5 things to consider when brainstorming corporate gift ideas
Coming up with corporate gift ideas can be really difficult, because you want them to feel anything other than – well, corporate.
On top of that, the best corporate gift ideas have to tick many boxes, so it can all end up feeling a tad Goldilocks-esque, with nothing ever feeling just quite right.
But don’t fear! Today I’m going to take you through the key elements you need to consider when coming up with corporate gift ideas for your clients, so that you can find something that even that tow-coloured trespasser wouldn’t find objection with.
(Gift buying is one of my favourite things ever; at school, I even flirted with the idea of pursuing a career as a gift buyer for a big retailer before I realised it was a very sales-adjacent role…I’m much happier behind the scenes, as you can tell! However, I still indulge this love with gift-buying for my clients, and after a lot of feedback from them have recently launched a gifting service, where I can research the perfect corporate gift ideas for you! I essentially ask the same info as below, then do the hard work in putting it into action. You can read more about it here…or if you’re opting for DIY, just keep on scrollin’.)
Here 5 things to BEAR in mind (a Goldilocks reference, get it?) when coming up with the best corporate gift ideas:
Budget
First things first, you need to work out what you’d be happy spending.
Good corporate gift ideas should not break the bank. Of course, this is relative: if you’re selling a premium service and you’re well established, you may want to spend more than if you’ve got a lower-priced offering and are fairly new. (Alternatively, you could be new but with a high budget, or well established with a smaller one…you catch my drift.)
If you’re planning to include gifts in your customer workflow, then it’s also important to incorporate them into your pricing. This means that instead of seeing the price of the gift as eating into your profit, it forms a part of your costs.
If you have lots of customers to gift to, then it might be worth looking into bulk-buying something, as this often works out cheaper per unit and therefore overall (this is known as ‘economies of scale’). It does, however, mean that you’re shelling out more at once, which depends on your cashflow.
2. Relevance
Ideally, you want to avoid the recipient opening the gift and thinking “wow, that present is lovely…but I’ll never use it/I’m not sure what to do with it/why did they think this was suitable?”
With that in mind, good corporate gift ideas are relevant to your business. I don’t necessarily mean branded (often, in fact, it’s best if they’re not), but at least somewhat related to what they’ve paid you for. Not only does this show the level of thought and care you’ve put into it, adding to your customer’s delight, but it’s probably also going to be hella helpful too!
Is there a particular product that you always recommend to your clients, that you could get for them? Something that they could save to use when your service is complete, to celebrate how happy they are with your work? Or maybe some wordplay, if you have a particularly memorable tagline?
3. Practicality for them
I’m better at it now, but I always used to get so swept up in the EXCITEMENT of the gift-giving that I often forgot that it’s meant to be unconditional for the recipient. For example, I ordered donuts for my partner’s birthday one year, to make up for the fact that I was abroad. They needed to deliver before 8.30am, so I told him he had to up for then; he, quite reasonably, wanted a lie-in, but I stubbornly wouldn’t tell him why he couldn’t. I was so fixated on the good idea in theory – surprise donuts – that I didn’t think about the (im)practicality of it.
All of this to say: as the world starts to open up again, it’s no longer a given that your clients will be at home all day (depending on what they do, it wasn’t a given then either, of course.) If you’re planning to send something that requires ID or a signature, won’t fit through the letterbox, or is designed to be consumed fresh (like flowers, ice cream or, ahem, donuts), make sure that’s not going to inconvenience your client.
4. Practicality for you
But also – the gift buying needs to be practical for you too! For example, I mentioned economies of scale above: but if you’re thinking about buying in bulk in advance, make sure you have the storage space for them. It’s all well and good saving money on the cost per unit, but if the pile of boxes is in your way everyday, the emotional strain might outweigh the financial benefit.
5. The earth
There are loads of ways you can ensure your corporate gift ideas adhere to an eco-friendly agenda. The first goes back to the relevancy point: get something that they’ll actually use, rather than something that will immediately go in the bin!
You can also make sure you pick a gift made from sustainable materials and sent in recyclable (or, even better, recycled) packaging. I always try and source gifts from small businesses, too, to ensure I’m giving money back to the community.
So, there you have it: 5 things to think about when you’re brainstorming corporate gift ideas. Has anything come to mind? Or perhaps you’re looking for some help? (Promise I won’t force you to ruin your clients’ birthday lie-ins). Please get in touch here about my gifting service!
