Use Creative Gifts to Brand Your Business During the Holidays

The holidays will be here before we know it. It is time to start working out twice as hard to prepare for the extra calories that come with all the delectable treats that will soon be delivered to your office by the truckload in celebration of the holiday season. You can never have too many mouth-watering chocolates and other decadent treats, but as a business owner, use the holidays to help brand your business and make your company stand out with unique and creative gifts for your clients and contacts.

The following are six unique gift ideas that are sure to leave a lasting impression (rather than a few extra pounds from high-calorie treats) about your business with vendors, clients and other key contacts.

#1: Charitable Cause
At the end of the year, give a donation to a favorite charity or charities instead of a gift to clients. Get input from your contacts and drive traffic to your Web site by posting a list of non-profit organizations (perhaps they are clients of your company) on your Web site and have people vote for which organization gets the money. It drives people to your Web site and links to each organization’s Web site as well. Think outside the box or even outside of the country when choosing an organization to support, such as purchasing supplies for a local school’s music department or livestock for Third World countries.

#2: Local Artist
By commissioning a local artist to design and make a creative gift, not only are you coming up with something unique and fun, but you are also helping boost the local economy and market the particular artist’s talents. He or she can create a custom gift that ties in with your company’s brand or perhaps your holiday theme without blowing out your budget. Searching the Internet, asking around and contacting local universities, arts colleges, art galleries, and local arts and business organizations are great ways to find a local artist.

#3: Unique Card
If you decide to send a holiday card, give it some pizzazz and make it stand out. For example, send a calendar card. Not only is it unique, but it is a gift that can be used throughout the year and can incorporate photos of your staff and/or business and tie in with your company’s brand.

#4: Volunteer Days
Team up with your staff to donate time, such as half a day, to a charity. Perhaps your company volunteers at a soup kitchen or adopts a family, whereby each staff member signs up to donate needed items for a family and then gets together to wrap the presents.

#5: Notepads
Notepads are a great marketing tool to promote your logo and company information. There are a variety of shapes, sizes and color options, so be creative in what you chose. Write a hand-written note on the first page to the recipient.

#6: Theme Gifts
Because end-of-the-year gifts do not need to have a holiday theme, be creative. Consider choosing a different theme each year, but always include your logo and company name on whatever gift you decide. For a sports theme, give a corporate logo blanket for football season. To accompany a bottle of wine, give a wine opener with you company logo.

Consider getting a jumpstart on the December gift crunch and send out your holiday package in November. It is important to plan now to allow time for designing and ordering gifts. When possible, hand deliver gifts to clients because it personalizes the gift and is a great opportunity to get in front of your clients, especially if you have a new business.