The holiday season was a high point of gift giving. But when it comes to corporate gifting, this is a year round affair.
As any good gift giver can tell you, finding the right present for someone is not easy.
It’s not about how much money you spend on a person (though that certainly helps).
Rather, the right gift takes what you know about a person and distills it into an object they will appreciate.
The best gifts are items that the recipient will enjoy but was unlikely to purchase for themselves.
Such gifts should also be reflective of the person who gave them and their relationship with the recipient.
The Power of Corporate Gifting
Most individuals are aware of these gift giving conventions on some level. What they may not know is that corporations engage in gift giving as well.
Corporations like to reward customers for doing business with them through material means.
This allows businesses to retain customers and spread good word of mouth to others.
After all, 66% of people will remember your company’s name as late as one year after receiving a gift.
This is why 4 in 5 CEOs believe that corporate gifting has a positive and measurable ROI.
How do corporations maximize the value of their gifts? Unless they are the type of operation able to meet with clients personally, it can be hard to know what customers would like as a gift.
Corporations are impersonal by nature, but the best gifts are personal ones. How do you reconcile the two?
How to Personalize Gifts
One way to personalize gifts is to send them when customers reach specific milestones. Some companies send gifts to customers on their birthdays.
Even if the gift itself isn’t personalized, the occasion is. Other companies send gifts to customers after a certain amount of time or money is spent with the business.
Not only does this reward long term relationships between business and customer, but it also limits the number of gifts the business sends out to their top customers.
Another way gifts can reward beneficial consumer behavior is by gifting those who refer the company to others.
Generating new leads is how a business grows. It’s worth celebrating the individuals who make it happen.
All the strategies listed above have 1 thing in common. They all focus on the occasion in which a gift is sent, not the gift itself.
For the gift itself, businesses have to think about what their customers have in common.
Consumer data may be able to give businesses insight into purchase history and demographic information, but that information isn’t enough.
Instead, businesses should figure out what about the company’s branding attracted customers to them in the first place.
Yes, Gifts Can Match Your Brand
Branding is a powerful tool. At its best, branding is the company personified. Brands have personalities and values that customers can relate to.
Branding colors every interaction a company has with external stakeholders.
One way to develop a company’s brand into something relatable and comprehensible is by using archetypes.
According to renowned psychologist Carl Jung, there are 12 major archetypal personalities seen throughout history.
A brand could latch onto any single one depending on their product offerings and target market.
Brands that follow well defined archetypes rose in value by 97% compared to brands without a strong identity.
Brands improve the customization of customer interactions. 63% of customers report disliking the generic ads and brand messaging they receive on a daily basis.
In a world inundated with ads, it’s important to stick out. 9 in 10 customers want the brands they interact with to feel real and authentic.
They want them to act on the values they claim to uphold. This ties into corporate gifting by informing the type of gifts customers receive.
Looking at Your Brand Archetype
Connecting a brand archetype to a gift may seem abstract at first. Here is an example.
A brand that embodies (and attracts customers of) the Innocent archetype is expected to value purity.
Gifts associated with the Innocent archetype are expected to be natural products that support a gentle caregiver.
One such gift that fits this bill is an aromatherapy diffuser. Diffusers spread wholesome love with a purified offering.
For those who enjoy essential oils or pleasant perfumes, the gift is especially welcome.
Remember, you want the customer to associate the gift with your company. Branding drives gifting.
