Yesterday, I promised that I would bring you the ultimate guide to buying corporate gifts. No pressure then!

After thinking long and hard after my promise, I thought I’d take you back to my first infographic ’10 questions you should be asking before you invest in a corporate gift’.  Since I published that blog however, I’ve had this niggling feeling that it wasn’t quite finished. Like, it’s really frustrating having an unanswered question.

So, here are the answers to the 10 questions you should be asking before you invest in a corporate gift.

1. What product(s) do you want?

I think I’ve mentioned it before but I’m going to say it again – one of the many things I love about the promotional products industry is the variety of products available. The industry is full of weird and wonderful promotional products like PopSockets, Rubik Cube speakers, Bike Compasses and VR headsets. You can literally get your logo printed on anything these days.

Okay, so you think you may have chosen your ideal corporate gift. That’s great.

But, it’s important to remember that even though you may think the product is perfect, you’re not actually the one that’s going to be using it. This sounds pretty obvious but think about who your clients are. 

Remember the time you’ve received an unwanted gift because a family member misjudged what you wanted. It’s awkward and embarrassing. You definitely don’t want your clients feeling that way towards your brand.

3. When do you need the product for?

It’s important to take into account that different promotional products have different lead times. For example, branded advent calendars can take up to 3 weeks, whereas branded pens have a much quicker lead time.

Remember that you need to allow time for your order to be processed and approved, manufactured and then delivered.

Therefore, planning is key!

4. How long do you want your product to be visible for?

Different promotional products stick around for different lengths of time. And these different lengths of time can be used to suit the length of your marketing campaign.

For example, promotional calendars tend to hang around on walls or desks all year round. Bags are pretty durable too, and pens are typically used until the ink runs out. But, if your clients are anything like me, sweets and chocolate won’t stay visible for very long!

5. How many products do you want?

I guess the answer to this question is something like how long is a piece of string? 

You don’t want to order too many promotional products because you’ll lose money. But, by the same token you don’t want to order too little because it would just be a bit awkward and your marketing campaign won’t be as effective.

So, think about the size of your client base. And then, adapt and change your budget and the number of corporate gifts to suit.

6. How much are you willing to pay?

It goes without saying that promotional products are not all the same price. I don’t want to sound too cliche, but like with every other type of product and industry, you get what you pay for. 

It’s a well known fact that if you buy a less expensive pen, it’s probably not going to have the same staying power as a more expensive pen in the range for example.

Also, price also depends on the type of promotional product you want. Like, a canvas bag is not going to cost as much as a Bluetooth speaker.

You’ll also want to go back to the all important question of who is my client? For example, if you’re gifting a retiring employee or a loyal customer, you’ll want to show your appreciation and receive a good reception.

Money isn’t everything but a good quality item goes a long way. I tend to think the bigger your investment, the bigger your return will be.

7. Does the product reflect your brand and values?

This is also a bit of a difficult question for me to answer for you as I’m not standing in your shoes.

But, my suggestion is that you think about how the corporate gift fits in with your brand. It doesn’t work the other way around – your brand shouldn’t have to fit in with your promotional product.

For example, if you’re a business that promotes healthy eating, gifting your clients with sugary chocolate probably won’t give off the best impression. But saying that, if you’re a bakery and you want to promote your product with a sugary treat then branded cupcakes would probably be a perfect corporate gift solution.

Remember that each brand is different and so is each brand’s clientele.

8. Does the product fit in with your business goals?

Similar to question 7, this is a bit of a difficult question for me to answer for you.

But, ask yourself the question what do I want this corporate gift to achieve? 

For example, do you want to increase brand exposure? Optimise sales? Get more followers on your social media? Generate new enquiries? Reward a loyal customer? Show your appreciation?

Whatever you want your promotional product to do, make sure you have a clear message or call to action on it. There’s nothing worse than receiving a gift and not quite knowing what your meant to do with it.

9. How do you intend to give your corporate gift?

Promotional products are given out everywhere, including recruitment fairs, product launches, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, attractions, competitions and gift boxes.

It’s important to think about the clientele that you’re likely to come across when you’re giving out your corporate gifts. But, it’s also important to think of the actual practicalities of gifting your clients. For example, if you’re at a busy trade show, you’ll need something that can be given out efficiently.

10. Finally, what promotional products distributor should you use?

Obviously, I’m going to be a bit bias for this one and I thought I’d use this answer to tell you a bit about us.

So, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to help you take your brand to the next level.