At Christmas, businesses and organisations like to give seasonal gifts to their clients to thank them for their support over the year. You could give gifts that are useful, or go for beautiful looking items that will be put on display at your client’s work or home. A branded gift is a reminder of your organisation throughout the year, not just at Christmas.
Many types of branded gifts
All kinds of items can be branded. Gifts like mugs, cuddly toys and pens are favourites. Traditionally, companies give away calendars and diaries because they expect them to be used all year and act as a constant reminder of a brand.
Quality matters
Many businesses go for the cheapest option when choosing branded Christmas gifts. Ballpoint pens, notepads, and fridge magnets are inexpensive including the cost of printing. These branded promotional items are fine for giving out at your workplace or including as a bonus with orders, but they may not be suitable for Christmas gifts.
Most brands want to be associated with quality, so it makes sense to give quality branded Christmas gifts to clients. They may cost more, but they may be a small percentage of the value of loyal client sales.
One of the best type of Christmas gifts is engraved glass ones. These are regarded as a luxury item, but can cost less than £10 including engraving. Another advantage that engraved glass gifts has over mass-produced printed promotional items is that each glass gift can be personalised with the name of the individual client, making it a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
Personalised gifts make someone feel more special. They indicate that you care about your clients and have made an extra effort to make their gift personal.
Fortunately, there are many types of engraved glass gifts to choose from, so almost everyone has an item right for them.
Raise a glass
People generally like to drink from glass rather than plastic, pot or paper cups. They may like to drink tea from the finest bone china, but when it comes to appreciating the taste of fine cold drinks, glass is best. This applies to both fine wine lovers, and teetotal people who like adult non-alcoholic drinks.
There is scientific evidence that the type of glass used can enhance the taste of a drink. For example, wine glasses are designed so that the aroma of the wine is maximised. Aroma is an essential component of taste and the more the aroma reaches your nose, the better the wine will taste.
Christmas and New Year is a time to celebrate, and the drink of choice is usually champagne. Engraved champagne flutes are designed to allow the bubbles to escape slowly, retaining the fizzy texture of the champagne.
Engraved drinking glasses can be plain glass or, for a little extra cost, crystal. A presentation box adds to the perceived value of the gift.
You can choose from brandy glasses, wine glasses, shot glasses, beer tankards, and whisky glasses.
Clients love personalised engraved glasses and will use them regularly, or even display them proudly in a prominent place in their homes.
Bowl them over
Vases and bowls are a little more expensive than glasses, so may be suitable for special high spending clients. Presenting vases full of exotic flowers adds a lot of value to the gift. Engraved vases come in unbeautiful presentation boxes to make them extra special.
For that extra Christmas touch fill bowls with Christmas treats like nuts, chocolates, and tangerines. Flower bowls can be filled with your favourites flowers.
Weight to go!
A timeless item, paperweights look beautiful. They can be used to weight down paper documents in the office, but most people who receive them as gifts like to display them at their desk or in the home.
Paperweights are not expensive, starting at around £8.00 including engraving.
Be a sport
If your business or organisation is sports related, or your clients are, engraved sporting logos make a good Christmas gift. There are several sports themes to choose from, including football, archery, cricket, basketball, baseball, boxing, fishing and athletics.
See the bigger picture
People display photos of their loved ones at work and home. Treasured photographic memories are better displayed in high-quality photo frames with engraved glass.
Give clients a Christmas gift of a photo of them using your products, or at a company event Include a personalised message that marks the occasion. Alternatively, frame the company Christmas cards to make your cards stand out.
Top honours
A good way to show gratitude to your clients is to give them an engraved glass award. Many businesses have a VIP client scheme where high-spending clients are given extra bonuses or discounts. An engraved glass award to mark their status makes them feel special.
An engraved glass award does not have to be for a particular reason, it may simply say “thank you for being a client of ours.”
Not just clients
Branded Christmas gifts do not have to be restricted to clients. High-performing employees will welcome your appreciation of their achievements if it is expressed with an engraved glass gift.
Engraving gifts
The great thing about engraved glass Christmas gifts is that they can have an individual message. Most branded promotional gifts require the same message printed on every item, and there are usually large minimum orders. Engraved glass gifts can contain your business name and a personalised message for each client, and you can order as few or as many as you like.
Engraving is not restricted to text – your company logo or other images can be etched onto the glass.
In highly competitive business markets, it’s not enough to have excellent products or services. You actively need to promote your businesses or organisation to your clients. New clients are valuable but you need to spend a lot on advertising and marketing to recruit them. Your existing clients already know your brand, but need to be encouraged to make further purchases. Giving them premium quality branded Christmas gifts is one way to raise their loyalty to your business.
Engraved glass gifts may cost a tad more than off-the-shelf gifts, but they can be a worthwhile investment if they result in more sales.
