When it comes to corporate relationships with clients in a competitive marketplace, it’s important for your business to stand out. Your clients want to feel special and cared for in the relationship, and you want to make sure that comes through in your practices. If you’ve never considered client gifting as a marketing and sales strategy, here are some compelling reasons to get started.
1. It’s a great way to drive up social media engagement
You pick a beautiful and personalized item to send to your clients. If they’re new clients, or you’re new to gift-giving as a corporate policy, just imagine their delight. Everyone loves getting presents, and they definitely make a great conversation piece. So, in addition to telling everyone around; their spouse, their parents, their friends, and colleagues, there’s a chance that your pleased client is going to post about your gift on social media.
If they hashtag the gift you gave them on Instagram, that’s going to reach a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to your company. It will also come up when people search your business on social media, so it will have created a lasting impression.
2. It’s a fun way to highlight new products
When it comes to client gifts, avoid getting too gimmicky. You never want your gift to bring to mind something they might have won at a carnival. Instead, it’s better to choose something simple and heartfelt that won’t immediately wind up in a landfill and won’t feel like a brazen sales attempt.
That said, gift-giving done right can offer you a chance to highlight new products. This goes without saying for skincare companies, for example. Sending your clients a holiday gift of a few exciting new brands you’re working with not only shows them that you’re thinking of them, but also highlights new products they might be interested in purchasing.
3. It doesn’t have to be pricey and can be tax deductible
You don’t need to overspend on your clients. A gorgeous leather notebook or a wine they’d actually enjoy can show your client that you have good taste without having to make an extravagant or overly-splashy statement. You’ll even get some tax benefits. You can deduct up to $25 per year, per client in gifts (1).
4. It can highlight your company’s charitable side
The millennial generation in particular responds more favorably to companies that align with social causes dear to their hearts (2).
If you’re looking for a way to highlight all of the social good that your company does, and bring attention to causes that are important to your business, use client gifting as an opportunity. To do this, give to your favorite charitable organizations in your clients’ name instead of sending a physical gift.
5. It can reconnect you with clients (and help you gather updated contact info)
If you have clients that you haven’t reached out to recently, client gift-giving is a great way to give them a friendly, unobtrusive reminder of your presence.
Certainly preferable to a call out of the blue (especially near the holidays), a gift can show your clients that you’re still there, promoting the type of business that cares about each and every one of its clients. Additionally, this is a great opportunity to hone your data for future outreach. Setting up a gift-giving campaign can reveals whose contact information is out of date or misspelled.
6. It deepens your relationship with clients and shows them you care
People want to work with a business that aligns with their values. And if your company is engaging in gift-giving, they’re going to see your generous side highlighted. It’s going to make them feel like you care about them as an individual, and that you appreciate their patronage. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, these small, personal, and individualized details can make a lasting impression.
Remember to keep client gifting simple, sweet, and personalized. Don’t get caught up in gimmicks or make the whole process too sales-y. And at the end of the day, allow yourself to feel good about your generosity and your corporate culture of giving.
Sources:
1. irs.gov/faqs/small-business-self-employed-other-business/income-expenses/income-expenses-8
2. forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/02/01/how-to-incorporate-charity-and-volunteer-work-into-your-marketing-strategy/#6487f8ba7043