The holidays are approaching and as a startup or small business, you may not have a lot of resources or money to allot to buying all of your clients extravagant gifts. Many businesses rack their brains (and empty their pockets) trying to give the perfect gift or even one-up themselves from last year’s. Or worse yet, some businesses don’t send anything at all. Avoid these rookie mistakes.
The truth is, you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money to show your clients your appreciation or impress them, but you should make some effort. Sending your client a special thank you during the holidays is a great way to keep you on their mind and show them that you care. The simple and easy, but not so obvious solution is to make your holiday gift idea personal and meaningful.
Personal Message
Skip the pricey fruit baskets and popcorn tins; sometimes a heartfelt, handwritten note on your company stationery or inside a beautiful holiday card can be the simplest way to say thank you. Tell your client what their business means to you. Talk about the goals they helped your business reach or the goals you hope to help them reach in the future. Expressing your gratitude and sincerity will never go out of style.
The Gift of Knowledge
Another one of my favorite holiday gift ideas for customers is to provide them with specially curated content. If you have a blog that you post to regularly, it might be difficult for your customers to sift through or consume all of the content at once. By aggregating related posts into an eBook or white paper, you can easily repurpose valuable content and create something your clients will truly appreciate and use. If you know your clients are interested in learning more about SEO or need help with website maintenance, why not compile a special resource just for them with content that you have already written? Don’t have a blog? No problem. Snag an affordable copy of your favorite business book or one that you think your customer would be interested in, related to their field.
Creative Greeting
If your business is fortunate enough to have a creative mind on staff, consider creating a brief video. Get all of your employees together to film the special greeting to your customers and add your personal flair, humor, fun, or class, but most of all, stay true to your brand. Post the video on social media and mention your customers to be sure they see it.
If a video sounds too ambitious or not as relevant to your customers, another fun change of pace that might surprise your customers is by visiting them door-to-door with your greeting (possibly in song?). While it may take some effort to get to everyone, it’s always nice to get out of the office and your customers will appreciate the time you took. Split up your team and divide and conquer leaving behind a small special something as a token of your gratitude.
Special Feature
If you have a small number of clients, consider saying thank you by showcasing each of your clients and their business on your website in a featured blog post or a case study. You can discuss and highlight the major business goals you helped them reach this year and link to their website to shoot them more visitor traffic. Everyone loves a referral and the special content will remind your client of the value you bring to their business.
Have more unique, thoughtful, and cheap holiday gift ideas for your customers? Leave a comment below! Need a special and unique holiday card or greeting to send to your customers? Reach out to K Design Co.
I help female entrepreneurs and business owners create brands that command the spotlight. I love working with women to help them create beautiful, one-of-a-kind brands that give them the confidence to take their business to the next level and get them seriously noticed. I’ve worked with coaches, authors, influencers… you name it, and I bet I can help you too.
