In today’s competitive business environment getting noticed can be extremely challenging; keeping employees satisfied is even more difficult. How do we gain recognition? What means can we use to increase employee engagement? Is there any way we can draw in more investors? The answer is simple – smart corporate gifting can help get things going. There are lots of different ways a company can use to market their business; there’s direct and digital marketing, conventional print media advertising, trade shows and corporate event, just to mention a few.
For many years corporate gifts have proven to be an effective marketing tool. Sending giveaways will never go out of style as this is currently one of the most productive ways of getting your products noticed and your brand recognized. Who doesn’t love a free gift? Here are some tips to help companies make sure that their gift ideas get noticed.
Images sent by author
Have a target audience in mind
The most important rule of selecting the best gift is to have a target audience in mind first. Make sure you don’t invest in gift ideas that don’t interest your target audience. It is important to offer things that can match with the preferences and needs of your customers, suppliers and investors. For instance, if your company operates in the food & beverage sector then offering cooking utensils, coasters and branded aprons is an excellent ideas; don’t give away memory sticks and stylus pens as nobody will want them. These are for start-ups targeting the IT sector.
Select corporate gifts and promotional products that match with your services
There are numerous universal gift ideas you can go for, although it’s always a good idea to be creative about selected items. If you want to make your brand and start-up stand out, make sure to consider corporate gifts that are functional to the recipient. Offering gifts with no value can do a lot of harm to your company, and may even destroy your reputation. Recipients will believe that you’re being cheap, and that you’d rather take short cuts than put your energy into selecting something with greater value.
Regardless of the corporate gifts or promotional products chosen, it is fundamental that you use the most suitable types. The right gift idea will help your business get noticed faster for an extended period of time. It will also keep customers (and even employees) more loyal to you and your brand.
Make gifts special
The best ideas for a corporate gift are different from the ones customers and investors get from other companies. A lot of enterprises send customer gifts annually around the Christmas holiday, but that’s not enough. For a gift idea to get noticed it has to be offered more often; and it must have meaning too. For example, if you’re looking to build a business relationship with another company, it might be a good idea to send out personalized gifts. Photo frames, card holders, notebooks, pens and additional office items are exceptional ideas; however, all these items can’t seem special unless they have something unique. Engrave them with your potential investor’s name and you’ll have their attention.
Think outside the box
Corporate gifting is becoming increasingly more common in the business environment. Companies looking to build relationships are more than welcomed to send out gifts to investors and suppliers. However, if you’re a small start-up looking to build a strong reputation and make an impact, you might want to think outside the box. Come up with useful and practical ideas, and stay away from common gifts that everyone else has already thought of. The more ingenious your idea is the better chances you have for a bigger company to notice your potential.
How do you make an impression with corporate gifting? It can be extremely tough to get noticed in the business environment; whether we like it or not, the competition is fierce and you can only set yourself apart with something new. Sending pens, notebooks, and other trivial gifts to potential investors won’t cut it; the same thing goes for employees. You can’t keep them engaged unless you put a little more effort when it comes to sending corporate gifts. Pay more attention to details and seek to cater to people’s needs if you want to make an impression.
By Jason Phillips
