Leverage Corporate Gifts in Your Marketing Strategy

Gifting is a tradition that’s been here for ages in our personal life. Now it’s making its way into the corporate sphere. Corporate gifting is a rapidly growing B2B marketing channel, with experts at Coresight Research expecting the US corporate gifting market to reach $306 billion by the end of this year. 

By offering tangible items and memorable experiences, corporate gifts can create deeper relationships between businesses and their customers and partners. It’s a way to keep your brand top-of-mind and improve customer satisfaction through personalized, thoughtful gestures. 

Let’s take a closer look at how an effective corporate gifting strategy can transform your marketing, increase engagement, and drive growth. 

Why Corporate Gifts Are a Powerful Marketing Tool

Marketing is about getting eyes on your message and the unique products and services you offer as well as standing out from your competitors. One of the biggest reasons why corporate gifts are such a powerful marketing tool is that they serve as physical symbols of your brand that customers and prospects can interact with over and over again. 

Unlike digital ads or emails that can be easily overlooked, a well-chosen corporate gift sits proudly on display, gets used frequently, or becomes part of someone’s daily routine, continually reinforcing your brand’s importance. 

But it’s not just about visibility. Corporate gifts can be integrated into your omnichannel marketing strategy to achieve several benefits, including:  

• Better Customer Retention: Corporate gifts help build long-lasting relationships with existing customers by showing appreciation.
• Improved Engagement: Corporate gifts motivate engagement in marketing campaigns, including emails, direct mail, and loyalty programs. 
• Increased Referrals: Satisfied recipients of corporate gifts are more likely to recommend your company to others.
• Boost in ROI: Well-timed gifts can help move decisions across the line, increase upsells, and contribute to marketing’s impression.

When using Postal for corporate gifting, marketers can achieve an average open rate of 83.1% on emails and a 70% click-through rate. This far-and-away outpaces the industry standard for email marketing, which only has an average open rate of 37% and a click-through rate of just 2%. 

Best Occasions to Include Corporate Gifts in Your Marketing Strategy

Timing is central when it comes to corporate gifting. Choosing the right occasion can have a big impact on whether your gift is successful or not. Here are some examples of ideal times to send corporate gifts as part of your broader marketing campaign: 

• Holiday Gifting: Give corporate gifts during holidays like Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah to strengthen relationships and link your brand’s image to the festive spirit. 
• Customer Appreciation Events: Sending gifts after events or milestone achievements with customers is a great way to show gratitude and reinforce a positive connection. 
• Product Launches and Special Promotions: Gift during the launch of new products to create excitement and boost awareness.
• Trade Shows and Conferences: Offer branded swag or exclusive gifts to attendees as part of an in-person marketing strategy.
• Loyalty Programs: Incorporate corporate gifts as rewards in customer loyalty or referral programs to incentivize continued engagement and achieve deeper community ties. 

Types of Corporate Gifts to Incorporate Into Your Marketing Strategy

Corporate gifts can come in many different shapes and sizes. At Postal, our global marketplace of over 300 vendors offers more than 3,000 different gift boxes, gift cards, and unique luxury items curated to suit a wide range of preferences and occasions. Whether you’re looking for a way to connect with a prospect this holiday season or you want to reward the loyalty of a long-term customer in the new year, we make it easy to find the perfect gift for your marketing goals. 

Here are some of the top corporate gifts that can drive engagement, sales, and revenue:

• Branded Swag: Custom promotional items such as outerwear, drinkware, and tote bags that reinforce your brand identity while being useful.
• Personalized Gifts: Tailored gifts that resonate with the recipient’s personal preferences or business needs (e.g., custom notebooks, culinary kits, alcohol tastings).
• Experiential Gifts: Offering unique experiences such as virtual workshops or digital events.
• Digital Gifts: E-gift cards, subscriptions, or vouchers for services/products.

How to Align Corporate Gifts with Your Marketing Goals

In addition to choosing the right gift for the right occasion, it’s essential to ensure your corporate gifting is aligned with your overall marketing goals. Here are the key steps for achieving this alignment: 

1. Define Clear Objectives

Whether the goal is brand awareness, customer retention, or lead generation, ensure your corporate gifts are tied to measurable objectives. This allows you to track the success of your gifting efforts and understand how well they’re contributing to your overall marketing performance. 

Postal integrates with your CRM to ensure every gifting touchpoint syncs with your records and offers a measurable investment.

2. Know Your Audience

Segment your recipients to ensure the gifts match their preferences and demographics. This creates even greater impact by making the gesture more personalized and relevant. Better targeting increases the likelihood of positive engagement. 

3. Incorporate Branding

Include logos, messaging, and packaging to reinforce your brand identity. However, it’s essential to stay subtle to avoid making the gift feel overly promotional. A thoughtful balance here is critical to ensuring the recipient connects with your brand while still appreciating the value and meaning of the gift itself. 

4. Integrate with Broader Campaigns

Use corporate gifts as part of omnichannel campaigns, combining them with email marketing, direct mail, and digital strategies. This coordinated approach helps maximize your message’s reach and creates a seamless experience for the recipient across various touchpoints, enhancing overall effectiveness. 

Best Practices for Corporate Gifting in Marketing

If you’re diving into corporate gifting for the first time, being aware of the best practices in this space can help you ensure your new campaign is a success. Here are the top tips for corporate gifting in marketing: 

• Personalization is Key: Customize the gift to make it memorable and meaningful to the recipient. However, turning vague ideas into personalized designs that are both practical and exciting can be tricky to achieve by yourself. Check out Postal’s creative agency, Paper Plane, your one-stop shop for turning your concepts into a reality. 
• Focus on Quality, Not Quantity: Well-made gifts that reflect your brand values leave a lasting impression and speak to your company’s attention to detail. 
• Comply with Corporate Policies: Ensure gifts are appropriate for the industry and recipient, taking into account any corporate policies or regulations.
• Follow-Up: Send a thank-you message or follow-up communication after the gift is received to maintain the relationship and strengthen engagement.

Strengthen Relationships and Boost Results with Thoughtful Corporate Gifting

Leveraging corporate gifts in your marketing strategy can lead to stronger customer relationships, enhanced brand loyalty, and measurable marketing success. Whether it’s branded swag or practical items for everyday use, these gifts can create memorable experiences for prospects and partners alike that can lead to increased engagement and better client retention. 

Learn more about how Postal simplifies corporate gifting and integrates it seamlessly into your overall marketing efforts, helping you create meaningful connections with every gift that are measurable.

‍