7 Practical & Thoughtful Gifts That Will Wow Your Clients, Make Them Love You More, And Won't Break The Bank
Having happy customers is undoubtedly the most sustainable business strategy. (Kerr) (Click here to learn the eye-opening ways happy customers can put your business on steroids.)
Besides providing a product or service your client and customer love, another great way to boost their overall experience with you is giving them gifts to show your appreciation for them. (Here are the 3 unspoken myths of customer experience you need to stop believing.)
Unlike big corporations, small business owners don’t have the resources to splurge on expensive client gifts. So, how do you show appreciation for your customers and clients without breaking the bank?
Here are 7 inexpensive gift ideas for you to curate personalized and thoughtful client gifts (that they will actually use and love you for the gifts) –
1. Reusable bags for pretty much anything
Universal products like versatile reusable bags that you can use for anything are always a safe choice but also a crowd-pleaser. Instead of a generic simple tote, these from Baggu are foldable, light, and come in many beautiful designs. You can personalize the gifts by selecting whichever designs your clients might like and complement your brand image.
Source: Baggu
Source: Noshinku
3. Reusable straws for eco-conscious clients
These bendable, compact, and easy-to-clean silicon straws are cute and portable, and they are perfect for anyone and most beverages. With a set of 10 straws, these are great to share with family, friends, or co-workers.
4. For clients who are book lovers
Having lost your place in the book you were last reading is annoying, but it’s not something you have to deal with when you have these minimal pastel bookmarks. They are magnetic, so they work way better than a piece of post-it or random receipt as bookmarks! Each order comes with 15 bookmarks, which is way more than one person needs. So, these are great to be divided and added to separate different gift boxes for your clients (see the tips below for more on curating gift boxes with multiple small items).
Source: Amazon / Joyberg Store
5. For clients who are type-A & planners
A minimal planner like this one from Mochi Things is great, especially as an end-of-the-year gift when people are refreshing their calendars and switching to new planners. If you run a business-to-business (B2B) business or serve clients who are also business owners, these are surefire gifts that they will use.
Source: Mochi Things
6. For clients who are design lovers
Society 6 has a ton of beautiful coasters designed by different artists to impress. They come in a wide variety of styles and they are affordable. These coasters are great decor and certainly look more expensive than they are. Just like the reusable bags from Baggu, you can personalize your client gifts by choosing the coaster designs based on each client's preference.
7. Make your clients’ day with fresh baked goods
Who doesn’t like fresh baked goods? Find a great local bakery near your client and order a cup of coffee or tea to make her day. Personalize the gift by picking her favorite pastries and drink to make an impression.
Want to make sure you stay within budget? Here are 6 tips to help you maximize the return on your investments in getting these gifts –
Client Gift Giving Tip 1: Buy the gifts in bulk
If there is an option to get bundles at a cheaper price per item, get the gift items at the bulk price and distribute them across multiple gift boxes.
Client Gift Giving Tip 2: Send the gifts ahead of time
If you’re sending the clients gifts as holiday gifts, make sure you send the gifts ahead of time to avoid the peak season holiday shipping rush and possibly lose your gifts.
Client Gift Giving Tip 3: Include a personalized card
Let your clients know that you are thinking of them and you appreciate working with them. And if you know more about the clients, personalize your message by referring to something you learned about them from your previous conversations.
Get 6 proven ways to multiply high-quality referrals for your business.
Client Gift Giving Tip 4: Use it as a marketing opportunity
Along with your personalized card, add a separate card that includes a call-to-action, or the action you wish them to take. You can include a special promo code as a bonus gift, a QR code to sign up for your email list, a link to download a resource you put together for them as a surprise, or a QR code to fill out a survey, leave a review, or provide a testimonial.
Want to get more powerful customer reviews & testimonials (even before you launch your offer)? Read all about it in this post.
Client Gift Giving Tip 5: More expensive is not better
Your nice gesture of giving gifts can become pressure on your clients if they are disproportionately more expensive than what they bought from you. For example, if they spent $100 buying from you, gifting them anything above $100 would make them feel like they now owe you and would have the opposite effect of genuine gift-giving.
Client Gift Giving Tip 6: Give gifts they actually will use
If your gifts are something that your clients and customers can use regularly, the gifted items will remind them of you frequently, which helps you stay on the top of their minds and leads to a higher chance of repeat purchases and referrals.
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Work Cited
Kerr, Michael. “Business Strategies of Companies.” Small Business - Chron.com, smallbusiness.chron.com/business-strategies-companies-2622.html. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.