Affordable Holiday Gifts for Clients and Employees

Since we’re getting down to the wire on deadlines for ordering holiday promotional items and branded holiday gifts for clients and employees, I wanted to share a few inexpensive ideas to help you make some decisions.

Just because your business is on a budget (and, really, what business isn’t?) doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice the quality of your gift – there are plenty of affordable promotional items that won’t be stuffed into a desk drawer…or worse…the circular file.

This Business Pundit article, ‘25 Holiday Gifts for Clients‘ lists engraved coffee mugs and custom pens as the top two inexpensive holiday gifts to give your customers. If you can afford to order some of the higher quality customized travel mugs, that is your best bet. But even a simple ceramic mug with your company’s logo won’t go to waste.

I also particularly like the author’s suggestions to make a donation in your client’s name to a well-known or local charity, to give the gift of liquor or wine (which can oftentimes be ordered with custom labels…) and digital picture frames, which you can load with holiday pictures…and a personalized message from your company.

If your business has the budget, I would suggest buying slightly more expensive gifts for your best clients, or your hottest leads. There are a lot of great, high-end holiday gifts that can be imprinted with your logo and holiday message.

What holiday promotional gifts should you avoid? Anything that has no meaning or is useless. Anything that you ordered just because it was discounted or on sale.

And, if worse comes to worst, and you can’t afford to order holiday gifts that are meaningful and/or useful, a homemade gift and note goes a long way. Read ‘5 Homemade Gift Basket Ideas for Your Business Clients‘ for inspiration.

It’s the thought that counts, and – trust me – your clients would rather receive a thoughtful homemade gift than a cliche gift that says nothing.