‘Personalisation’ is a big trend right now, as testified by the growth in personalised card and gift sites such as Moonpig.com, Funkypigeon.com and Notonthehighstreet.com. But how does this trend translate for a B2B audience? Read on to discover how companies are delighting their customers and staff with bespoke gifts.
Do you remember how you felt the first time you received something with your name on as a child? Perhaps it was nameplate for your bedroom door, a key ring or a bookmark? Small things, but elevated to a great level of importance because of the sense of ownership they offered.
We may be all grown up now, but it’s surprising how these feelings can still be invoked. Knowing something has been made just for you undoubtedly makes more of an impact than a generic gift. And it’s no different in the world of business.
In fact, this phenomena is even more pronounced when it comes to client gifts because expectations are lower. Most people expect their friend or partner to make an effort when giving them a gift, on the other hand, you might not expect something really thoughtful from your widget supplier.
One-off printing
Thanks to new technology, known as ‘direct to print’, there are some really exciting opportunities for creating unique, personalised business gifts, that won’t break the bank.
Direct to print enables you to place an order online, upload your artwork and send it directly to the machine. The machine will print it out and then a human takes over to dispatch it. Because it’s a far more automated process, there’s no expensive set up costs, so small orders can be fulfilled cost effectively – and quickly. When I started in the business 11 years ago, anything you wanted took three to four weeks. Today you can have goods delivered in 24 hours!
It’s got your name on it!
So, how are our customers utilising this technology? We have produced branded promotional items like calendars, pens and packs of sweets each with a different individual’s name on. I know first hand how impressive the recipients find this because we give them to our own customers. If I know in advance the names of the people attending the meeting, I will have pots of imperial mints or retro sweets produced with their names on and put them round the table as place settings. People love it and it really helps give the right impression – that the service we offer is a personal one.
It’s also interesting to see how popular consumer brands are being used in a business context. The ‘keep calm and carry on’ slogan is a perfect example of an open brand that people look at and think ‘that’s quite fun’. It has been utilised across all manner of goods and our industry hasn’t escaped. We have produced mugs for CEOs printed with ‘keep calm, you’re the boss’ and then the person’s name.
The opportunities to surprise and delight with this new printing technology are only limited by your imagination. So don’t settle for a generic promotional gift, give us a call to discuss how you can make it personal and make it count.
