It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and if you’re in a client service industry, that also means it’s a great opportunity to give clients a small gift to show how much you appreciate them. Client gifts do not have to be anything expensive; in fact, a creative, thoughtful gift will often communicate that you care for and understand your client even better.
As you’re making your list (and checking it twice), here are three unique client gift ideas to spark inspiration this holiday season:
1. Go Local
Whether your client is in your neighborhood or somewhere across the nation, a gift that comes from somewhere local to your business is sure to feel special. For example, in past years the Scooter Media team has gifted our clients cookies and treats from local bakers, small bottles of bourbon from nearby distilleries, and even bags of coffee beans from our favorite local coffee spots.
Not only do gifts like these help to support other small businesses, but they also help to give your clients a taste of what your “home base” is like. If you can’t decide on just one gift, consider getting mini versions of a few different local items and packing them together to offer clients a taste of your favorite things!
2. Make It Personal
Items branded with your company’s logo are often a go-to when gifting employees, but your clients may not be as onboard with wearing your brand’s apparel or drinking coffee from a YETI mug with your brand’s logo. Instead of investing in expensive branded items that may just end up collecting dust in a break room, we love bringing the Scooter Media brand to life with smaller items like vinyl stickers or magnets (including our favorite custom stickers from our friends at Sticker Mule).
Because they are so cost-effective, smaller items like this can make great personalized gifts for other celebrations throughout the year, too. For the past several years, we’ve utilized Sticker Mule to create Pride-themed versions of our company’s logo, and they’ve been a hit with both employees, clients, and beyond!
3. Keep It Practical
When brainstorming creative client gifts, take a look at the other desks around you in the office and take note of the items team members already have a lot of. Chances are, if your employees have a lot of items like coasters, coffee mugs, and pop sockets from networking events and other local outings, your clients will too. Instead, try to make sure that your gift is something that will actually use (even if they don’t know they need it yet!).
For example, one year our team created small, pocket-sized calendars that could easily be placed on (or thumbtacked to) a desk. The smaller size helped to make sure the calendars were practical and wouldn’t just be shoved in a drawer somewhere, and the branded feel of the gift helped to keep our company top-of-mind all year long.
No matter which of these creative client gift ideas you decide on, just make sure to plan your gifting timeline well in advance. When ordering custom items, for example, lead times can be long (especially during the holidays), and you’ll want to leave plenty of time to wrap your gifts up and deliver them to your clients before your elves clock out for the holidays. Happy gifting!
For more festive fun, check out these other posts on the Scooter Media blog:
