How to Come Up With Good Promotional Client Gift Ideas for Christmas

Giving promotional client gifts away during Christmas and the winter holidays is a great way to thank clients and customers for their business, cultivate new business, and spread goodwill during the holidays as you advertise your company. The best promotional gift ideas are well-thought-out in advance as part of a bigger plan to expand your business. Learn how to come up with good promotional gifts that will gain you the most for the future.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Decide whether the best gain is to be gotten from giving gifts to a client's whole office or department, giving a gift to the contact person or people (such as sales people or account executives or even receptionists), or sending a promotional gift to the owner. Promotional client gifts don't come cheap...well, they can, but any expenditure these days should be a thoughtful investment. Make sure you're directing your promotional efforts where they will do the most good.

2. Give a promotional client gift such as a gift basket or other food gift to an entire office if you seek the benefit of easing and warming business relations between the client's staff and your company. Flavored popcorn is always a favorite with staff members during the holidays, or try Christmas cookies, a liquor-soaked pound cake or basket of gourmet chocolates. If you'd rather go with a non-food item, consider promotional Christmas ornaments or stress-busters that each staff member can take home. (See Resources for promotional gift suggestions suitable for general staff.)

3. Give out more "corporate" style promotional items such as logo mugs, logo T-shirts, or personalized pens to sales people, account executives, account managers, and clerical staff you may deal with daily, especially if your goal is to make sure they keep your company in mind. Choose objects that they will keep at their desks and close to hand, allowing your brand to stick in their minds. (See Resources for ideas for promotional giveaways to business contacts.)

4. Give more luxurious executive promotional gifts for Christmas and the holidays to a customer who's an executive, a CEO, or other VIP. Promotional items like luxury pens, gourmet gift baskets (think grass-fed beef, gourmet chocolates, dried fruit, quality nuts, capers, and other gourmet treats), and high-end crystal are great client gifts for your bigwig clients.
   
   Consider calling the executive's secretary to find out his or her taste, since this increases the odds that your gift will be kept and not distributed out to the general staff and forgotten. (See Resources for more luxurious promotional Christmas gift ideas.)

5. Lastly, present your customer with a combo gift--such as a gift basket stuffed with your promotional client pens--particularly in small-to-midsize offices. This not only assures a "happy feeling" being associated with your company during Christmas and other special occasions, but also leaves traces of your logo around their office to bring your business to mind.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose gifts embossed or printed with your logo if at all possible, to drive home the branding effect.
• However, don't get obsessed with logos. There are a few gifts, particularly the more luxurious ones, that look gaudy with logos. For these, opt for no logo or a small, discreet one.
• The right gift will stick in the client's mind, even if it doesn't ostentatiously bear your company logo, while a less effective gift is fated to be forgotten or given away, whether or not if it's got your brand emblazoned all over it.

Resources

• Praline Pecan Pound Cake (great for your client's staff and contact clients)
• Get gourmet beef sent right to your door (a luxury client gift)
• Luxury Chocolate Gifts (see the Corporate section for gourmet selections like pink champaign truffles)
• Top Corporate Gifts of gourmet cheeses, chocolates, and sausages packaged in beautiful gift baskets at The Wisconsin Cheeseman
• Cheesecake Aly - Chocolate Chip Cheesecake 8 inch - Buy it now at Kosher.com (fabulous for a small office)
• Logo Tote bag
• Logo Mug (great cheap client gift)
• Luxurious looking calculator and pen set (perfect for contact clients)
• Nice looking and cheap logo pens
• The Corporate Show Stopper™ - Christmas Gift Basket (for a customer or client's whole office)
• Send a Christmas Fruit Gift Basket Today (great for staff)
• 20% off at Popcornopolis (three-way popcorn tins are easy and festive gifts to send to client offices)
• Promote your Business this Holiday season with custom printed calendars from HolidayClassics.com. Save 50% on all orders before November 25th.

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on 10/26/2009 Thanks for sharing these great ideals.