THE MARKET
The Giftly Guide to B2B Gifting

Unlock the power of B2B gifting to build stronger relationships and drive long-term success. Learn strategies and best practices for personalized gifting.

Tom Dixon
Content Manager
Unlock the power of B2B gifting to build stronger relationships and drive long-term success. Learn strategies and best practices for personalized gifting.

B2B gifting taps into a fundamental aspect of human psychology: reciprocity. When we receive a gift, we feel compelled to respond positively, even if the gift was unsolicited. 

This instinct is deeply ingrained in our social interactions, and it can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to transform one-time transactions into long-term partnerships.

You need to approach your gifting campaign strategically, with a deep understanding of your clients and prospects. The perfect gift should be thoughtful, personalized, and carefully timed to make the greatest impact.

Whether you're looking to generate new leads, strengthen existing relationships, or boost customer loyalty, B2B gifting belongs in every sales and marketing team’s toolkit.

What Is B2B Gifting?

B2B gifts should be personalized, not just corporate-branded swag.
Photo by Intenza Fitness on Unsplash

B2B gifting is a strategic approach to building and maintaining relationships with clients, prospects, and partners through the act of giving thoughtful, personalized gifts. This relationship-building strategy focuses on creating a genuine connection by tailoring the gift experience to the recipient's unique interests, preferences, and needs.

Giving gifts is about appreciation, fostering goodwill, and creating a memorable experience that sets your business apart from the competition. It's a way to demonstrate that you value the relationship beyond just the transactional level.

B2B gifting can take many forms, from physical gifts like high-end electronics, gourmet food items, or luxury accessories, to experiential gifts like tickets to concerts or sporting events, a spa day, or a round of golf at an exclusive course. The key is to choose a gift that resonates with the recipient.

The Power Of Personalized Corporate Gifts

B2B gifting can be done straight from your laptop.
Photo by Tyler Franta on Unsplash

Generic, one-size-fits-all gifts may be easy to distribute, but they often fail to make a lasting impact. On the other hand, a gift that is carefully chosen and customized to the recipient creates a powerful emotional connection that sets your business apart.

Stand out in a crowded inbox or mailroom

Your prospects and customers have inboxes flooded with countless emails vying for their attention. The same goes for their physical mailboxes, which are often stuffed with generic ads and impersonal mailers. In this sea of sameness, a personalized corporate gift can be a breath of fresh air. 

Whether it's a sleek tech gadget, a gourmet food item, or a custom-designed digital cash gift card, a well-crafted gift has the power to cut through the noise and make a lasting impression on your recipients.

By creating a memorable touchpoint that resonates with your recipient, you ensure your business stays top-of-mind long after the gift has been received. 

Accelerate the sales process by building rapport and trust

Building relationships takes time, effort, and a healthy dose of trust. Personalized corporate gifting can help accelerate the process by creating a sense of rapport and goodwill from the very first interaction. 

A thoughtful gift shows you value the recipient as an individual, not just as a potential sale. This helps break down barriers, open up lines of communication, and create a foundation of trust that can ultimately lead to faster sales cycles and higher conversion rates.

Strengthen existing relationships and increase customer loyalty

Personalized corporate gifting isn't just for new prospects – it can also be a powerful tool for strengthening existing relationships and increasing customer loyalty. 

By sending thoughtful, customized gifts to your current clients and partners, you're showing that you value their business and are invested in their ongoing success. This helps create a sense of reciprocity and goodwill that translates into increased loyalty, higher retention rates, and even referrals and upsells. 

How To Start Your Own Corporate Gifting Program

Starting a B2B gifting program is easy with Giftly
Photo by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

Before you start sending out gifts, it's important to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve with your gifting program. Are you looking to generate new leads, strengthen existing relationships, or boost customer loyalty? Once you've defined your goals, set a realistic budget that aligns with your objectives and takes into account the size of your recipient list and the types of gifts you plan to send.

Remember, not all gifts are created equal, and not all recipients will respond to the same types of gifts. Use your CRM data and other insights to personalize each gift and create a unique experience for each recipient. Take the time to segment your recipient list based on factors like job title, industry, location, and past interactions with your brand. This will help you tailor your gifting strategy to each individual recipient and ensure that your gifts are relevant and impactful.

Next, add thoughtful touches like handwritten notes, or personalized messaging. This extra effort can go a long way in making your gifts feel more authentic and meaningful, and can help strengthen the emotional connection between your brand and your recipients.

Finally, timing is everything when it comes to corporate gifting. Rather than sending gifts at random intervals, look for opportunities to align your gifting strategy with key moments in the customer journey or business relationship. This could include milestones like a first purchase, a contract renewal, or a major project completion, as well as seasonal events like holidays or company anniversaries.

The 5 Best B2B Gift Ideas To Give (And 3 To Avoid)

A sample Giftly card
A sample Giftly card

Choosing the right gifts is crucial for the success of your B2B gifting program. Here are some ideas that are sure to impress your clients, prospects, and partners, along with a couple categories to steer clear of:

5 Creative B2B Gifts

  1. Giftly Card: Flexible and convenient, digital cash gift cards like those offered by Giftly allow recipients to choose how they want to spend their gift, ensuring a personalized and meaningful experience.
  1. Tech Devices: Consider loading webinars or interactive demos and apps onto tablets, VR headsets and other tech devices.
    Gourmet food and beverage items: Artisanal chocolates, premium coffee or tea blends, or a curated selection of local specialty foods can all help make an impression on customers and prospects.
  1. Luxury Office Supplies: Send your targets high-end pens, leather notebooks, or designer desk accessories. Custom engrave these items with your client’s name and company, not yours, to demonstrate this is an authentic gift and not a branding exercise.
  1. Experiential Gifts: Tickets to a sought-after conference, a round of golf at a top-rated course, or a cooking class with a renowned chef can all make for a memorable event that offers ample opportunities to get to know your customers and prospects better.
  1. Charitable Donations: For some clients and prospects, it can be more effective to give to a cause they care about, rather than giving something to them. Include a thoughtful note and make a donation in their name.

3 B2B Gift Ideas To Avoid

  1. Chain Store Gift Cards: While gift cards can be a popular choice, opting for generic chain store gift cards can feel impersonal and lack the thoughtfulness of a more tailored gift.
  1. Generic, mass-produced items: Avoid sending gifts that feel impersonal or cheap, such as standard pens, keychains, or stress balls with your company logo.
  1. Perishable items: Unless you're certain of the recipient's preferences and can ensure timely delivery, steer clear of gifts like fresh flowers or baked goods that may not arrive in perfect condition.

Giftly: Purpose-Built For Purposeful Gifting

Tap into the psychological principle of reciprocity and use personalization to create a B2B gifting program that sets you apart from the competition and drives results.

B2B gifting is an effective strategy to nurture leads, accelerate the sales process, or boost customer loyalty.

As your program scales, a platform like Giftly helps you leverage your sales data to send timely, personalized digital cash gift cards that recipients can spend however and wherever makes them happiest. That makes it easier for you to provide a memorable gift that clients and prospects will actually use.

Want to learn more about how to use Giftly in your B2B gifting program? Reach out to Giftly today!

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