5 Gift Giving Strategies for B2B Businesses
If you’re doing business with other organizations on a regular basis, giving gifts can elevate your business, reputation, and even your products. Many businesses forget that at the core of all business transactions are people, and that’s what forms the backbone of the business. These gift giving strategies will help your B2B interactions become more invaluable, bringing you closer to your business partners and customers.
1. Gifting Your Customers
Customers are the life’s blood to every business, so why not give back to them once in a while? Gift giving is a great way to both say thank you to your customers and improve your overall relationship with the customers. After all, who doesn’t like free stuff? Gifts can come in many forms, from promotions to free items and beyond. Even the smallest gesture can leave a good impression in the mind of a new customer, potentially cementing that relationship for life.
If you want to foster loyalty among your customers, giving gifts is a step in the right direction. Surprise gifts can also generate hype for the business itself or even a new product launch. Don’t underestimate the power of giving back to the customers, as they’ll pay it back tenfold.
2. Make Sure Your Gifts Match Your Values/Company Vision
If you’re giving gifts that fall completely outside of your company’s values or vision, you’re causing a disconnect in the recipient’s mind from your business and the values it supposedly represents. Customers expect brands to be honest, and gift giving has to reflect that honesty. Once you introduce a new customer to your brand, give them a small gift to cement that new relationship. Maybe a free sample of your product will entice them to buy. Maybe a small gift card will let them know how much you value their business.
Be sure that your gifts are appropriate for the situation and the person. You can give corporate gifts on any occasion, but some gifts aren’t appropriate for every business or person.
3. Gifts Vs. Incentives
It’s important to differentiate between corporate gifts and incentives, because they’re not the same thing. A gift is something specific you give to a customer or partner as a gesture of good faith in the spirit of camaraderie. Gift giving strategies often suggest giving incentives to new customers, but you need to decide what works for your business. Is building that bridge easier with a one-time gift or a long-term incentive program? What do your customers/partners expect?
You can offer both as well. A one-time welcome gift can show a customer how much you appreciate their interest, and a long-term incentive program can show them how much you value their commitment to your brand.
4. Gift Baskets Are Always a Great Choice
When you’re stuck on what kind of gift to give your corporate partners or new client, there’s an option you just can’t go wrong with. Gift baskets are tasteful, appropriate, and come in so many different varieties to meet anyone’s tastes. Our gift giving strategy simply wouldn’t be complete without mentioning gift baskets, and we’ve got baskets for every occasion. Introducing a new customer to your brand? Send them a gift basket as a welcome gift. Celebrating a 10-year relationship with a business partner? Try a wine basket to celebrate.
5. Don’t Forget the Holidays!
There are over a dozen holidays that we celebrate every year, and it’s important to remember these when you’re gift giving. Figure out if your partner or client celebrates Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah. Do they celebrate Easter? It’s always a good idea to keep everyone’s cultural differences in mind when you’re gift giving. If a client doesn’t celebrate Easter, they probably won’t understand why you’re sending them an Easter gift basket.
Gift giving on holidays gives you an excuse to send out gifts and makes sense in a cultural context. Just be sure you know which holidays they celebrate!