Argon Promotional Products and Promotional Gifts. » Business Gifts

You will encounter a number of occasions when corporate gifts will prove very helpful and appropriate. These are presented as a token of appreciation for outstanding executive performance, to show appreciation towards associates or clients or sometimes even to attract potential clients. These are basically used as an incentive to promote the relationship with the employees and maybe to induce better performance. These also promote your brand name.

These represent a large number of things about your company or brand. You must be very careful in selecting the quality of the chosen gift that you are going to present to the recipient. It should meet or exceed the recipient’s standards. For example giving a cheap coffee mug to a CEO of any company will hamper your company’s or brand image in the mind of that person.

The corporate gifts should not be random, instead they should reflect your business. they can be quite elaborate, there are various types of products which suit different companies or different occasions.

For top level executives these may range from cars, watches, cell phones etc. These are high end gifts and the lavishness of the gift reflects the status of the recipient or occasion.

These are generally given during award ceremonies, birthdays, holidays, or even when the company achieves its goals. Employees and clients appreciate this gesture as they feel that they are being looked after by the company.

You many think that selecting the right corporate gift is a daunting task, however it is not so. There are countless different products that you can purchase and all of them are suitable for the corporate environment. From pens to desk clocks to watches, there is a perfect gift for every corporation.

Suppose you present a gift to a client that is something that you already know he or she has an interest in, then he or she will surely be impressed by your gesture. On the other hand, if you gift him something which is not to his liking, it may backfire. Therefore it is very important to know the likes and dislikes of the recipient before presenting him a gift. Also, there must be some utility attached to the gift as the regular use of the item ensures that your logo or message is being constantly remembered.  There is no point in giving an expensive item which has no utility.

So giving corporate gifts to your client is not as difficult as it seems.  If you have dealt with your client for sometime, you must surely know about his likes and dislikes. All you have to do is spend some time in considering his taste and preferences and then make a decision relative to your findings.

Apart from making a significant amount of profit, the reason for going into business is to identify a precise need that is common to a lot of people and then satisfy it by providing products and services. After you have mastered the art of satisfying this particular need the next step is to market and advertise it to a number of individuals. This is when business gifts come in to the picture.

These are promotional items that have the company name and company logo printed on them. The purpose of this is to promote and advertise the company and the services and products it offers. These giveaways come in all different shapes and sizes, some are expensive while the rest are comparatively cheap.

Types of Gifts:
There are a number of companies and organizations that have given away numerous business gifts to its clients. As a result of this action they have inspired their target audience into buying their products without persuading them with words. There are a wide number of products that can be ordered by and fit into any goal that the company might have for itself. These types of business gifts carry a lot of weight as they are effective sources which can promote the company’s brand and message.

There are products that are not very expensive and therefore are very affordable. These take the form of pens, mugs, notepads and notebooks. There are also those which are comparatively larger and much more expensive. Some of these are televisions, laptops, laptop bags and sometimes even cars.

To Enlighten and Inform:
Giving away business gifts can be compared to talking with your customers and future customers. It is very similar to an ordinary conversation and provides the same advantages. When gifting a product you are informing the client or customer about the company, the services and products it offers and its purpose. If your chosen product has a marketing message printed on it, then you can also promote the products and services that you offer.

Gifts are also a great source of informing your target audience about the launch of a new product, or even to notify them about your existing services and products. You do not have to directly speak to them. All you have to do is hand the business gift to them and they will immediately be interested and enthused about your company.

Apart from marketing your company, it will also be a constant reminder of your company every time they use it. When they appear to be happy and content with it, they will most likely spread the word around. Business gifts have the ability to get this done.

Everyone is sure to agree that there is nothing better than free marketing. If you are one of the select few who have not used business gifts as part of your promotional campaign this is the time to begin!

There are different types of business gifts for a wide spectrum of purposes. In this case, they are mainly used for promotions. In order to know which the best items are for such a purpose, you need to carefully plan what items to distribute and to whom you should give these gifts. You can start by setting your objective in order to make your efforts comprehensive and effective. For this intention, your objective is quite clear, it is to maximize the promotional opportunities for your company image. You can also opt for promoting your specific product brands through these products. With this objective, you can set specific goals for your business gifts.

One goal you need to establish is the increased or maximized utility of these business gifts. You know that the more a product is being used by a person, the more it is being exposed to its user. If this gift can also be used outdoors, then the general public is bound to have a glimpse of your company brand or logo printed on the item every time it is being used. This implies that you can choose items that fall into these categories in order to achieve these good results. Another goal that you can set is to aim for sturdier business gifts that can be used for a long time. Longevity is another key to extend the exposure of your logos or brands. This aspect actually works hand-in-hand with increased utility in order to maximize the benefits of these promotional tools. Lastly, longevity is a key to fully justify the costs of producing these items.

Of course, you also need to employ a set of criteria in choosing the perfect items based on these goals. In order to maximize utility, choose items that are functional and practical. If they are being used everyday, then the chances by which your logo or brands are exposed are great. You also need to use sturdier items in order to ensure longevity. Lastly, you can offer unique business gifts that can totally differentiate your company from the rest, who are likewise using promotional tools.

If you have carefully considered the aspects discussed above, you will be able to maximize the benefits of these gifts. One benefit is that you get to accomplish your main objective, which is to maximize the promotions of your company or specific brands because you have ensured their exposure to an optimum level. Another benefit is that you are able to create a positive image because you have made the recipients happy with your gifts. Lastly, you have achieved your objective at a low cost. Compared to the traditional promotional tools, business gifts are more cost effective.

With stiff competition from every quarter, corporate houses and businesses are figuring out new marketing approaches to garner and to reach out to prospective customers. Print ads, audio visual ads and online ads definitely help businesses to promote themselves. However, a small gesture like giving out promotional gifts helps enterprises to get closer to their target audience and imprint their brand in the minds of the general public.

Brand awareness, the main aim of any advertising campaign or marketing strategy helps business ventures, big or small to be recognized by a large number of people. Promoting your company or business bluntly through advertisements will get you customers but doing it with promotional products gets you more customers. The recipients of the gifts will reciprocate your gesture by buying your products and becoming your endorsers.

Recognizing the target group of your company and marketing your products/brand/services to them helps you in amassing profits. Select promotional gifts that suit your target band. The item you distribute to the public must enhance your brand visibility and be useful too. Choose durable products that last for a longer period over the attractive and short-lived ones. Your chosen giveaways should remind your customers and the prospective ones of your brand/product.

You can give away items like promotional mugs, t-shirts, keyrings, calendars, notepads, caps, bags, fridge magnets, ice scrapers and pens, etc. Posters, leaflets and pamphlets are also distributed as gifts. Fun items like frisbees and foam hands are also used for promoting a brand. It is imperative to have your company’s logo, name, slogan and colour scheme on the body of the products.

They can be distributed to people at exhibition venues and crowded places like malls. You can enter into an understanding with the nearby radio station and give away these gifts as prizes, for trivia contests organized by the radio stations. You can sponsor community and sports events and distribute your giveaways as rewards. You can even give out these items for a fund raising event.

Dubbed as cost-effective marketing tools, these are known to suit any kind of budget. Being economical they are chosen by many companies and individuals to market their products/services along with traditional methods of marketing. The promotional gifts can range from a simple pen to Mp3 players. Irrespective of the gift you give, you are assured of greater prospects and better profits with this simple and innovative marketing move.

With the global recession in full swing, marketing spends have drastically been cut and everybody is having a tough time reallocating resources for their branding campaigns.  The approach now is more on selective and focused marketing rather than a broad based random advertising campaign.  So the more expensive promotional campaigns are now being given the pass in favour of low budget, low profile advertising and promotional gifts are making their presence felt in helping a brand really stand out.

Some very good products like desk sets and other attractive corporate gifts are at hand to ensure that even your low budget campaign, when directed at the right people can pay you very good dividends.  Moreover, the perceived value of some of the products available permits them to automatically qualify as top end gifts and this is of great benefit in times like these, when the economy is slow and every penny counts.  It means that you get more for less and as far as the customer is concerned, he is also happy to receive them thanks to his enhanced perception of such items.

This perceived value of a promotional gift gets a big fillip if you can match it with the utility requirement of the recipient, meaning the customer would have anyways purchased the item if it were not gifted to him by you. You can imagine the gratitude and recollection for your brand in such a situation and this becomes a classic case of making the best use of your available resources to come out with a win-win for everybody.
Other promotional gifts include business bags and luggage and these are again perceived to be of high value, especially the branded ones.  For a corporate professional, they are always welcome and are worth pursuing.  Some other luxurious items are Waterman pens and watches and these have always been well received.  They have high price tags and can be given to only your premium customers.  In terms of perceived value, another item that comes to mind is branded golf luggage, though this is not something that is often distributed due to its specific function.  Silver plated gifts also make for excellent corporate givaways as they have an exclusive feel about them.

It is thus clear that it is not always necessary to only go for big bang advertising blasts and splurge a lot of money in the process.  Knowing the customer’s preference and adapting your purchase of promotional gifts can possibly give even better results than the traditional form of advertising.  A freeze or cut on ad spend is not therefore a bad thing after all.  It forces you to come out with out of the box ideas and use your resources in the best manner possible and if at the end of it you are successful, then you would have done your job as a responsible company employee.

It is worthwhile looking at some corporate gift options that are available on the website which you can hand over to your customers and employees who are sure to receive them with great enthusiasm and appreciation.

The first one deserving mention is the flash drive which has made the storage of data such an easy task, besides lending the convenience of portability and any time access.  These devices give you the benefit of taking a back up and are available in many colours and with varying storage capacities.  Their utility and features have made them very popular with the corporate world and are worthy gifts to be handed over.  When these types of products are distributed as corporate gifts with the company logo imprinted on them, your brand receives excellent top of mind recall every time the flash drive is used.

These types of products can be very creatively used during seminars and exhibitions. They can be distributed as giveaways to visitors at the stall and can be loaded with useful company information on products and services which visitors would definitely look at and thereby approach you for business.  These flash drives can also contain testimonials and the various projects that your company has undertaken successfully to serve as additional proofs reflecting the capabilities of your company.

Another useful product is the promotional computer gift set.  These sets, while being reasonably priced contain very useful items attractively packed.  They are ideal gifts that you can give to some of your customers who are tech savvy or to specific people in a company who are from the IT department.  They have all the right equipment and accessories that the IT guys need and they will thank you for making their jobs easier, by gifting them something which they can access quickly at one place.  It is imperative to know your customers and their tastes very well to hand over gifts of this type and can do a lot for your brand image as well as for the person handling the account.  It conveys the impression that you care about your customers and give a lot of thought to even a supposedly mundane activity like gift distribution.  These corporate gifts get noticed by many people within your customer’s office and all of them will have a very positive opinion about your company.  The best thing about these gifts is that they can also be bought in smaller quantities as per your need and you can spend your budget wisely.

It is worthwhile to pause and look at off beat options like the ones described above and select the ones you feel will be accepted gladly by the customer.  They serve as a good diversion in comparison to the other gifts and you are able to establish relationships with other equally important departments within your customer’s company.

It is always a tough decision to take on the feasibility of a promotional campaign during such recessionary times.  You do not have much of an option if you wish to keep your present customers in good humour and also want to enlist new customers into your fold.  In fact during times as tough as this, it is all the more important to maintain goodwill and strive to retain existing business as they are more profitable and you might not want to take on the acquisition costs of new customers for the moment.  So the crux is to utilize the budget at hand in the most prudent and thrifty manner to achieve your objectives.  A couple of business gifts would serve your cause very well as they are both inexpensive and at the same time good for the visibility of your brand.

The first one is the promotional calendar.  They are great items to gift due to their utility and will pay you back adequately.  People will not stash away these calendars, but will prefer to hang them on the wall providing a lot of positive publicity to your brand through the year.  This is one promotional piece that is required by all offices and custom printing them in themes of your choice does not cost a lot.  It is of course necessary and ideal to hand over these business gifts at the beginning of the calendar year to rake in the full benefit of this gift and enjoy brand recognition for all twelve months.

The other business gift is the calculator which again is a necessity for every business meeting and a handy tool in general.  These calculators are always well received due to their utility, portability and durability.  They are very inexpensive to procure and present adequate space to advertise your company trademark.  They are a hit with all departments and hierarchies in a company – from the sales person to the finance guy and from the ordinary accountant to the top boss.  In fact these items are useful and used by everybody. They are practical tools and can be gifted to anybody irrespective of gender or age.  Due to the need to perform accurate and swift calculations on a daily basis, your brand gets noticed every time they are used and staff within your customer’s organization will thank you for making their task easier.  They are not items that people will discard and will thus present your brand in good light for a long time.  High quality calculators will not tax your limited budget and yet provide you with a good marketing option.

Getting repeat business from a customer is the most critical aspect of your business not only because it is more profitable but also since it sustains an ongoing relationship and fosters goodwill.  From the time you sign the contract with the customer, you need to set the ball rolling by giving the customer something that he would feel good about, while entering into a business association with you.  So you can hand over a nice stylish pen which is distinct and is of high quality which the customer will always remember.  You must be aware that the first business gift is always memorable and has a special place in the heart of the recipient.

This gift of the pen when imprinted with your company name and contact numbers will make sure that the logo is fresh in the mind of the customer and can be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship. You can maintain contact with your customers through the year with nice business gifts bearing your company brand logo.  So even something modest such as a planner with an inbuilt calendar, a tiny pocket calendar planner or a wall calendar will all serve as very effective business gifts lending great visibility to your brand everyday.  Small points like remembering the birthday of your customer and sending him a business card holder on that particular date will create a very positive impression about you and the company.  The choices are many from a mobile cradle to stress balls and while these items are not very expensive, they project your organization in very good light.

You must not forget to treat your premium customers with better quality and costlier gifts as they are the main contributors to your success.  Gifts like good quality wall clocks, combo gift sets are some of the items which are always well received and will do wonders to your current equation with the customer.  They will always keep you in mind and will not shift business without discussing with you about any problem or issue they may be facing.  Your competition will thus find it difficult to break in and you will make regular and rapid progress in your business dealings with such customers.

Business gifts are thus valuable tools to establish and cement relationships.  They effectively serve the dual purpose of brand recall and creating a good impression with customers and need to be perceived as investments.  It is not always the cost but the timing and the quality together with the manner in which they are presented which delivers the cutting edge to a business relationship.

As items that display the logo of your company, promotional gifts can do wonders, particularly in the realm of marketing. Apart from this, these can bring a number of benefits for the company that will improve the bottom line. Here are a few reasons why you should include promotional gifts in your company’s annual budget:

1.    Promotional gifts are a great vehicle for increasing brand awareness as well as customer recall. Giving away these items is an ingenious way of constantly keeping your company’s logo right in front of your customers’ eyes, thus leaving a lasting impression in their minds. A useful and tasteful gift that they associate with your company will surely be remembered especially when the time comes that they need your products and services.

2.    They can enhance the image of your company. When you give your customers something for free, they would immediately associate the act of kindness and thoughtfulness with your company. Every time the item is used, it will further build the goodwill that you have established.

3.    They help you introduce your business and its products and services to people, especially to potential markets. By making your logo more visible to the public, such as on the back part of shirts or the canopies of umbrellas, you’ll boost the exposure of your company to the world. Moreover, gifts that are frequently seen by people like organizers and desk calendars will certainly be a non-stop reminder of your company.

4.    They will help you gain back your lost customers. If you send them a little token, it’s the same way as telling them to come back.

5.    They are a way by which you can announce the changes happening in your business. By using customised items such as a mug or a shirt with your company logo, you can market your products or advertise your newly opened branches. Promotional gifts can serve as your little portable billboards.

6.    Used as incentives, they can raise your employees’ morale and work motivation. Employees general thrive on the appreciation and recognition of their efforts. By presenting them with gifts, they will get inspired to work hence productivity will increase.

7.    Useful and memorable promotional gifts can help raise tradeshow responses. Studies show that promotional free gifts will attract more people to your booth and thus generate tradeshow traffic. Sending out gifts before the tradeshow starts is sure to double your targeted traffic. More booth visitors translate to a bigger network of sales leads.

Conference goodie bags are treats that most conference attendees look forward to. It has been a tradition for conference speakers and sponsors to contribute different items to a goodie bag.  If you are a major sponsor and you are given the chance to contribute towards the contents of a goodie bag, you are handed the opportunity to promote your products and services. This is a tested and cost effective method of advertisement for the company. And as such you have to make sure that conference attendees will value your promotional gift.  A conference goodie bag would contain various items from sponsor companies. Because of this you have to make sure that your chosen item would stand out. Your giveaway gift should be both useful and attractive because recipients would naturally junk all items that they find not useful and keep only those that they like and need.

So how do you make sure that your chosen promotional gift is worth keeping? Below are some pointers that could help you in making the right choice.

•    Know your Target Audience:
Generic or common products will do as trade show giveaways but conferences and seminars have attendees sharing a common field of interest. For your giveaway to be appreciated, you have to make sure that the items will attract and be useful to the recipients. You can do this by spending some time to research the kind of people attending the conference. In so doing you can be sure that your contribution to the goodie bag will be well appreciated.

•    Stretch your Budget:
Your promotional gift will serve as your ambassador and as such should be a quality product - it has to last a long time to serve its purpose of promoting your company. On the other hand it must be affordable so as not to hurt the company economically.

•    Go for the Fun Factor When in Doubt:
Conference attendees are there mainly to learn. To break the monotony you could provide them with entertainment by giving fun products such as yo-yos or slide puzzles. Your Company will surely standout and gain enormous recognition.

•    Choose an Eye Catching Design:
Before making your choice of product, take time to search what is available on the website, there is plenty to choose from and when you have selected your promotional gift make sure that your Company logo and message is clearly displayed on the item.  An eye catching logo will give you that added brand recall every time your gift is used.  That, in turn, will benefit your business products and services.