GiftsThis time of year, the thought of providing a gift to your clients or colleagues can be daunting…but it doesn’t have to be.  Think of it as a mini-promotional opportunity to remind people how much you appreciate them and value them.  Instead of spending marketing dollars with a magazine, doing a photo shoot that was going to cost you $500…consider doing something more non-traditional and think of holiday gifts as marketing dollars.  Here are a few examples of gifts you can consider giving:

* Mug with hot chocolate (if you have time you can brand your mugs with your logo, but you could also just find a mug in your company’s colors)

* $5-10 gift card to Starbucks or another local coffee shop – if it’s for a colleague tell them you’d love to get together and talk shop in the New Year

* Candy/cookies/anything edible – just search Etsy and you could spend hours finding great ideas to ship as gifts – The Caramel Jar is one that I’ve enjoyed receiving gifts from

* Bottle of champagne to ring in the New Year

* Amazon Local/Groupon/Living Social – one of my clients just gifted me tickets to a flight museum from Amazon Local so that I can take my family, as they knew my son loves airplanes (how thoughtful is this? And, something like this isn’t going to break your bank as these deals can be between $5-20 depending on the activity or product)

* Return address stamps – this is especially awesome for newlyweds as they have likely moved into a new home.  I personally love Amber Housley’s collection in her Etsy Shop, Sweet Tea & Lemonade.

How Much to Spend?

A lot of people ask me what I think is an appropriate rule of thumb for the dollar amount you should spend on a gift – I personally think that if you’re thanking your best clients, top colleagues who have referred you this year, etc. you could spend up to $50-100 (not that you need to, but this is a recommended maximum).  However, anymore than that is sometimes uncomfortable for the receiver of the gift.

Who Should You Provide Gifts To?

When thinking about your recipient list, think about the following factors:

1.  Who are the clients who you know could potentially refer you again, or could provide you with repeat business (ie – maybe they were one of your top clients this year and have a family business so you could potentially work with them again for their holiday party)?

2.  Who were your highest revenue generating clients?  Not that it’s all about how much your clients spent with you, but typically if you’re a Wedding Planner, Photographer, etc. and your clients spent $7500 on your largest package that likely means you worked with them a ton…and that relationship is there where they would value a gift (potentially moreso than a client you didn’t get to know as well)

3.  What wedding professionals referred you business this year?  These people are sending you DOLLARS and they should definitely feel like you’re taking good care of them.

4.  What wedding professionals do you WANT to work with next year?  By getting in front of them with a small gift you’re reminding them you exist and it puts you top of mind if they have clients that ask for referrals (especially this time of year during busy engagement season).

IMPORTANT: Narrow down your list, and don’t feel like you have to send gifts to 100 people…be very strategic about who you provide a gift to, based on the above questions.

What are some things you have gifted your clients or colleagues?  Would love to hear how you’re spreading the holiday cheer this year!