01 Nov 7 Best Client Gift Ideas
By Catherine
What are some of the best client gift ideas? At Black Mountain, we tend to overthink things in this department – probably because we both love nice things, a lot! To me, there’s a clear formula for the perfect client gift that involves price (not too expensive but not cheap either), usefulness (desk ornaments are great but will they simply clutter their desk?) and aesthetic appeal (they definitely have to be beautiful to look at). Then there’s the added x-factor that they need to be original enough to stand out from the rest of the gifts your clients receive, and they need to be easy to order (online please) and deliver.
So, what will you give your clients this year? If you’re stuck for inspiration, here are some good options for client gift ideas that we’ve carefully selected in years past:
1. Calendars or diaries: The end of the year means it’s close to the beginning of a new year, which for most people means planning and organising. Calendars or diaries are ideal for this – and these days they’re so pretty to look at too. If you choose to give a wall or desk calendar, it can also brighten up even the dullest office wall or desk.
2. Drinks. This may be somewhat overdone, but the end of the year is typically about festive celebration – of which alcohol is often a key ingredient. Besides the usual wine, champagne or whiskey gifts, you could also consider something out of the ordinary, like a box of craft gin, or even some beautiful glassware. Before you order this type of gift, make sure the client in question actually drinks alcohol. If not, consider something like a delicious handmade cordial.
3. Food. This is another popular gift choice, and with good reason: food has wide appeal, and the choice is huge. Also, if you go with traditionally festive goodies like chocolate, nuts, biscuits or dried fruit, they also keep well over time, and often come beautifully packaged too (in other cases, even the biscuits are beautiful to look at). Other good gift ideas in this category: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spice racks or mixed food hampers.
4. Personalised gifts: No, we don’t mean personalised with your company logo on it – we mean actually putting your client’s name on the gift! This is a huge difference, because after all it’s about them, not you. Giving a client a gift that has their name on it is the perfect way to make your clients feel special, and the sky’s the limit with what you can personalise these days – think stationery, aprons, coffee mugs, water bottles and more. If you need help doing this, there are plenty of specialised corporate gifting agencies in South Africa that can help.
5. Experiences. Giving your clients experiences rather than objects is definitely a way to stand out from the rest, but it can be easy to blow the budget with this one. For something affordable that you can scale for several clients, consider ideas like whiskey or wine tastings, or spa/pamper vouchers.
6. Gifts relating to your company. If you’re a catering company, maybe this means giving your clients a set of wooden spoons, or a snazzy apron. If you’re a tech company, maybe you can give your clients a set of funky headphones or a shower speaker. If you’re a media company, what about a set of beautiful notepads? While the gifts may seem fairly ordinary on their own, tying them into your industry with a clever note incorporating your company offering is a good way to make them memorable.
7. Other useful objects. How about something that’s plain old useful – whether that’s a pretty umbrella, a cooler box, a decent coffee plunger or a head lamp? The best way to think of this is to imagine yourself being given a corporate gift – what would you really use? Again, don’t forget to match the gift to the client, which may mean that you buy a range of objects to give to different people on your client list (i.e if they’re really into camping than they’d love the head torch for example).
Final note: corporate gifting is definitely all about appearances, and even a great gift can fall flat if it’s not presented well. So, don’t forget to think about how you’ll wrap your client gift – whether it’s using gift bags, gorgeous wrapping paper, ribbons and ornaments tied on top, or attaching personalised gift tags with handwritten notes on the back.
Your clients have contributed to making your business a thriving one – and a thoughtful end-of-year gift is just one way of saying thank you, and that you appreciate your relationship with them.
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