Our 6 Top Tips to Making the Best Corporate Gifts

There is no shortage of options when it comes to corporate gifts, whether they are for employees or clients. Trust us, we understand just how overwhelming it can be to try and curate a thoughtful personalized gift that will please a crowd. Factor in the quest for quality contents, incorporating the company logo, getting a budget approved and add in a typically short turnaround time and whoever is tasked with this job really has their work cut out for them.

That's where we come in. Steely launched Bon Vivant after working in corporate recruiting for 8 years and realized that there wasn't a resource, particularly locally, that she could go to for all of their gifting needs. She found herself running around all over town trying to gather items and make them feel personal, cohesive and unique.

It becomes particularly challenging when you're dealing with repeat corporate gifts for employees and clients but want to "wow" them every time.

From someone who has been there and is now a part of the solution, we want to share our six top tips to make unique corporate gifting as easy and seamless as possible. It is one of the best ways to make a lasting impression and, when it's done really well, can lead to genuine partnerships (not to mention, it's the perfect excuse to check in with a client or prospect!)

Our most important things to consider when searching for the best corporate gifts:

• We always recommend starting locally because it can end up saving you so much time and money, not to mention it gives you the opportunity to work with someone you can actually meet in person. It's also much easier to incorporate local brands and products that represent your area. This can cut down on the lead time needed as sourcing and receiving local products typically has a much shorter turnaround. (Bonus: your carbon footprint shrinks significantly!) If your gifts are being shipped or delivered locally, you cut down on shipping costs significantly as well.
• When you inquire with a company, give them as much detail as you can on the front end as this can save everyone time by allowing you to decide early on if it's a good fit or not. Has the budget been approved? Do you have an estimated headcount? Do you know when the gifts need to be received by? Are you wanting to incorporate branded items? 
• Check out the company website to see what they currently offer so you can get a feel for the aesthetic and the brands that they carry. You can also browse their site and social media for examples of corporate gifts they've done in the past. Keep in mind that they may not have examples of all of their past custom gifts due to NDAs and out of respect for their client's privacy.
• Gifts are very personal, so make sure you choose a gifting partner that aligns with your company's values. Do they focus on sustainability? How do they source their products? What types of packaging do they offer? Do they work with all different sized companies (what is their minimum for custom orders)? These are all great questions to consider as there is no shortage of gifting companies out there these days, so you should be able to choose the one that makes the most sense for you and your needs.
• What kind of customizations do they offer? If you're wanting to have the company logo incorporated onto the packaging or some of the products, make sure you ask what they offer and what the pricing and lead time is for this. Do you already have some branded materials or swag that you want to add to the gifts? Let them know and make sure that it's possible as sometimes that affects the cost and packaging options.
• Communication is key! Most gifting companies carry so many different brands and products that they have minimal amounts of everything on hand at any given time. (Especially in this era of supply chain issues.) When working on custom orders, we need as much lead time and quick decision-making as possible so that we can make sure to order additional inventory in time to fulfill your order. The less time we have, the more your options decrease significantly.  

We've had the opportunity to work with so many different companies and clients since we started in 2016 and every custom order we've fulfilled has been unique. While the holidays are our "Super Bowl," we really enjoy those special occasions throughout the year when people don't expect it. If you're curious about our process, here is a little bit of information to get you started:

• Email us or fill out the custom inquiry form on our Custom + Corporate Gifts page. We will respond to you within 1 business day to get started.
• Once we have a chance to speak with you, we will get to work on creating mockups based on your occasion, budget and desires. We send you a proposal within 2-3 business days unless otherwise specified. 
• We offer ongoing custom gifts! If you would like to have a few tiered gifts to choose from that are unique to your company and various occasions throughout the year (i.e. closing gifts), we will create them for you and can even incorporate branded collateral and/or products that we keep in-house on a designated shelf for you. We create a private page for your custom gifts and send you the link so that you can easily order them at your convenience.
• We handle all of the design and printing for branded collateral, but you are also welcome to provide us with your own materials such as stationery or inserts if you like. 
• You get to be as much a part of the process as you like! Our goal is to make this easy for you and gain trust so that you don't have to stress about the details, but we welcome your ideas and suggestions throughout the entire process. We want your brand and sentiment to be represented in the best way possible, so you will always have the freedom to make changes along the way. 

Once you've found the right partner to work with, you can create an ongoing relationship that makes this process so much easier. There is no better feeling to us than getting an email from a client telling us how much their recipients loved their gifts. We pride ourselves on paying attention to every single detail so that your gifts are well-received, no matter the size or budget. We do everything from small boxes of chocolates to luxury corporate gifts and treat each occasion individually.