have a significant impact on your success. We want to make things easier for you. Explore this guide and learn the benefits, top uses for merchandise, what to consider and more!
The Benefits of Corporate Gifts:
Corporate gift giving strengthens the bond between business owners, employees, distributors, suppliers, and clients, and offers many benefits to improve the performance of your organisation. There are a number of benefits to using corporate gifts strategically in your business.
1. For the Business
Positive attracts positive, which is why doing good and giving to others brings positivity to your business and spreads the word that you are an altruistic, giving company. Corporate gifts are also a highly effective marketing tool and have the power to increase or build brand loyalty, create awareness about your brand, retain brand image or simply attract new customers or clients.
2. For Your B2B Relationships
Companies are comprised of people, and people just love receiving gifts! They are also more likely to pay attention to you when receiving a gift, which can go a long way when developing relationships with current and prospective clients. This could be as simple as giving them a keychain or promotional tees with your brand on it.
3. For Employees
Gifting within an organisation shows not only gratitude towards employees but also thanks them for their dedication and hard work. Organisations that use corporate gifting with staff are reported to have higher levels of staff loyalty and retention! for shareholders When presented at shareholder meetings, corporate gifts can help the shareholders feel their investments are worthwhile and are appreciated.
4. For Brand Recognition
The best corporate gifts are long-lasting, highly practical products that can be used daily. Products customised with your company’s image and tagline will keep your brand top of mind.
5. For the Bottom Line
Corporate gifts are relatively cheap when compared to monetary incentives involved in compensating employees, clients, and customers. Buying in bulk can also bring you significant cost efficiencies. for the supply chain A well-planned and considered gift-giving program supports local business, suppliers, and potential partners.
Top 10 Uses of Branded Merchandise
Different businesses use merchandise and gifting in different ways. Explore the list below and think about how you might use gifts or promotional items across your organisation. Will yours be a luxury corporate gift, or something more practical?
- Brand Recognition
- Brand/Product Awareness
- Corporate Identity
- Public Relations & Goodwill
- Customer Retention & Appreciation
- Generate Sales & Referrals
- Employee Communications & Recognition
- New Product Introduction
- Motivate Behaviours & Incentive Programs
- New Customer Acquisition
There is a common misconception that merchandise is expensive. Check out our article on "Calculating ROI on Promotional Products" to find out how to get ROI on your promotional items.
Things to consider when searching for the perfect gift…
When you are just starting out with corporate gifting or using branded merchandise, there are a number of things to consider. It's always a good idea to think carefully how the gift will be received and how relevant the gift is to the audience. Let's discuss a few questions to get you thinking...
1. Define your recipients. Are they internal or external?
Internal recipients are your members of staff. External recipients are any clients, either past, present or prospective, and anyone who is involved with your organisation in any other way aside from forming a part of the organisation itself.
2. What are their demographics?
Consider age, gender and location. Location is important! If they live across the country, think about a gift that will travel easily – that means nothing too heavy, bulky or fragile. Another tip: don’t send anything that could melt or be affected by heat during transport!
3. What are their interests?
A thoughtful gift that reflects the interests of your recipient goes a long way in building relationships. Try to understand what kind of gift would be meaningful to your target audience or type of client and design a solution around that.
4. What is the occasion?
Is the gift for a holiday or specific season? Is it to celebrate a special occasion? Or even just a thank you gift? Some more ideas on different occasions on page 7.
5. How will you customise your gift?
Most people choose a customized corporate gift. However, before making any decisions, ask yourself how branding this item will affect the value of the gift? Use clever design to integrate your brand onto the item in a sophisticated yet eye-catching way.
6. How will you package your gift?
Customised packaging can make a memorable first impression. We can source an extensive range of packaging, from customised boxes, bags, wrapping paper, ribbon – all in a range of materials. Try getting creative and give the packaging a long-term use as well! Instead of a traditional basket in your hamper, consider an esky, tote bag, or metal bucket like the example opposite.
What's Your Occassion?
Corporate gifting is often left to the last minute. It’s easy to become daunted by the task, so it gets put in the too-hard basket. Well, we want to make things a bit easier for you.
Download our Guide and get the 2020/2021 calendar to help you brainstorm ideas and plan your corporate gifting occasions throughout the year. Remember, if you buy in bulk – and ahead of time – you could save a pretty penny.
What should you give as a corporate gift?
These days you are spoilt for choice when it comes to the possibilities in gifting. One tip with creating enviable gifts is nailing the theme and concept. There are too many options to list here, but let’s explore a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing!
Alcohol
Spirits, beer, wine or champagne make great gifts but have been done to death and can come across as a bit impersonal. Unless of course your client is a die-hard red wine fan and you’ve sourced an excellent Shiraz you know they are going to love. If your occasion calls for it, we would suggest you look at either building the alcohol into a hamper, or create branded packaging to bring uniqueness and “wow factor”, such as a leather case, cloth wrap or premium carry bag.
Office items
Everyday stationery items such as pens, notepads, and mouse pads can be handy to have, and certainly have their time and place at events. However, every man and his dog do them, so if your objective is to differentiate your brand, it pays to think out of the box. Leather-bound monogrammed journals, iPad holders, and high quality boxed pens can make great executive gifts. Aim to get the best quality you can afford.
Leisure items
You can really have some fun with this category, and if you choose well, your gifts will hopefully be used again and again. The trick with leisure items is apply your brand in a creative way that feels designer. Beach umbrellas, custom flip-flops, beach towels, wine coolers, bar accessories, glassware, cheese boards and picnic sets make great gifts, especially when combined together in a themed gift pack.
Technology & Tools
Technology and tools are very popular in some industries, but it can sometimes be tricky to source high quality items that your recipients will actually use. Aside from the popular USB drives, companies are also opting for bluetooth speakers, earbuds, multipurpose chargers, digital frames, or computer accessory kits.
Food items
Food items can be a great go-to for corporate gifts, and are usually shared with colleagues or taken home for the family. They can come across as a bit generic, so the trick is to be creative and thoughtful. Make sure you understand the tastes and preferences of your recipient before you send your gift. Theming your gift into “foodie” experiences can be a fun way to approach food-related gifts. Think about the hamper container too, this could be a great reusable item. Food items may not be a suitable option if your gift needs to travel or is likely to be exposed to hot or cold conditions as it may spoil.
Drinkware
Drink bottles and mugs are synonymous with the category of branded merchandise, and can be done really well. There are some very elegant and high quality items available these days, including eco-friendly options, that are worthy of attention. Bamboo travel coffee mugs, vacuum flasks, coffee mug sets, metal wine coolers and desktop water jug/cup sets are among some of the most popular.
Health, Home & Personal items
These items will either be a good fit for your industry – or not appropriate at all – but gifts such as towels, first aid kits, wallets, manicure sets, cufflinks or mirrors can make great gift options. Lifestyle items your recipient can use around the home are also very popular, such as pizza slicers, salt and pepper mills, LED clocks, salad servers, BBQ set or folding chairs.
What's Next?
So now you know a bit more about the benefits and strategies behind using personalized corporate gifts – now comes the fun part! The brainstorming! Download our Guide to Corporate Gifting and get 300+ no-fail client gifts and merchandise for your next corporate promotion or event.