As we approach the holiday season and the fourth quarter, you have an amazing opportunity to express your gratitude to your customers for their ongoing loyalty and support. It’s a great time to give them a thoughtful branded gift as a reminder of your appreciation all year long. We’ve got a rundown of all the reasons to be thankful for your clients, along with how to use branded gifts creatively to leave a lasting impression on your recipients.
5 Great Reasons to be Thankful for Your Clients
If you’re running a successful business, that’s due to loyal customers who are the lifeblood of your operation. Here are just some of the ways they help you to stay competitive and profitable:
1. They spend money with you, on repeat: Loyal-for-life clients who spend with you over years help your company grow, invest and expand.
2. They give you valuable feedback: Customers who care about your company will give feedback to help you make improvements or develop new, in-demand products and services.
3. They give you great reviews and testimonials: Happy customers are likely to leave positive reviews online, which act as persuasive social proof to influence prospective customers to try out your brand.
4. They give you frequent referrals: Satisfied clients are also more likely to refer you to family, friends and colleagues. Word-of-mouth referrals are powerful marketing tools that bring in new customers without you having to do a thing.
5. They stick with you “for life.” When you connect with clients, they can continue doing business with you for years—helping provide you with a steady revenue stream.
How to Show Your Gratitude With Branded Products
From thoughtful personalized thank-you cards to custom gifts—all imprinted with your business logo or message of thanks—there are lots of wonderful ways to show your appreciation, strengthen your business relationship and foster loyalty. Here are a few ideas to get you started while you’re creating your holiday gifting list:
Custom gifts: Choose gifts that are useful and unique, and align with your brand to show customers you care about them. There are gifts at every price point, to fit your budget and number of people on your list. Small tokens of appreciation like t-shirts, mugs, pens or keychains with your logo and a heartfelt thank you note go a long way toward creating goodwill. For higher-tier customers, you can choose high-quality branded items like engraved pens, premium drinkware or leather-bound notebooks. Almost everyone can use a tech gift, like USB drives, portable phone stands or wireless chargers, imprinted with your message!
Experiential gifts: People love experiences vs. items, so consider giving something other than a physical item. Gifts like gift cards to a popular restaurant or spa, an online course or workshop, or event tickets to a theater show, concert or sports game are all great ways to show your appreciation. Your recipients will remember their experience long after it’s over and think of your brand with fondness.
Charitable donations: Many people prefer to do business with brands that care about the community at large. A great way to demonstrate this is to contribute to a cause or a local charity that aligns with your client’s interests and mention them as a contributor.
Special giveaways: If you own a physical location or a store, plan to host an event or have a lot of customers, here are some appreciation options you can try. Create branded reusable swag bags that include a variety of items like logoed notebooks, water bottles, t-shirts, hats and more that you give to visiting customers or event attendees. If your customers are located across the country, send an email with a special deal on a product or a free giveaway item with their next purchase as a thank you.
Thoughtful thank-you cards: If you want to impress your clients even more, include a hand-written card that adds a personal touch, especially if you can mention specific projects or experiences. You can add your branding to the envelope and/or the card.
Personalized videos: Another way to show your gratitude is to send video messages to your clients. You can create personalized videos for your top-tier customers and a general, heartfelt thank-you message for the rest of your list.
How to Get Even More Creative With Branded Gifts
Getting expressive with promo products without solely relying on logos and branding is another great gifting option. Here’s a great example from the team at Select Sales: We sent desk items imprinted with the phrase “Just Breathe” to our customers as a helpful reminder to stay calm throughout their busy days. Our customers kept these helpful items right at their workstations—also reminding them to keep Select Sales top or mind as a business partner!
We’ve got a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing, to use mottos, keywords or statement that both make a broad impact and keep your brand top mind:
1. Tech gadgets: As we said earlier, almost everyone can use tech items like phone stands, wireless chargers, cord organizers or screen cleaners. Imprint them with phrases like “Stay Plugged Into Your Passion,’ “Tech It to the Next Level” or “Stay Charged and Inspired.”
2. Eco-friendly products: Many consumers prefer to do business with companies that care about the environment, so eco-minded gifts with inspirational sayings are a solid choice. Give a reusable water bottles, reusable totes or desk flower planters with phrases like “Protecting Today for a Greener Tomorrow,” “Earth Is Home, So Let’s Keep It Whole,” “Nurturing Nature, Nurturing Ourselves” or “Choose Green, Live Clean.”
3. Desk accessories: Help your clients organize their workspaces for an easier day, while keeping your message (and brand) in their line of sight. You have so many options, from desk calendars with daily or monthly motivational sayings, to inspirational mouse pads, pens and desktop picture frames, with sayings like, “Dream Big, Work Smart,” “Turning Ideas Into Action,” “Stay Inspired, Stay Motivated” or “Stay Focused, Stay Fired Up.”
4. Stress relief or personal care items: It’s always a great idea to pair your thanks with items that promote your customers’ well-being or relaxation time. Try squeeze balls or relaxation kits, aromatherapy diffusers with essential oils, custom candles and lip balms with messages like, “Rest, Recharge, Renew,” “Embrace Stillness, Embrace Strength,” “Stress Less, Live More” or “Embrace the Chaos, Embrace the Calm.”
5. Custom journals and notebooks: Whether they’re writing down their deepest thoughts or writing to-do lists for tomorrow, a journal encourages creativity, reflection and staying organized. Put motivational quotes like “Write Your Story, Create Your Path,” “Every Page a New Beginning,” “Write It Down, Make It Happen” or “Your Words, Your Power.”
Other great gift categories include t-shirts printed with positive messages, artistic wall decor with landscapes and motivational quotes, puzzles or game sets, and gourmet food gifts or spice blends.
Get Started With Gifting Today!
Select Sales is your one-stop shop for holiday and Q4 gifts to show your customers how much you value them now—and all year round. The key is to choose items that resonate with your clients’ preferences and values to leave a positive, lasting impression on them. We offer design expertise, a commitment to quality and a customer-centric approach that makes us your reliable partner high-quality, thoughtful and long-lasting durable promo gift items that will stick around for the long term.
Challenge us! We're on your team! If you’d like to use unique products to show your clients how much they mean to you now and all year round, call the Select Sales team at 610-974-8080 or visit www.SelectPromotionalProducts.com.