When purchasing holiday gifts for clients, there’s a lot to consider.
Sticking to a budget, figuring out the best gift, mailing to both domestic and international customers in time — these tasks are even harder during the busiest time of year.
Fortunately, your customers are more likely to want to receive gift cards instead of physical gifts from acquaintances like vendors or business partners, according to our 2022 Superlative Study. Sending those gift cards digitally will not only delight your clients, it streamlines this tricky end-of-year chore for your team.
Your recipients will be able to choose a gift they love while your team eliminates the effort of trying to figure out who gets a branded hoodie or a fruit basket this year. Plus, with no postage or packaging fees, your company saves money.
While digital gift cards and prepaid cards are definitely more convenient and offer recipients more flexibility, you do have to put a little extra thought into the delivery. There’s no handwritten card, so your reward email needs to add that meaningful, thoughtful touch and ensure recipients associate the gift with your company.
Check out these tips to create a great email template and make your holiday gifts for clients as effective as possible.
READ MORE: Top Tips for Effective Holiday Customer Appreciation Rewards
Every client touchpoint is a chance to reinforce why they choose you over a competitor. Use a design consistent with your brand identity so customers instantly recognize that the email is from your company. You want them to feel as if they’re opening an email from a vendor or business partner they know — and love. Prominently feature your logo and colors, along with a holiday message that is consistent with your brand voice.
According to ZeroBounce’s Email Statistics Report for 2024, 61% of people check their email primarily on mobile. That same percentage cite email as their preferred channel for work communication. That means every email you send, including holiday rewards, should be easy to read on a small screen.
It just takes one technical glitch to ruin the goodwill you’re building by giving digital holiday gifts for clients. Always test emails before sending them to ensure they are rendering correctly on all devices: smartphones, tablets, and computers. Also make sure that the process for claiming the gift card or prepaid card works on mobile, creating a seamless experience. Bonus points if the reward can then be added to a mobile wallet for even more convenient spending.
With so many companies automating customer-facing messages, it’s more important than ever to pay close attention to what you say when delivering your digital holiday gifts for clients. Even if you can’t write an individual message for each email, there are ways to tailor your rewards so your clients feel as though you took the time to show them they matter to your business.
Among the possibilities to create a personalized experience:
Naturally, at holiday time, your email should include a friendly greeting and holiday sentiment. But because not everyone celebrates the same occasions, it’s a good idea to keep your message more general: “Happy holidays” and “Season’s greetings” are always safe options. Also avoid holiday-specific imagery, such as Christmas stockings or Hanukkah menorahs, and stick with more generic options such as winter scenes and snowflakes (for the Northern Hemisphere, anyway!), gift packages, and lights.
Email inboxes overflow during the holidays. To make sure your digital holiday gifts for clients don’t get lost in the shuffle, mention that it contains a gift right in the subject line.
Here are some examples:
As an added precaution, ask your account managers or sales reps to tell clients to be on the lookout for a special email around the time it’s scheduled to send. This also creates another touchpoint when you can thank your clients and foster a strong relationship with them.
In short, engaging your clients, showing your appreciation for their business — and making sure your reward delivery stands out from the holiday email deluge — are essential steps in executing successful customer gifting campaigns.
For more helpful tips on sending holiday gifts for clients, download our free eBook, “Gifting Campaigns That Keep on Giving: 5 steps to transform your holiday marketing into long-term success.”
BHN Rewards puts the power of digital rewards to work for marketers, researchers, and HR managers. Don't forget to check out all the great content in our Resources section!
BHN Rewards puts the power of digital rewards to work for marketers, researchers, and HR managers. Don't forget to check out all the great content in our Resources section!
