How corporate gifting reinforces your brand
What is the benefit of internal branding?
Usually, when we talk about branding, we refer to the image our consumers have of our brand. That’s external branding, with its use often to increase sales. What we often forget is another group of people that buys into your brand—your staff
Reports show that there is a significant impact on employee engagement when they are given recognition.
In more detail, leaders that were rated in the bottom 10% for providing recognition had employees at the 27th percentile for engagement. By contrast, the leaders rated in the top 10% were at the 69th percentile.
Yet, 29% of employees in these reports haven’t received any recognition within the past year.
So, how could you reinforce your overall branding and strengthen the connection between both audiences in your organisation?
This can be done by building internal branding as part of your employee reward scheme, together with your external branding for customers.
What is the benefit of internal branding?
External branding aims to attract new consumers and retain the existing ones. Similarly, the main reason for building internal branding is to attract and retain talent.
But it doesn’t stop there. Internal branding can often reflect on external branding, too.
Think about some of the brands with great culture, and how they can impact your perception of the brand as a whole. Sometimes, perceptions of good quality and trustworthiness can even be linked back to the employees!
Turning your employees into ambassadors of your brand who want to use their voice will not only bring visibility to your offerings but could even pique the interest of prospective employees.
How can you reinforce your brand?
External and internal branding serve different purposes, and so should not be identical. But they can’t be totally different either—as they are two faces of the same coin.
Manifesting your values in a way that inspires your audience to want to align with them is what a strong external brand looks like. Connecting your internal brand to those values in ways that help your employees feel part of it, could therefore reinforce this, and make your overall brand even stronger.
Here, the key is to help both audiences connect with your brand by sharing the same mission and beliefs can help foster a sense of belonging. This can help both audiences feel like they are working together to achieve a greater goal, all while being supported towards their own aspirations.
Here are a few tips on how you could reinforce your brand in a way that serves both purposes:
1. Stay time relevant
Reinforcing your messaging during celebratory events can connect your brand with all the positive connotations that those celebrations might have. That is, as long as you have something to say, or even better something to give!
If you’re stuck, why not try a female-rights-themed newsletter on International Women’s Day to elevate your brand ethos in your prospects’ eyes, or a branded invitation with the details to your summer social event for your staff?
You could even try a free birthday gift or discount code for your consumers, or perhaps a Thank you Christmas postcard for your clients.
2. Show your authentic self
While it’s great to stay time relevant, 2-3 times a year might not always be enough.
It’s always great to show both your employees and consumers that they have the opportunity to connect with your brand all-year-round, and in less formal ways.
What’s better for funny, genuine, and engaging content than social media? With social media, you can show people what your brand looks like behind the scenes, which can help to communicate the authentic aspect of your brand voice and team. This could be a great way to encourage co-creation so that your team are given the freedom to express themselves and show people what they’re all about.
3. Be there for their personal wins
Corporate gifting can help show both your consumers and employees that you care about them. Birthdays or membership anniversaries are a good time to remind them of your presence and wish them well.
With gifts to employees, you have more information to work with.
Think about their achievements, stressful periods, or important life events like a wedding or a new baby.
You can choose to be there for them – welcoming their hard work, or supporting them in their difficult times proves that you see them as more than just employees and that you value them. For clients and partners, showing your appreciation for the good work you do together could also work to show that you care about them, too.
4. Choosing a corporate gift for clients and employees
Whether your gift is intended for an employee, a consumer, or a client, there are a few things you may want to consider before making your pick.
Corporate gifts are a great way to nurture client or employee relationships, and for the most part, are usually welcome.
Firstly, it’s important that you remember to ask a new client if they are able to accept gifts at all.
Make sure to set a few company standards like price and purpose, to help the process stay as transparent as possible. Finishing off a project with a “thank you” gift is often a healthy business practice, provided that they aren’t used to influence any big decision-making and that you expect nothing in return.
Thank you gift hampers are great for clients to let them know that they are in good hands and that you’re happy to be working with them.
When it comes to staff gift ideas, giving them the freedom to buy exactly what they want, and whenever they want with an Asda for Business corporate gift card or e-gift card can always be another great way to say thank you to offer value and a constant reminder of your brand values. With Asda being an affordable one-stop shop even during the most difficult times, you can offer them even more for what they’re getting.