Promotional Gifting in 2015

I’m guessing within the last couple of weeks everyone has been a part of a gift transaction of some sort. Some of those transactions were carefully planned out and some were done last minute to alert someone that you are thankful for the relationship you maintain with them. In most cases, the ones that are carefully planned and executed have a greater impact and are better received than the ones that are last minute. I know we are all victims to the busy bug that weakens our gift giving plans but I also know that the intent is almost always lurking just behind that bug. I’d like to layout some reasons for gifting in 2015 which now gives you no excuse for not planning better this year.   Most of these are pretty general but I’m guessing you can piece them together with how they fit into your business planning for 2015!Awareness Days and Months – Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Breast Cancer Month etc.Holidays – Just Google US Bank Holidays and you’ll get the entire list.Budgeting – When does your fiscal year end? If you have left over money in the budget, do you have a wish list/ contingency plan for spending it?Performance Awards/Rewards – Are there people going above and beyond for your business and clientele? What are you doing to let them know you notice and encourage that?New product/service announcements – Also, grand openings and ribbon cuttings.Community Events – Specific to Fargo - NDSU tailgaiting. Chamber Events like Business After Hours etc.The list goes on and on, so please make sure to start creating your own right now. After you get a list of events that are important to your customers and employees you can then start to prioritize those events making it easier to spend wisely and promote the things that are most important to future success of your business.- Matt Oye