Keely Lords
Brand Manager
We still believe that gifting is a long play, especially to build brand recognition and reinforce authenticity. But we understand that sometimes you just need a powerful way to create action quick! Gifting campaigns stand out amongst all of the emails and digital ads that your competitors are using to grab the attention of prospects as they offer the human-to-human connection that we are all longing for.
Just because we are proposing some quick strategies doesn’t mean they are any less thoughtful or don’t require effort. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to launching a short-term gifting campaign that delivers results just in time for the year-end push. Let’s dive into how to identify your audience, tailor your messaging, select the perfect gift, and inspire action before the clock runs out.
Step 1: Identify Your Audience for Maximum Impact
The success of any gifting campaign starts with picking the right people to send the gift to. Gifting is not a spray and pray strategy that will magically open doors that aren’t a good fit. This is even more true when trying to motivate the recipient to take action quickly. You’ll want to focus on segments most likely to engage and convert. Here are a few high-impact audiences to consider:
1. Existing Warm Leads
Warm leads already familiar with your brand are often more receptive to timely, short-term campaigns. A personalized gift can re-engage leads who have shown previous interest but haven’t yet committed. Revisit CRM data to pinpoint leads who interacted with your company over the past 6 months but haven’t moved forward.
2. Key Decision Makers in Large Accounts
High-value accounts or clients with multiple stakeholders can be an excellent target for a gifting campaign. Gifting can help you cut through internal bureaucracy by getting the attention of key decision-makers or influencers who have the authority to expedite decisions. This may be a smaller group, but it’s worth investing in a high-end gift for maximum impact
3. Dormant or Former Customers
Customers who haven’t engaged with your brand in the past year or have changed companies are an untapped opportunity. Send a thoughtful gift with messaging that emphasizes reconnecting and exploring fresh opportunities to map out an action plan for the new year.
4. New Prospects with High-Potential Use Cases
If your product or service aligns strongly with needs for the new year coming up—such as budget planning or resource optimization—target these prospects with a campaign designed to emphasize how your offering can solve pressing, time-sensitive problems to prepare for what’s ahead.
Step 2: Define Clear, Compelling Messaging
Once you’ve identified your audience, it’s crucial to create messaging that promises value and thought – anything but generic! A thoughtful gift can be leveled up with a note that incorporates the gift, the value of your offering, and something tailored to the recipient. Here’s how to make sure your custom message resonates:
1. Play Up Urgency and Relevance
Short-term campaigns are most effective when recipients understand they’re time-bound. Use phrases like “limited-time offer” or “before the year ends” to emphasize urgency. Connect the timing to their year-end priorities, such as budget spends, procurement deadlines, or sales objectives.
2. Highlight a Problem-Solution Approach
Directly address a problem your audience faces, then position your product or service as the ideal solution. For instance, you could emphasize how your platform can help them meet revenue targets or engage customers effectively within a tight timeframe.
3. Include a Personal Touch
Personalize the message as much as possible. Address recipients by name, refer to their industry challenges, and, if possible, mention a recent interaction they had with your brand or company update. This approach makes the gift feel less like a marketing move and more like a genuine gesture.
4. Craft a Strong Call to Action (CTA)
Every great campaign ends with a CTA. Make your CTA straightforward and action-oriented, guiding recipients to take immediate steps. Use language like “Book a demo by December 15 to unlock your exclusive year-end deal” or “Sign up today to take advantage of our complimentary trial before it expires.” A quick, clear, and enticing CTA can help motivate recipients to act now.
Step 3: Choose the Perfect Gift for Maximum Engagement
You don’t always have to select the most expensive gift in order to make an impact. Think about items that recipients will appreciate, remember, and associate with your brand. Here are some ideas to guide your selection:
1. Tailor Gifts to Audience Needs
According to Postal’s State of Swag study, the top 2 characteristics that people want from gifts that they receive are quality and utility. To ensure that an item is useful, you must get to know a bit about the recipient’s likes, interests, role, and lifestyle. Any small details shared in conversation can be utilized as inspiration for a gift that at the very least demonstrates thought and effort.
2. Consider Experiences and Virtual Options
Experiences make memories, and memories lead to connections. Shared experiences foster a sense of community and long-lasting memories. Instead of waiting for an account to redeem their gift, schedule a call, and run through the sales sequence, invite your account team to a virtual culinary class or art class to get immediate face time. It’s a wonderful way to get to know each team outside of a sales demo.
3. Showcase Exclusive Offers for 2-part gifts
Generating excitement about a trendy, popular, and high-value gift to come at a future time is a great way to encourage engagement. We’ve seen great success with multi-part gifts – sending a preview of coming attractions with gift #1, hinting at a high value gift that will be send as gift #2 if a certain action is taken.
Step 4: Create a Quick and Enticing Call to Action
Your goal is to inspire recipients to take action quickly, so make sure your CTA is easy to follow, communicates the “why” behind your ask from them, and outlines the value you’re offering. Here are some tips for a high-converting CTA:
1. Limit the Time to Respond
When structuring your campaign, limit the timeframe for responses. A CTA like “Claim this offer within 7 days” creates a sense of urgency and motivates prompt engagement.
2. Make the Next Steps Clear
Avoid multi-step actions; simplify the path to conversion as much as possible. Direct the recipient to a single, dedicated landing page with a scheduling link. If you’re including a form fill, it’s always a good idea to err on the side of less is more to avoid any potential friction.
3. Offer Incentives for Early Responses
Adding an incentive, such as “the first 25 to respond will receive a premium gift,” can drive faster actions and reward early responses, making recipients feel as though their actions have positive consequences for themselves as well.
Step 5: Track, Measure, and Adjust for Real-Time Results
Although we’ve been focused on short-term campaigns to close deals within a limited timeframe, the results of your campaign are lasting and can also be utilized for future strategies. Use these best practices to track engagement and optimize your campaign:
1. Monitor Real-Time Engagement
Track the delivery and receipt of gifts through your gifting platform. Real-time visibility into who received or redeemed their gift can provide insight into your campaign’s initial traction.
2. Measure Response Rates
Track how many recipients engage with your CTA or follow up after receiving a gift. Monitoring response rates allows you to gauge which messages and gifts are performing best. If you have the time and resources, it never hurts to A/B test either your messaging or gift as the variant in your strategy to determine which initiative is driving the best results.
3. Gather Feedback to Optimize
Gifting is a strategy that allows for natural and organic follow-up without being obvious. Asking a recipient how they liked their gift or if they’ve had the chance to use it yet is a natural and thoughtful way to engage in additional contact with your recipient without being forced or awkward. Gifting is unique in that most of us have experienced gifting in our personal lives, and the etiquette applies similarly in the corporate context.
Wrapping Up: Achieving Short-Term Wins with Strategic Gifting
The urgency of a year-end push doesn’t have to feel stressful—instead, it can serve as a timely opportunity to re-engage, convert, and build momentum. Remember, the success of a gifting campaign depends not only on the gift itself but also on the strategy behind it: a well-defined audience, compelling messaging, a thoughtful gift selection, and a quick, actionable CTA.
Ready to kick off your short-term campaign? Start crafting your approach today and experience how Postal’s gifting platform can help make your campaign smooth, impactful, and results-driven.
