Corporate Gifting: Thoughtful Gifts for Employees and Customers Expecting Babies - Part 2

When you look over corporate gifting programs online, you see a lot of snacks. Basketfuls of pretzels and nuts, like someone’s overcompensating a traveler that’s stuck on the last seat available on a flight without decent legroom. 

Don’t get me wrong, food is always good. Especially on a crowded flight.

Except … pretzels aren’t ideal for that client with gluten intolerance. And nuts  simply won’t do for your employee who is deathly allergic--make sure they have an EpiPen handy!

But worst of all, snacks  aren’t very personal. Neither is a coffee mug with your logo on it, or that branded socks and tee combo.

What your clients and employees will notice is when you demonstrate that you know them as people, and not just as a face behind the business or that employee with the skills you want to hold onto for your company.

For instance, if they’re a golf nut, maybe you send them a three-day pass to a dream course. Or a Barnes and Noble gift pack with a gift card for that bookworm.

But even better? 

When you celebrate the important events in their lives.

If you acknowledge the milestones in their lives, then you’re showing that they matter to you and are considered part of your work family.

And when you’re working together as a family--clients and employees--that’s when you can truly accomplish the extraordinary.

Connecting With Clients

As we’ve mentioned before, to stand out with your clients you’ll need to recognize important life events rather than  only sending a gift  during the holidays that’s bound to be lost in the shuffle. It’s important to keep in regular contact throughout the year, but especially when it comes to birthdays, weddings, and births.

According to LinkedIn, corporate gifting is an essential part of a “drip campaign”--which is a plan of action that keeps you close to your clients and encourages future business.

Here are LinkedIn’s four reasons why corporate gifting is an important part of client relations:

1. Gifts Bridge Divides - Regardless of where you are geographically speaking, you can send gifts to clients that make them feel close even when you may be on separate continents. 
2. Personalized Gifting Reinforces Your Brand -  If you value your brand, show those who chose to do business with you that your brand stands for relationships, thoughtfulness, and going the extra mile. Many corporate gifting services allow for customizable branding, which means your business logo accompanies the warmth felt by the recipient.
3. Staying in Touch Keeps the Relationship Open - Remember the drip campaign? When your gift arrives, it opens up the lines of contact. The client will most likely reply, providing you the opportunity to discuss ongoing business needs and solutions. Perhaps you sent your client a gift hamper on their birthday, but that hamper will likely sit on  their desk for days, keeping you and your business in the front of their mind. 
4. Gifting Sets You Apart From the Competition -  Chances are, you aren’t the only business your client works with, but gifting may help you be their favorite. People do business with those they know and like. Sending a thoughtful gift is the perfect way to distinguish your business as a preferred partner. 

As the list states, you won’t be the only business your client works with, but you do want to be the favorite. 

Recognizing a new birth or adoption in the family is an ideal way to foster an excellent relationship with your clients. Everything that baby needs for their first day is included in our baby bundles. 

Each knotted gown is soft to the touch, yet strong enough to withstand the inevitable stains and strains of infancy. The bottom of the gowns can be tied and untied with ease for simple diaper changes in between feedings and naps. All of our swaddle blankets provide a snug yet stretchy fit for when nap time and bedtime require that extra amount of soothing.

Your clients will also receive an heirloom-quality birth announcement keepsake. They can use the wooden sign in a photo with baby to  share with their relatives and friends. Then, they can display the keepsake in the baby’s room or incorporate it into a photo album. 

Each of these items together is a perfect gift for a new parent.

Make sure to continue contact with your clients after the baby gift. Now you know their child’s birthday, you can send a little something each year to commemorate the important day. Make sure you know how to spell the child’s name.

Keeping Your Employees

No one wants to work somewhere that has high employee turnover. If you’re losing your workforce faster than you can replace them, you need to ask why. And who you really need to ask are the people who work for you. 

Do they feel like they can share their ideas? Do you offer a good work/life balance? Are you honest and transparent with them?

This is where corporate gifting is also an essential course of action. Treat your staff like they are as important as your biggest clients.

People will stay at a job where they feel valued, even if they have better opportunities elsewhere. If their work family is an important part of their lives, then they won’t want to give up the people and the work environment they’ve come to treasure. 

According to Ron Friedman, author of The Best Place to Work, “Reward frequency is more important than size. Business feedback indicates that smaller, frequent positive feedback and rewards will keep people happy longer than a single large, infrequent happy event. Even the biggest awards or raises 'wear out' in less than a year, with most employees responding better to small doses every few days."

Remember your staff on their birthdays and during the holidays, but also offer consistent positive feedback and rewards weekly. But most important of all, just like with clients--participate in the important milestones in their lives. Don’t let an addition to their family go unnoticed. 

Remember, however, to be sincere in caring about your employees and clients. In the words of James Freeman Clarke, “Even where there is talent, culture, knowledge, if there is not earnestness, it does not go to the root of things.”

Please contact us if you have any questions about our corporate gifting program. We’d love to be a partner in your success.