Thursday, September 9, 2010

How To Choose The Best Corporate Gift?

The kind of corporate gift that you will give can either turn the table in your favor or bounce back to you in a negative way. In other words, giving a corporate give can either make or break any of your intention or attempt to make a good relationship since the gift itself represents your name and your company. This says that it is very important to carefully choose what type of corporate gift item you should give. So, what should you do then? How to choose a corporate gift item to a particular person?

For some, choosing a corporate gift item is not easy but knowing the things to consider in the selection process, you can make this an entirely enjoyable task.

Ask yourself, who will receive the gift?

Whether the gift is for your boss, a business partner or a client, there is one thing you have to bear in mind: the QUALITY of the gift. Food, wine, cigars, office decors, personal accessories, collection piece, and other corporate gift you can think of should be accentuated with the topmost quality. If it is a thing, then it should be a crafted in "perfection." If it is food, it should be the best you can find. The thing is, there is a lot at stake when you present a corporate gift to someone, and the price should not matter since you have a certain and bigger intention why give corporate gift.

Speaking of the price, the next thing you should know consider is the brand. Known manufacturers can easily convey the price of the gift. Recognizable brand names can easily attract attention. This is important especially if the person that will receive the gift will be receiving many gifts on the same day. Your gift should be remembered and should be a stand out.

The type of corporate gift item should be the next thing you consider. Is it something that can be displayed or used? Is the item related to his or her interest? Is the item related to his work?

A gift item that can be displayed or used is okay but one misjudgment on the type of item you have to buy can result to something bad. If you are choosing an office display, then you must know how his office looks like. Ask this: "What particular office item does he/she lack?" Making sure that you know the answer to this question will result in picking the perfect corporate gift item for him/her. Try to look around in his/her office and spot a place where your gift can perfectly fit in.

Any person would appreciate when he or she receives something that sparks his or her interest. For example, your boss or your business partner loves cigars. Think of something that he or she can use together with his or her cigar. It can be a cigar lighter, leather cigar case, or a box of cigar from the best brand you can find. For someone who likes to collect watches, you can consider a leather watch case or another watch to add his or her collection.

Sometimes, it is better not to give a corporate gift that is related to work.

So, does choosing a top-notch corporate gift item equate choosing something with a high tag price? Of course! Corporate gift is an investment on relationship so it should better be excellent or not give anything at all.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

What You Should Know Before Buying Corporate Gift Promotional Items

Promotional items as corporate gift is one of the best ways (not to mention, most popular) to promote your company and product or services you offer. It is the medium by which you could place your name and sales message to anyone without directly giving your actual product or services away for free.

Promotional Item may be a keychain, ash tray, office supplies, paper products, apparel, home decorations, sports gear, and so on.

Promotional items aim to attract costumers, increase sales, introduce a new product to as many people as they can, and stimulate the interest of people in the manner that will convert them to become costumers. For most businesses, promotional items are their link with their costumers. Without these promotional items, keeping the company or brand name on every eye and hand of people for the longest possible time and in the cheapest possible way is difficult since a 30-second television ad costs millions of dollars and may not be seen by many.

Promotional items are indeed business savers and are vital part in business marketing.

Some of the characteristics that promotional items must have:

1. The promotional items should tell about the company.

Promotional items often have the company's name, tag line, and logo. Sometimes, when the company is well-known, the logo is sufficient to achieve the goal. Promotional items can be as small as a ball pen and as large as an umbrella. But regardless of the size, promotional items should possess its purpose of making the company or the product known.

2. The promotional items should be related on the product or company.

Promotional items remind people of the product as well as its role. The items should be related on the name of the brand or the type people that the brand caters. For example, you can often see ash trays with cigarette brand on it; lighters are often used by cigarette companies as well since ash tray and lighters are used along with cigarette. Easy recognition and association of the promotional items to the product of the company are the aims why it is important that the promotional items should be related on the product or company. There are several other examples like golf umbrellas for golf equipment; key chains for car manufacturers, coffee mugs for coffee outlets, and so on.

With this regard, the promotional items should not be in contrary with the company's or product's services.

3. The promotional items should have the right logo size

One big, and unfortunately, very common mistake of some companies when they make promotional items is the inappropriate size of the company's name or logo in relation with the size of the item. For example, a big print of the company's name or logo at any portion of t-shirt should make the person wearing it a walking billboard. As tempting as it may be, an obvious advertisement is not acceptable to many consumers.

4. The promotional item should have good quality.

Consumers or clients respect the product or the company if the company gives respect to its name and its products. Meaning, if the logo or name of the company is seen on a low-quality promotional items, consumers may have a second thought of patronizing it. A promotional shirt with substandard quality of fabric can degrade the dignity of the company or product printed on it.

Monday, September 6, 2010

What Are The Core Elements Of Excellent Corporate Holiday Present

For individuals and families the holiday season is probably the most expensive time of the year. Parties here and there, visits and vacation, and gift giving everywhere; all these contribute to the ever growing list of what to buy, what to do, and where to go.

But spending big during the holiday season is not limited to private citizens alone; businesses also anticipate this time of the year to give corporate gifts as a way of strengthen ties with their clients and partners, and as a means to give thanks to the support and patronage to their services or products. But unlike private individuals who tailor their gifts to each person, businesses often give one and the same corporate holiday gift to every intended receiver-at least to a certain types of businesses.

Some businesses on the other hand give individualized corporate holiday gift to each recipient. Just the same, all corporate holiday gifts circulating everywhere, whether it is individualized or mass produced, have the tendency to give a useless gift or insult some of the recipients.

So what now are the elements of a good corporate holiday gift?

There are 3:

1. The right gift with the right intention,

2. The right gift to the right receiver, and

3. Timing

Any company does not invest money and give away corporate gifts for nothing. They do it for several reasons. And those are: to give thanks to clients or costumer, to keep a good business relationship with partners, and to promote their business to as many people as they can, which is why the right gift should send the right message to the recipient.

A corporate holiday gift with marketing purposes may contain a company logo that is discreetly located on the item. An obvious marketing strategy featuring a large company logo on the gift may provide a different impression-often negative.

For personal corporate holiday gift, the company should be able their purpose and send transmit it to the receiver through the gift.

What is the right gift to the right receiver? Perhaps many companies are having trouble with this question. But the simple rules in gift giving should always apply: know the recipient very well; his likes and dislikes; his interests and favorite brands; his cultural background and traditions; and his preferences. For general holiday gift, the item should appeal to the general recipient.

No matter how expensive or attractive your gift is, giving it on a wrong timing will ruin it all. Of course, gifts are not given by someone who knocks at somebody else's doorsteps in the middle of the night. Timing is essential so as the approach. If it is a personal gift to a partner, give it when the mood is good and when the day is pleasant. A gift given in the busiest time of the day would easily be forgotten. A gift given late during the day where the recipient is too tired can be left out. As a general practice, a corporate holiday gift is given in the morning or during personal visits and parties.

Of course, the rightness and wrongness of timing should depend on how well the business knows the recipient.

There is no early or late time to give someone gifts but if it is for the holidays, send it during the holiday, not before and definitely not after.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Are The Crystal Corporate Gifts Really The Most Elegant Gifts For Your Employees?

Having a tough time which item in the market will make the most beautiful and meaningful corporate gifts? Now, because of the wide array of gift items in the market it could be really confusing which one would be perfect.

You do not want to pick items that are as old and boring as those old items you got for the corporate gifts in the past so you are looking for another that will speak of difference. Now, why not browse a little more time and look for the crystal items?

Yes, crystal goods are better choice over those old, traditional corporate items you have been ordering for the past years. With crystal corporate gift items, you create a sense of uniqueness that people will most remember about your company.

Crystal goods come in a variety of items. When choosing the crystal corporate gifts, though, it helps to consider the following factors:

• Who are the persons that you are going to provide the gift with? These persons could be your employees who have been part of the company for years. As an appreciation of their contribution and participation in the success of the company, crystal corporate gifts are a token they will surely appreciate. To these persons, there are countless crystal items you can find in the specialty stores.

There are also crystal corporate items that will suit executive and business colleagues. Crystals are first class gifts so they are perfect for these people. They can come in the form of clocks, crystal paperweights, plaques, golf trophies, and others.

• How much are you willing to spend on the crystal corporate gifts? The cost is an important factor from which you should consider. Depending on the kind of crystal gift, they can be available in affordable to costly items. Most crystal items, though, are highly-priced than other regular corporate items so you might want to prepare with your cash.

• What event does the gifts should be included? Most companies and corporations provide corporate gifts on annual holiday celebrations or during company anniversaries. These are the best time to give corporate gifts as people are assembled into the celebration. Crystal gift giving is going to be a highlight in the event because virtually everybody just loves crystal items.

The best thing about corporate gift giving is that you are able to circulate the name of your company around. This is a sort of promoting of your products and services. And if you used crystal items as the corporate gift, you would even be well-remembered.

Crystals are elegant and fine pieces that can be perfect items to be displayed anywhere the room. But they can be personalized by engraving, imprinting, or embossing the name of the company. You can look for specialty shops that provide this service at a reasonable cost. You can also buy the crystal items from shops that can provide the etching services for you.

When having the crystals personalized, it is better to allow for ample time as crystals are precious items that must be handled with care. You do not want to ruin these fine pieces so allot more time before you are going to distribute the gifts.

Personalized crystal corporate gifts can adorn the house or can be placed at the desks of the employees. And because of this, crystals are even more a perfect item that will make your company name visible anywhere, a good way of promoting it.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Important Role Of Corporate Promotional Gift

The subtle power of small promotional product can easily be underestimated, but in playing field of business marketing, promotional product is one of the driving forces why companies succeed. This is the main reason why many companies invest on promotional products just to make at least a slight edge over their competitors. It may seem a risky investment but the result will definitely yield a good harvest in the long run.

Does it mean that a promotional product as simple as keychain can make a big difference to a company?

Keychain itself (or any other type of promotional products) is not the reason why some companies excel. It is the way it is being used by these companies.

Companies promote their new products. They introduce it in many ways; billboards, newspaper ads, television commercial, etc. And of course, promotional products. While it may seem not as obvious as any other types of advertisements, promotional products play a unique role by getting the company directly at the hands of the potential consumer. Keychain for example is important and is carried everyday by anyone. Once keychain is used as a promotional product where company logo or company product is printed, it becomes a living advertisement.

The company and product will then go where the people take it.

Any other items use as a promotional product will send a message that the company, product, or service do exist.

Meanwhile, promotional product intended as a gift gives creates a long lasting effect on the client, partner, employees, and costumers.

A client who receives from a company a gift for his or her contribution to the business welcomes a vibrant relationship. Also there is a great chance that the relationship will thrive into a much better one. Also, a partner receiving a gift from a company will result to better future deals. The simple gesture of gift giving will be remembered for a long time.

Giving promotional product as a corporate gift to an employee for a job well done also creates a bilateral effect. First, the employee will feel that his or her work is appreciated that will boost his or her drive to achieve more. On the side of the company, better efficiency is achieved. There is a study suggesting that giving corporate gift to employees who have done well in their tasks reduces absenteeism and improve productivity. This only shows that when the employees are appreciated and receive something from the company in exchange for good work, the company will thrive more.

Costumers on the other hand who receive a useful promotional item will remember the company where the item came from.

Regardless of the price and as long as it is useful, with quality, and sends the right message to the intended receiver be it a client, partner, employee, or costumer, promotional product is an effective way improve relationship at the same time, increase the chances that the product or services that the company offers is known.

Giving away promotional product as a corporate gift though is not a 100% assurance that the product or service company offers will be known. The right use of promotional product is also important. It should be in the want that is related to the business or product and will reach the right persons who have the potential to become costumers.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Custom Corporate Gifts - Best Way to Make Them

When you visit the portals of the market and look for gifts, all you would ever see are myriads of things that not only look the same old, boring items but appear cheap and lack specialized touch. When the gift you are looking is intended as a corporate gift, those items that flood the market will not suffice your effort to foster business relationship with another.

Corporate gift giving entails sealing business relationship so you have to consider the amount of effort you have to put in looking for and creating the gift. Its benefits can never be understated; if you are successful in choosing the best gift you will soon realize lots of interest from the other business party you are trying to woo.

On the other hand, when you have given a lousy one, progress with the business relationship may be as slow as the snail. Therefore, as you have to please the other party you have to be very careful in your choosing because this will be the start of a fruitful relationship. If the gifts in the market do not suggest a perfect offering, try customizing them. There are many ways on how you can do this. The internet arena has many websites to offer at which you can get idea from.

Custom corporate gifts are the best thing you can create. Get those the same old, boring gifts from the market and personalize them. This way, when these things show personalized touch from you it will manifest the amount of effort you have done in the gifts. This also makes the person you have given the gift appreciate it more. It is the same feeling when you yourself would realize how much care the other person who gave you personalized gift is harbouring for you.

There are myriads of items you can personalize

Custom corporate gifts can range from personalized clocks, calculators, crystal items, bracelets, attaché cases, bags, caps, globes, pictures, silver items, glass items, gemstones, plaques, key chains, pens, stationery papers, tumblers, and even chocolates. Aside from these, there are multitudes of things you can locate in the market from which you can hire someone who could finish personalizing them.

Online custom corporate gifts shop

You could either have the item engraved, printed, or etched with your name or the company’s name. You can add a saying, proverb, or whatever wise saying you think could make the gift even more of a specialized one. This idea creates the best corporate desk gift item or even an executive personal belonging one may utilize for his/her professional activities.

A specialty shop that does personalizing corporate gifts proliferates in the country. If you do not know a particular one, you can visit the Internet and look for a website that caters to such specialization.

Depending on the bulk of items, the three mentioned ways of personalizing the gifts can be done in a matter of time the website has indicated. You have to ask the representative on such matters like this to ensure everything would be promptly done. This is also to ensure you would not be late in the gift-giving day particularly on special occasions.

There are websites who already have the gift items with them and you only need to specify what kind of personalizing module you prefer. If you want otherwise, you can look for local specialty shops that make the personalizing works for the gift items you have provided. Either way, the thought of you creating personal efforts to make the gifts especially touched will remain the best corporate gift idea.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Corporate Gift Cards - Pros And Cons

Among the many considerations in businesses is the maintenance of good relation with the clients, employees and customers. This way, you will be able to lengthen transaction so that you will profit more on the customer and the customer in retain will have more of your goods and services.

Undoubtedly, the benefits of sending people gifts can never be underestimated. While giving corporate gifts is an expression of gratitude for mutual benefits in a business, it is also a way of marketing your company. It may either be that your company is just trying to lay more solid foundations on relationships or its just promoting good working relationship to its prospects. However, corporate gifts are also used to build company spirit and to reward its people for their achievements.

Although gift cards are usually given as part of incentive plans for employees, it can now also be used as corporate gifts. Due to the stresses and the natural difficulties encountered during the selection of corporate gifts, companies have now switched to giving the options to their employees and recipients by sending them corporate gift cards and other similar options.

This is a much better idea than giving them pre-packaged gifts that are usually seen in the market these days. While corporate gift cards are not the perfect gifts, it is certainly a good idea since it stretches the personal options of the recipients.

Everyday corporate settings are pretty hectic and it is likely that you would overlook your planned gift for your employees and clients due to the daily hustle and bustle. Good thing there are lots of choices now that can be given as corporate gifts. For your last minute choices, here are the following options you can look into:

Gifts cards are much like gift certificates, only they are presented as plastic cards. These may either have fixed values or assigned to multi-level values. The latter can be used partly while the remaining balance or value can be used sometime later.

This practically is one of the many "best-sellers" in the gift-giving world. While gift cards can be assigned only to specific stores and merchants, these still allow much flexibility on the recipients of the gift cards since they would have the option to choose what they want depending on the value as provided in the card.

Corporate gift cards come in many types. The most common though is the reloadable option where the card holder can use the same card over and over again so long as the company continues to add value to the card.

A number of corporate gift cards can hold major credit cards like MasterCard or VISA. Others are more merchant-specific which only allows the user to buy from certain stores and outlets. These are certainly less expensive than the multi-value cards.

Since trends are moving online these days, consider also giving your clients and employees online corporate gift cards. With much diverse choices, they are sure to find one that would suit the value of their cards.

Aside from what we have mentioned earlier, corporate gift cards are excellent choice of gifts basically because you give freedom to your employees as to what choices they can make. Its more formal than cash cards and is more convenient than gift certificates. Thus you make both worlds meet by simply putting your gifts within a plastic card.