Find the best times to send client gifts and maximize the impact of your gifting strategies for greater business reach and stronger professional relationships.
Clients are quick to hold businesses to account. In many cases, if you are consistently saying how much you appreciate a client, yet not showing it – chances are you will likely be called out for walking the walk, but not talking the talk. And this can be bad for your brand/s affinity.
On a similar note, you can be doing everything right and still get it all wrong! This is especially true when you time a gift delivery incorrectly, leading to ineffective and counterproductive gifting strategies. Luckily, this scenario is easily fixable and can be done with great impact when applying very little effort.
In this blog we’ll help you perfectly time when to send client gifts and how to use certain occasions to maximize your gifting efforts. You can download the infographic here.
Birthdays
Birthdays are one of the most common times to send a gift to just about anyone, not just a valued client. It’s almost an expected time to receive or send gifts and your clients will truly feel appreciated when you take notice of them on their special personal days.
Not only does it do you good to send a client a gift on their birthday but it also does your brand image good that you’ve taken the time to note these important details. For these types of client gifts it would be good to add some personalization, which may be in the form of engraving a special date or name or any other detail. The gift need not be extravagant in this case but it’s more about remembering a special occasion such as this.
The Holidays
Holidays, such as Christmas and the New Year, are a great time to send client gifts because the air is filled with festive cheer and giving. It is during these times that you can show your gratitude to your valued clients in ways different to the standard traditions of gift giving.
For example, the gifts can be customized for the holidays and here even quirky gifts will be a hit because it’s all about the joy of the holidays. Celebrating the holidays with your clients is a special way to connect through unity, gratitude and togetherness. The holiday season can be customized according to your client and the religious holidays they observe.
For jewish clients, a Hanukkah gift will be more appropriate than say a Christmas gift as it will show you have a vested interest in your client’s personal life and traditions.
Professional Milestones
Professional milestones can vary and these are typically significant achievements that mark your clients professional development. By celebrating an occasion such as this, you are demonstrating to your client what is important to them. Is important to you. Also, if you take part in the victories and triumphs of your client, you are cementing a business relationship through professional gratitude.
For example, by sending a gift to your client to mark the anniversary of your work relationship, you can celebrate another year of successfully working together thereby establishing strong professional connections.
Personal Milestones
Personal milestones are just as important as professional ones. These can be the circumstances during which your client has a baby or gets married, or any other day of significance in their personal lives.
By sending a client gift during these special moments in their lives, you are creating an emotional connection that goes beyond professional workmanship and it’s these positive reactions that foster positive brand affinity.
Welcoming a New Client/ Onboarding/ Recruitment
A client gift is not restricted or limited to business associates that you have been in contact with for a while. Client gifts are also appropriate for new business associates as you welcome them to the team or as part of the recruitment/ onboarding process. This is a great way to demonstrate the company culture and set the precedence for what your company stands for. It sets your organization apart from the competition and generates brand awareness in line with your work ethic and morals. After all, it’s important to make a great first impression and lay the foundation for strong business relationships.
Marketing and Referral Drives
You can significantly grow your brand through substantial marketing and referrals. When you incentivize your clients with a gift for their referrals, you are able to increase your customer base and gain sizable customer loyalty. Not only does your client feel appreciated for their efforts and vested in your brand, but you can attract new customers in turn; all while solidifying the business relationships with existing ones. It’s a win-win!
Just Because…
Even though there are specific times when you should send a client gift to optimize impact and meaning, there are also times when you should send a gift just because. These are the times where there is no specific occasion and the meaning behind this intent is often greater received because there is an element of surprise unlike any other.
In fact, 61% of customers prefer surprise gifts and believe this is the best way to engage with them. Simply sending a gift just because shows you’ve taken the time to make an effort in a situation where others may not necessarily do the same – and this is a solid way for your brand to stand apart from the crowd.
Use Giftsenda for the Perfect Timing!
When you make use of a corporate gifting service, you have the appropriate tools at your disposal for professional gifting, allowing you to send gifts with minimal details and minimal effort!
