Do You Want a New Approach to Build a Relationship with Your Clients? Don’t Miss These Expert Ways to Emotionally Connect With Your Clients Using Promotional Items!
Do you work in sales and marketing? Are you looking for a new and creative approach to not only grab the attention of your future clients but also to build something more substantive — like a relationship?
Research shows that marketing strategies which focus on the five senses and help to build a relationship with the customer resonate more than those that don’t. This guide will give you all the tips and ideas you need to emotionally connect with your clients using promotional gifts. Today, the coffee mug or branded pen alone just isn’t going to cut it. Find out how to make a difference for your brand with these top ideas:
Tip #1: Use Nostalgia to Connect with Your Clients on a More Personal Level
There is perhaps nothing more warm and emotive than connecting with good memories of the past–and this is something that you can use to your advantage with key promotional products.
First, identify the nostalgic elements of your brand. For example, if you are a framing and matting company — your goal is to showcase the best family photos and to preserve those memories in time.
If you are trying to court new clients to partner with your brand, then you might send a promotional photo frame that showcases a photo of one of the company’s favorite memories. Or, you might show a behind-the-scenes photo of your company framing and matting a special photo of your client. Showcasing this in the custom photo frame gives flexibility and life to the frame beyond a one-time use. Your client can then replace the photo with one of their own!
Tip #2: Pace Your Timing
Building a relationship with your client is about knowing how to react, listening, and being available in times of joy, sadness, frustration, and disappointment. When you use promotional items to meet your clients’ needs during those emotions, you show not only that you are a brand that is thoughtful, but that you truly care about being there for them every step of the way in the customer journey.
A great example of how to use a promotional product, in this case, is to send a branded instant camera to your client during a celebratory time along with a note to “capture the memories forever” on you. Or, if your client is going through a rough or sad time — send a small promotional wall calendar that has encouraging quotes on it. Another idea: Fill a branded wallet with pre-printed coupons signifying donations your company has made in honor of a client’s loved one who has died. The key in this step is to be creative and thoughtful first, then to add your brand to the gift.
Tip #3: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Babies
Show your client that you care and build that relationship deeper by marking the milestones in their lives with a promotional, branded gift. In other words, don’t underestimate the power of babies. And by the same token, don’t forget about marriages, deaths, job promotions, and awards. Whatever achievement or life event that happens in your client’s journey is an opportunity for you to mark it with a thoughtful gift.
An idea for celebrating the birth of a baby is to send a branded onesie to the hospital. If your client is getting married, send something blue that is branded — such as a charm bracelet, a necklace or a lapel pin. For a job promotion or a significant award, a promotional basket full of nuts and chocolate is always a big hit. For example, if your client who is a coach has been promoted, send a basket full of related items such as a water bottle, a clipboard, a whistle, pens, a notepad and for fun, some pom-poms.
Tip #4: Remember Name Recognition
Everyone loves seeing their own name — and one way to build that relationship with your client is to send promotional gifts that bear their name. Just make sure you verify the spelling of your client’s name before you order the gift! The key to this promotional gift is you want it to be useful, so that person will actually use it and give your brand free advertising.
This actually is a category where a branded coffee mug can work to your advantage. Perhaps just put a spin on it and consider more creative mugs that reveal art when hot vs. cold. This is a fun gimmick that ups the swagger of the traditional coffee mug. In addition, there are a wide variety of useful promotional gifts that you can brand with your client’s name while still keeping it classy. For example, personalize a briefcase, a laptop bag, a messenger bag and even an airplane pillow. Think about personalized Bluetooth speakers for music lovers. If you are thinking about ways to be super useful to your client, then it won’t be difficult to find a gift that fits their needs while promoting your company at the same time.
Tip #5: Help Your Clients Save Time with a Branded Gift
Continuing along the lines of being helpful to your clients is finding gifts that alleviate a pain point in their lives. If you get it right, they’ll be carrying your gift everywhere they go — and they’ll feel closer to you as a result of your thoughtfulness.
First, make a list of all the potential pain points your clients may experience via their work and personal lives such as:
- Getting up in the morning.
- Going to the gym consistently.
- Drinking enough water.
- Keeping track of their keys.
- Finding the opening to their car door or house door lock at night.
- Getting their children to smile for a photo.
This list could go on, but the point is that you want to identify those points of frustration that could be remedied by an item that you can brand. So, in the case of having trouble getting up in the morning — maybe you send them a branded natural alarm clock that slowly lightens the room and makes it a more pleasant experience. In the case of getting their children to smile for a photo, maybe you send a branded teddy bear. In the case of losing keys or not finding the house lock, you could send a key finder with your logo printed on it or a mini keychain flashlight.
Keep it simple with these products, and you’ll find it a lot easier to connect with your clients than you thought. They’ll be thankful that you were not only thoughtful but also helpful to them by making their lives much easier than before.
Are You Ready to Build That Relationship?
As you decide which gift to select for your clients, remember to keep these five expert tips in mind. Show them that you care by appealing to their emotions and memories. Be helpful to them by giving them items they can use to relieve stress in their lives. Show them that you care by celebrating with them as well as sympathizing with them during the hard times. You’ll be on your way to a new level of loyalty which can last many years!
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