Your Guide to Unique Corporate Gifting for the Holidays
It’s October? Already? The holiday season is no longer around the corner -- it’s here. Holiday gifts probably aren’t on your radar quite yet, but they should be if you plan on sending a unique corporate gift and creating a magical experience for your clients or employees this year.
Avoid the stress of last-minute planning, gift wrapping, and scheduling couriers amid Q4 project deadlines and holiday out-of-office emails. We’ve done this a time or two, so today we’re sharing our go-to practices for corporate holiday gifting done right.
Read on for tips, tricks, and time-savers!
Plan your corporate gifts in advance
If you’re reading this post, you’re already off to a good start! Last-minute planning is the quickest way to guarantee that your gifts will look hastily thrown together and filled with generic items. Or worse yet, you risk not being able to send any gifts at all.
Purveyors are putting in their holiday orders now, and COVID delays are still very much a factor in a lot of industries. Make sure you have a solid plan for your gift box items and start reaching out to coordinate your orders before the end of October -- or you risk losing out on coveted items and custom, thoughtful touches.
Center your gift box around a core theme
Receiving a box of treats and gifts is lovely, but receiving a thoughtfully curated collection of items that complement one another is even better. Try to build your unique corporate gifts around a core theme.
Think: a candle, mug, journal, pen, and sticky notes for a work-from-home care box. A collection of coffees, teas, sugar cubes, and drinking accessories to inspire some Monday motivation. Or, a cozy blanket and round-up of local holiday treats and sweets to encourage relaxation and indulgence. Whatever it is, try to be intentional about how each gift relates to the next.
Show you know your market with locally-sourced goods
Goods from small businesses are the way to go when it comes to holiday corporate gifts. Stand out from the crowd with unique items that you can’t find on Amazon or in templated generic gift boxes. Plus, supporting local businesses and small makers shows that you’re thoughtful, intentional, and committed to quality.
Do you work with a lot of clients in another city? Do some research in advance to see if it’s possible for you to include items that they know and love from their own local makers and purveyors in your gift box.
Keep it subtle with branded gift boxes
Truthfully, overzealous logo usage can turn unique holiday gifting into a giveaway. Keep your branding front and center while keeping it refined and tasteful.
Use branded gift boxes, custom printed tissue paper, or include an insert note that has your logo and brand colors on the front, and a heartfelt message on the back. The actual items included in your box should speak for themselves and be free of your branding, so your recipients will actually use and enjoy them outside of the workplace.
Be extra-thoughtful with customized boxes for each client
If you’re sending a box loaded with chocolates, cookies, and other tasty goodies and a majority of your recipients are vegan… It's not a good look.
Work with your team to determine what kind of items will be the best fit for your boxes. If possible when working with a smaller client or employee list, ask your team for dietary details and allergies when compiling your list. Have alternate items on hand to swap out for any people with dietary restrictions.
If your list is simply too big to customize each box, try to at least include a custom note for each person or team. Is this extra work? Definitely. Is it a surefire way to use unique corporate gifts for employees to show that you really know and care about them? Absolutely.
Work with an expert to plan your custom corporate gifts for you
Your to-do list is already overloaded -- we get it. That’s why we’re here to help! We offer thoughtful gift-giving at scale. Send artfully constructed gift boxes customized with your branding and designed to meet both your needs and your budget.
Whether your list is 20 people or 200, sending truly unique corporate gifts is the best way to make sure that you’re top of mind heading into the new year.
We use products and goods sourced exclusively from small makers and craftsmen, many of them locally or regionally-based. We’re happy to include any custom elements or items, and we’ll do all the work arranging and mailing your unique holiday gifts for clients. No endless packaging, no second-guessing, and no trips to FEDEX.
To learn more about our custom corporate gifts, email us at hello@birdytell.com to chat about your ideas and your goals for the upcoming season.