How Corporate Gifts Build Brand Awareness and Customer Loyalty

A thoughtful corporate gift can do more than say thank you. It can keep your company in someone’s thoughts long after the gift has been opened.

When most people hear the word branding, they think about logos, colors, taglines and websites.

Those things matter.

But your brand is much bigger than your visual identity.

Your brand is the experience people have with your company—and the impression they carry with them afterward.

That’s where corporate gifts can play a surprisingly important role.

After more than 30 years in the gift business, I’ve seen how a thoughtful gift can turn a routine business relationship into something more personal.

A gift can say:

“We appreciate your business.”

“We haven’t forgotten you.”

“Thank you for sending us that referral.”

And sometimes, simply:

“Remember us the next time you need what we provide.”

That’s brand awareness—but with a human touch.

Corporate Gifts Are About More Than Saying Thank You

A corporate gift is often thought of as an expense.

But I think that’s looking at it from the wrong perspective.

A thoughtful gift is an opportunity to strengthen a relationship.

It can help you:

• Stay connected with existing clients
• Encourage repeat business
• Show appreciation for referrals
• Reconnect with former customers
• Recognize employees
• Strengthen relationships with business partners
• Stand out from competitors
• Keep your company name associated with a positive experience

Of course, a gift isn’t going to magically create a loyal customer.

But when it is part of a larger strategy of excellent service and genuine appreciation, it can reinforce the relationship you’ve already worked hard to build.

A Gift Can Keep Your Business Top of Mind

Here’s a simple example from my own experience.

When I was a Realtor, a fellow Realtor left a beautiful gift basket on my kitchen counter after a closing.

It wasn’t just the basket that impressed me.

It was the fact that she remembered me after the transaction was over.

She continued to stay in touch and occasionally sent small gifts.

Whenever someone asked me for a recommendation for a Realtor, she was the one I thought of.

That is the kind of brand awareness that no billboard or Facebook advertisement can quite duplicate.

She had created a positive association with herself and her business.

And when the opportunity came to refer someone, she was already in my mind.

Corporate Gifts Can Encourage Referrals

Referrals are one of the most valuable forms of marketing because they come with something advertising can’t easily buy: trust.

Someone who refers a customer to you is putting their own reputation on the line.

A thank-you gift doesn’t buy a referral.

It acknowledges it.

A small gift after receiving a referral can simply say:

“I noticed what you did, and I appreciate it.”

That acknowledgment can strengthen the relationship and encourage the person to continue thinking of you when another opportunity arises.

The gift doesn’t have to be extravagant.

Sometimes a small, unexpected gift can be more meaningful precisely because it isn’t expected.

Unexpected Gifts Can Make a Bigger Impression

This is one of the things I’ve learned during all my years in the gift business.

The holidays are an obvious time to send a corporate gift.

They’re also when everyone else is sending them.

An office may receive dozens of baskets, tins of popcorn, cookies and other holiday gifts.

It’s easy for one more gift to get lost in the crowd.

Instead, consider sending a gift:

• After a successful project
• Following a referral
• At a client anniversary
• Mid-year
• After a particularly difficult transaction
• When a customer reaches an important milestone
• Simply because you want to say thank you

An unexpected gift gets attention.

And attention is an important part of being remembered.

The Gift Doesn’t Have to Carry Your Logo

This is where corporate gifts and promotional products are sometimes confused.

They serve different purposes.

Promotional products are primarily marketing tools. Pens, mugs, calendars, branded cookies and similar items can put your company name in front of people repeatedly.

Corporate gifts are primarily relationship-building tools.

They are meant to communicate appreciation, recognition or goodwill.

That doesn’t mean you can never put your logo on a corporate gift.

A discreet logo on a useful item can reinforce your brand.

But if the gift looks like an advertisement, it can lose some of its emotional impact.

Think about the difference between:

“Here’s something with our logo on it.”

and

“We wanted you to know how much we appreciate you.”

The second message is usually much more powerful.

Why Gourmet Gift Baskets Are Effective Brand-Building Gifts

Food gifts have an advantage that many other corporate gifts don’t.

People enjoy them.

A well-curated gourmet gift basket can become part of an experience.

An office may put it in the break room and share it.

A client may take it home and enjoy it with their family.

A customer may open it and discover several foods they’ve never tried before.

And while the food eventually disappears, the memory of who sent it doesn’t necessarily disappear with it.

I’ve seen this happen many times over the years.

The important thing is that the basket doesn’t feel generic.

A thoughtful selection, attractive presentation and a good-quality gift can communicate something about your company before the recipient ever reads the card.

Your gift is an extension of your brand.

Make sure it’s one you’re proud to send.

Corporate Gifts Can Help Reconnect With Former Customers

Here’s another opportunity businesses sometimes overlook.

Former customers.

If someone purchased from you several years ago, you already have something valuable: a relationship that once existed.

A thoughtful gift can be one way to reopen that door.

It doesn’t need to say:

“Please buy from us again.”

In fact, I wouldn’t make the message that direct.

Instead, simply reconnect.

“We were thinking about you and wanted to say hello.”

That kind of gesture can open the door to a conversation that might otherwise never happen.

And even if it doesn’t immediately result in a sale, you’ve strengthened the relationship.

Keep a Few Gifts Ready to Go

One of the best strategies I’ve seen businesses use is keeping a small inventory of appropriate gifts on hand.

Why?

Because opportunities don’t always arrive on your schedule.

A client does something wonderful.

Someone sends an unexpected referral.

A customer has a difficult experience and you want to make it right.

An employee goes above and beyond.

You don’t want to have to spend three days searching for an appropriate gift.

I have customers who order certain gift boxes during the cooler months and keep them available to use throughout the year.

That makes it possible to send a thoughtful gift while the moment still matters.

Small Businesses Can Benefit, Too

You don’t have to be a large corporation to use gifts as part of your relationship-building strategy.

In fact, small businesses may have an advantage.

You can often be more personal.

You know your customers.

You may know their names, their families, their interests and the history of your relationship.

Use that knowledge.

A small business that sends a thoughtful, unexpected gift can sometimes make a much stronger impression than a large company sending a generic corporate package.

Personal attention is one of the advantages of being small.

Don’t give it away.

Corporate Gifting Is Relationship Marketing

There’s a lot of talk about digital marketing, social media, email marketing and advertising.

All of those have their place.

But corporate gifting is a different kind of marketing.

It is relationship marketing.

You’re not interrupting someone with an advertisement.

You’re creating a positive experience.

You’re giving them something they can enjoy.

And you’re creating an opportunity for them to associate that positive feeling with your company.

That’s a very different kind of brand awareness.

The Bottom Line

Building a strong brand takes more than creating a beautiful logo or choosing the right colors for your website.

Your brand is built through every interaction people have with your company.

A corporate gift is one small part of that experience.

But it can be a powerful one.

When a gift is thoughtful, well-timed and appropriate, it can:

• Strengthen customer relationships
• Encourage referrals
• Increase loyalty
• Reconnect you with former customers
• Recognize employees
• Keep your company top-of-mind
• Create a positive association with your brand

The best corporate gifts don’t shout your company name.

They make people remember how your company made them feel.

And that’s a much stronger form of brand awareness.

Looking for Corporate Gifts That Strengthen Relationships?

If you’re looking for thoughtful gifts for clients, customers, employees or business partners, explore our  gourmet gift baskets and corporate gift ideas.

For a more comprehensive look at choosing, timing and sending business gifts, read our Ultimate Guide to Corporate Gifting.