In today’s world, when corporate branding is an important benchmark of how an organization is performing, it is important to look at all the branding practices of your business and identify areas where you can have a little more innovation. For example in the area of corporate gift giving.
Unfortunately, a lot of small and medium businesses do not take their corporate branding very seriously, and therefore quickly fade away from the minds of their customers. Marketing solutions like spots on radio and television, or creating beautiful signage can be a good place to start, but there are other ways in which you can create personalized marketing solutions. Corporate gifts, with items that have been personalized for both the person giving the gift, and the person who is receiving it, can go a long way in developing long term cordial relationships with clients.
If you really think about it, who doesn’t like to receive a gift? Think about the last time you got something unexpected from someone that you did some business with wasn’t it a nice feeling? The idea of corporate gifting is built around this feeling of joy that accompanies gift giving and receiving. However, this is certainly not the only thing that corporate gifting is about. Personalized corporate gifts are memorable because they are personal and also designed to promote your corporate branding.
Perfecting Your Relationship with Presents
Corporate gifts, though gaining popularity, can be like a double edged sword. When used efficiently, corporate gifts are a very valuable means of improving your relationship with your employees and customers. Such gifts may not only create goodwill, but also foster new relationships and cement old ones. They also help in the promotion of your business. When you give an appropriate gift, which has been timed correctly, it can be a really important tool in your marketing arsenal. This is a covert way of telling someone that your relationship is important. However, the entire enterprise of gift giving is very complicated and corporate gift giving practices are often marked with lots of tips, guidelines and rules. This is because verbal communication may soon be forgotten, but a corporate gift, which carries the logo of the company, is a constant reminder of what the company stands for. Such gifts are not soon forgotten. When they are used as an integral part of the marketing strategy of an organization, they can be used in support of multiple promotional activities undertaken by the business.
Corporate Jewellery for business partners and epmloyees
What Type of Gifts make good Corporate Gifts and How are They Different from Incentives?
There is no limit to what you can use as a corporate gift. In fact, the type of gift used is only limited by one’s imagination. Corporate gifts may range from simple pens with company logos, to a paid holiday to a favoured destination. There is, however, a very distinct difference between corporate gifts and incentives. A corporate gift is essentially offered as a gesture of recognition. It finds its most significant use in business to business promotions. Incentives, on the other hand, are specific schemes that are used to reward staff or very close business clients. Corporate marketing pundits point out three categories of corporate gifts, based on the value of an item and its purpose.
The first category of gifts are very low value, and they are called giveaways like promotional lapel pins. These are usually produced and distributed in high volume. They are not personal and are used primarily to increase the company’s presence and branding value, or for promotion.
Promotional Lapel Pin for giving away at fairs
The second types of corporate gifts are the standard gifts, which may cover a larger price range. These gifts are suitable for most gifting occasions, including events and anniversaries, team building events (i.e. laple pins), special events for recognition of employees (i.e. years of service pins) and promotional gifts to both partners and clients (i.e. bespoke cufflinks or tie clips). A lot of organisations use such gifts to build their company’s culture. Standard gifts have more perceptible value than giveaways not only because of the price of the products used for gifting, but also because of the manner in which they are gifted.
Years of Service Pin for employees who have worked over 10 years
The final category of corporate gifts contains luxury items that may be highly personalized. These are high value items which are created and used in low volumes because they may be used sparingly and denote a high level of closeness in relationships (i.e corporate jewellery). These address an individual directly, and carry a lot of prestige. They are also usually based on very strong brands.
Highly personalised brooch as a present for employees at company’s anniversary
Why do Corporate Gifts Make Excellent Marketing Ideas?
With hundreds of other marketing channels available, businesses often overlook or underestimate the power of corporate gifting. The role of corporate gifts in a marketing mix cannot be negated. When used properly, they can be a very important and effective tool for the reinforcement of other elements of marketing. Here’s what they can do for your business:
Value Advertising – As opposed to advertising, corporate gifts offer a more tangible reflection of the money spent. Such gifts also have a longer lasting promotional impact for the organization because they are useful to the recipient. This is why corporate gifts are considered better than pure advertising.
Better Public Relations – Radio spots and advertisements may help an organization gain more visibility, but they definitely do not help in increasing awareness in any way. An increased ability to target and leave a creative impact, are two of the biggest advantages that corporate gifts offer. Today, when more and more companies are turning towards soft values to achieve better relationships with their employees and partners, corporate gifts have become a beacon of personal communication.
Sales Promotion – Corporate gifts are very useful when it comes to speeding the acceptance of new services, and may be instrumental in accelerating purchasing decisions. A desirable corporate gift along with products and services can encourage customers to take faster purchasing decisions and signify a service oriented mentality.
Personal Selling – A lot of organizations use their corporate gifts to revive their relationship with clients. Such gifts also remind customers of them even long after personal communication activities have been completed. Since there is a tendency to forget verbal communication quickly, gifts and incentives make for excellent reminders, especially when the company is trying to tip a major business decision in their favor.
In short, corporate gifts show a lot of potential in customer stimulation. They may feel rewarded for their past businesses, and are also induced very tactfully into doing more business with the organization on a continual basis.
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