Founder and CEO of Packed with Purpose, where business gifts foster meaningful relationships and create deep social impact.
Corporate gifting is an important part of a B2B relationship-building strategy. A 2018 survey found that “over 80% of C-suite executives believe that business gifts generate measurable positive ROI in addition to intangible benefits.”
You may have already penciled in your annual holiday gift shipments to clients, prospects or employees. But, my experience in the corporate gift industry shows that sending gifts outside of the holiday season can be more effective, engaging and personalized.
That’s because there are several challenges to sending gifts during the Christmas rush.
• More peppermint bark and peanut brittle?
In my experience, about 60% of annual corporate gifts are sent during “the holidays.” You’ve probably experienced this glut of treats during peak times. When every other vendor takes up a share of the office counter, there’s not much room for other gifts to stand out.
According to the recent McKinsey article “The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow,” successful B2B companies are focusing on hyperpersonalization. Personalized marketing and sales interactions have become a differentiator for successful B2B organizations: 77% of companies that use a direct one-to-one personalization see an increase in market share. Your gifting strategy could feel less personalized and more generic if sent during the holiday rush.
• Where’s the surprise and delight?
In addition to hyperpersonalization, B2B marketers often find success with customer nurture techniques that elicit “surprise and delight.” By the very nature of the season, holiday gifts are expected. But, getting a gift out of the blue and, when least expected, can deliver a meaningful experience that will benefit customer relationships.
It’s difficult to break through with a unique experience when everyone else is employing the same tactic. Instead, effective corporate gifts that elicit surprise and delight are those that are sent on a client’s schedule, not yours.
• How many days until vacation?
According to a 2019 Ladders survey, “In the U.S., over 50% of employees expect to lose their focus at work and ready themselves for the festive season between 15th and 16th December,” and 10% reported feeling distracted from their work even before December 1st! It’s a cultural reality that work tends to slow down a bit during the last few weeks of the year, and sending a gift during this time may not elicit any action or even acknowledgment.
In addition to competition from other vendors and the expectation of gifts during the season, checked-out employees pose yet another challenge to maximizing the ROI of corporate gift-giving.
Stand out from the crowd with alternative options.
Sending traditional holiday gifts can dampen the key objectives of corporate gift-giving: breaking through messaging clutter, displaying personalization and eliciting surprise and delight. Here are some alternative choices.
1. Celebrate their milestones, not everyone else’s.
Through effective data collection, B2B businesses now keep tabs on client anniversaries, product launches, promotions, seasonality and press. When you send a gift that recognizes customer achievements, you can deepen and nurture the relationship.
Sending a gift that celebrates a client during their time of success will stand out from more cluttered times. Corporate gifts can honor anything: birthdays, personal and professional milestones, or just because. Aligning your gifting strategy with important dates for the client provides unique opportunities to get in touch, surprise and delight and strengthen your business relationship.
2. Lean into Thanksgiving or the New Year.
For the many reasons mentioned above, sending gifts at the end of the year can be a challenge. But, this provides B2B businesses the opportunity to surprise and delight with something different yet still festive.
Thanksgiving is an underutilized holiday for gift giving, especially for corporate gifts, but it’s an ideal occasion to express gratitude. Receiving a gift during Thanksgiving is unexpected but aligns with themes of appreciation and giving thanks.
Or, avoid the mid-December check-out with a New Year’s gift. Themes of kicking off the new year with success resonate as employees return to work in early January. Employees are well-rested and geared up to face the new year with increased energy and commitment. A corporate gift basket that supports a positive start to the year sends the message that you have your client (or team’s) back after most year-end gifts have been forgotten.
3. Leverage the other special days on the calendar.
Every month gives an opportunity for businesses to honor, celebrate or reward. On April 18th, you can send a gift for Customer Appreciation Day. In March, acknowledge female leaders with a Women’s History Month curation, or “show the love” to clients with a cheeky Valentine’s gift in February.
You can also leverage dates that are meaningful to your own company to celebrate with your closest clients. You can show gratitude for customer loyalty during an anniversary celebration or keep your closest stakeholders in the know with the latest news, like a rebrand announcement.
There are multiple months to share your company’s DEI values and celebrate both clients and employees, like Black History Month (February), Asian American Pacific Islanders Heritage Month (May), LGBTQ Pride Month (June), National Hispanic Heritage Month (mid-September to mid-October) and National Native American Heritage Month (November).
By choosing from a whole year’s worth of occasions, you can set yourself apart from other vendors, make deeper connections by leaning into unique holidays and, most importantly, your message will break through.
Successful B2B marketing has moved beyond one-size-fits-all tactics. Corporate gifts are examples of physical, positive and personalized experiences. But, when you send gifts during the holiday season, you risk being forgotten, ignored or unopened. By choosing alternatives to the “present rush,” with client-specific occasions, or myriad alternative holidays, your company’s gifts can be more effective and make a statement.
If 60% of businesses are planning to send gifts during the holiday season, this year, make a New Year’s resolution to join the 40% that choose a different time. Your employees, prospects and clients will thank you.
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