The measurable impact of a gifting strategy

Today’s consumers are savvy. They scan their headlines. They check their social media accounts. And they ignore 35% of the emails that come into their inbox daily. With all the competition for their attention, what has your marketing strategy done to pivot?

Oh yeah? And has that produced all the results you promised to your chief marketing officer (CMO) or VP of Sales?

It’s time to look into an omnichannel marketing strategy – one that delivers a return-on-investment (ROI) but also builds deeper connections with your customers and customers-to-be.

Power Your Omnichannel Marketing Plan

Send a gift. Deliver impact.

A study conducted by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) reveals that 80% of consumers enjoy receiving promotional products, and 71% welcome receiving branded merchandise more frequently.

That is the power behind a sending strategy, an omnichannel marketing plan powered by a sending platform. It combines the best of direct mail, corporate gifting, and a modern data-tracking platform to handle it all with a click of a button.

The Power of a Gift

Sendoso, the leading Sending Platform™, helps marketers create impactful interpersonal relationships and engaging, meaningful interactions that endure over time. Gifts not only offer something of tangible value, they’re also imbued with an intangible sense of intrigue — that exciting moment where customers wonder, “what’s in the box?”

When a gifting strategy is incorporated into the sales and marketing cycle, it delivers the “wow factor.” But don’t just take our word for it. According to our recent research, we’ve concluded that people really love receiving gifts:

• 77% says gifts make them feel appreciated
• 67% say receiving gifts make them feel the relationship is valued
• 40% feel more connected to businesses that send them gifts

Opportunities are vast, and gifts can be nearly anything that delivers intrigue — for example, do-it-yourself donut decorating kits complete with customized campaign printed collateral materials. Even simple items can create a feeling of awe and increased goodwill.

Deliver Measurable Impact

The core power of gifting for marketers is that physical items are highly effective in helping teams establish and maintain long-lasting, productive relationships with customers.

That’s the experience of Katlyn McCue, customer marketing manager for Boulevard, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) firm in the beauty sector. The company heavily relies on Sendoso’s sending platform to deliver memorable gifts like shareable cookie boxes for offices, and $25 lunch eGift cards for individual prospects.

“Sales reps who are regularly using their Sendoso budget are closing more deals and have more opportunities in the funnel,” says McCue.

Indeed, Boulevard’s quarterly gifting campaigns have yielded as much as 9x in new prospects correlated with upwards of 4x in revenue growth. It’s a matter of immediacy — a matter of actual physical proximity — that makes gifting so impactful.

Deliver Delight with a Gifting Strategy

Gifts carry a sense of wonder that can actually be held in hand. They even create a tangible feeling of surprise upon arrival. And Sendoso bring these qualities to customers’ doorsteps, whether that’s in a traditional office park or at a virtual home office. Gifts positively affect customers on a highly personal level, something that is essential in closing sales.

“If there’s anything that we’ve learned in B2B marketing over the last decade, it’s that we don’t sell just to companies — we sell to people in those companies,” says Carol Meyers, a noted marketing thought-leader and former CMO. “People love getting an unexpected surprise … and you’ve taken the care to give them a gift you researched.”

Do Business with People, Not Companies

Direct mailing gifts is a powerful tool that drives sales pipelines. It helps create deep connections with new customers. Following meetings with prospects, sales teams can send personalized gifts to foster newly budding human-to-human (H2H) relationships.

That’s what Lauren Benon, senior sales manager at Boulevard, discovered after an outreach event.

“One of my demos was a no-show, and I later found out that he had fallen ill. I sent him a lunch gift card and a note to tell him I hoped his week got better,” says Benon. “He replied immediately to tell me how thoughtful it was (and also rescheduled the demo). Clients love Sendoso!”

With their H2H appeal, gifts incentivize future meetings and sales by creating rapport, which ultimately generates revenue.

A Door Opener to New Relationships

Gifts offer right-time, right-place messaging and are uniquely positioned to help accelerate the sales funnel and increase acquisitions. When sales teams leverage repeatable and scalable gifting campaigns, they can achieve top-of-mind status with customers and enable buy-in.

Even more, tactile direct mail campaigns can be essential in building relationships with hard-to-reach buyers, including reviving prior sales deals that have gone cold.

Gifts are truly door openers. Learn more about integrating a gifting strategy into your sales and marketing funnel. Request a demo today to see how the leading Sending Platform delivers an intelligent sending experience.