Corporate gifts for the holidays: what to order and when

Every December, companies give gifts that fall into two groups. Some are used for years. Others are forgotten before January. The difference is rarely the budget. It is the planning.

If you intend to give corporate gifts this year, this is how I would approach it, and the time to start is now.

Decide who is on the list

Write the list before you look at any product. I separate it into groups, because each one calls for something different:

• Key clients, the relationships that matter most to the business.
• Other clients and prospects.
• Employees.
• Suppliers and partners.

Count each group. The quantities will shape every decision that follows.

Set the budget per person

A total budget does not help you choose. A budget per person does. Assign an amount to each group, and accept that the groups will not be equal. A client of ten years and a prospect you met last month should not receive the same thing.

I prefer two or three levels at most. More than that becomes difficult to manage and easy to get wrong.

Choose something that will be used

The principle is the same one I described in promotional items people keep: the gift has to earn a place in someone's day. Good drinkware, a quality notebook and pen, or a well-made piece of apparel will be used. A novelty item will not.

For employees, think about what they would choose for themselves. For clients, think about their desk, their car or their travel.

Keep the logo small

This is my strongest opinion on the subject. A gift with a very large logo is an advertisement, and people recognize the difference immediately. A small, well-placed logo on a good product gets used in public. A large one stays at home.

For a small group of key clients, it is also worth asking about adding the recipient's name. A personalized piece is kept longer than a generic one.

Add a signed card

The card costs very little and it is often the part people remember. Sign it by hand. If the list is long, sign the ones for your key clients and write one sentence that is specific to that person.

Check before you send. Some companies and government agencies limit the gifts their employees may accept. For those contacts, a card on its own may be the correct gift.

Order now

Time is the real constraint. Gift items have to arrive as blank products, be decorated and then be delivered, and the most popular products run short as December approaches. Every week of delay reduces the options.

If you are reading this in late October, my recommendation is to place the order this week. Our holiday printing timeline shows how gifts fit with cards, calendars and signage.

Plan the delivery

Decide how each group will receive the gift. Delivering in person to key clients is worth the time. Everything else should be scheduled to arrive before offices begin to close in mid-December.

Order a few extra pieces. There is always someone who was left off the list, and it is much easier to have five more than to reorder five.

What I would avoid

• The same gift for everyone, regardless of the relationship.
• Inexpensive items with large logos. They do not help the brand.
• Apparel without sizes. Ask first, or choose something that does not need a size.
• Waiting until December. By then you are choosing from what is left.

To get started, send us the number of people in each group, the budget per person and the date you need the gifts. We will reply with options for each level.