Corporate Gifts as A Marketing Tool

Don’t let the name “Corporate gifts” fool you, corporate gifts have been, in fact, used as a marketing tool all over the world. And in major business hubs like Singapore, unique corporate gifts are often one of the best marketing tools of businesses.

How so?

Corporate gifts, unlike traditional marketing tools like advertisements, banners, or posters, are a lot more mobile, and a lot more “up close” when it comes to their exposure to your customers and potential customers.

For example, let’s say you run an herbal tea business, and you decided to make 1,000 mugs as corporate gifts. The very common practice is, a logo of your business will be on every mug. Regardless the style of the design; the logo can be very centered, or very subtly placed at the corner, but there is a logo.

And now, your recipient happens to be in need of a mug and starts using your mug around the office or at home, that means that mug with your logo on it will be seen by a number of people – the recipient’s colleagues, family members and friends. All those people now at the very least recognize your logo. And just like that, your brand recognition is now improved.

Although brand recognition is a pretty important part of any marketing strategy in just about any industry, but the marketing power of corporate gifts does not have to stop here.

 

Beyond Brand Recognition

 

Getting people to know the name of your brand is already a success as far as corporate gifts go, to take it to the next level, you would need to intrigue the potential customers and even make them get to know you.

Can you do all these through giving out corporate gifts?

The answer is yes.

Remember, anything with your logo on it is a representation of your business. That mug you made as corporate gifts? It says more than just “happy holidays!”. The quality and design of the mug represents who you are as a business. Are you going for an elegantly designed mug or a very unique or edgy mug? Are you putting a great deal of colors and graphics on the mug or are you keeping it simple? What messages are you putting on the mug?

All of the above can affect how people think of your brand. If you find this hard to believe, just think about how most people are being judged by the way they dressed in both personal and professional life. Yes, we all know we should not judge a book by its cover, but the reality is, we all do. In today’s society, fashion style has become a personal statement; how people express themselves and a telltale of who they are. And this is exactly why the design and style of your corporate gifts matter. Corporate gifts are more than gifts, they are a statement, a representation of your business.

Okay, but how do I get customers to want to get to know my business more just by seeing my corporate gifts?

Have you ever seen an advertisement, be it print advertisement or TV commercials, and you thought to yourself: “Whoa, I don’t know what this brand does but this is a very cool ad and now I have to google this brand to find out what the business is about.” ?

Corporate gifts have the potential to do just that, too!

With proper design and strategic planning, your corporate gifts can attract both eyeballs and the curiosity behind those eyeballs. This could be achieved by either a very unique design, or a very unique gift along with the right amount of wits.

Related (What to Look for in A Corporate Gifts Supplier)

For example, if you HAVE TO make calendars your corporate gift for the season, make sure it is a very unique calendar. Maybe featuring your employees in each month, making them Mr. and Ms. September and all the other months? (This might seem corny, but let’s be honest, everyone enjoys looking at people that are easy on the eyes.) Or, maybe a calendar in a shape of something funny or relevant to current pop culture trends?

Remember, no one ever google anything that is ordinary.

 

Just to see you smile

 

American country singer Tim McGraw has a hit love song: Just to see you smile. Describing how a guy would do anything to see the smile of the girl he loves. A good strategy in romance, and also a great strategy in corporate gifting.

Incorporate some humor and wits in your corporate gifts, it can be a funny quote, a funny image, a funny anything, as long as it puts a smile on your recipient’s face. Your recipient will likely then, without realizing, associate the joyful feeling with your logo (Don’t forget to put your logo on the corporate gifts, too!), making your brand all more likable!