- October 1, 2018
- Posted by: Hillary Feder
- Category: Client Engagement, Employee Engagement
If you’re dreading your annual holiday recognition initiative or at the very least concerned about delivering a meaningful recognition experience to the people that matter most to your business (clients, employees, partners, board of directors, etc.), you’re not alone. Many of our clients initially contact us because of a previous failure. So here are some tips to avoid the snafus we see most often.
Timing is everything
Getting an early start expands your choices and means the difference between “vanilla”, fallback recognition and a truly authentic recipient experience. Right now, today, is not too early, thoughtful planning takes time.
If you get a late start and want to avoid making a shoot-from-the-hip decision that doesn’t resonate with recipients, consider shifting your “appreciation moment” from this crowded time to a meaningful, quieter time that will capture the spotlight—a date of importance to your calendar, your specific industry, another holiday such as Arbor Day or Labor Day, or meaningful moment on your company calendar. 40% of our clients send expressions of appreciation in November, prior to Thanksgiving and 15% deliver their “appreciation moment” between January and September.
Idea development
Developing gift ideas causes the most anxiety, because we want to make recipients happy. A misguided notion that the only meaningful gift is an expensive one loses sight of gifting’s golden rule—it’s the thought that counts. The accompanying card/message and packaging can make a gift relevant, purposeful, and extra special without a big price tag.
To help clients with gift decisions, we curate a small group of gifting options that fit each of our client’s recipient profiles. For companies with a larger gift list, we often create a curate a menu of gifting options tiered by price. For group gifting, we offer an array of themed food arrangements that meet the diverse tastes of a group.
Whatever is ultimately chosen, it is one piece of a relationship-building strategy and therefore should be aligned with the company’s brand promise, values, communications plan, and other relationship building practices.
Delivery details
Delivery details can be the cause of “epic failures”. Make sure to:
- Include an accompanying message that woos recipients’ hearts with a thoughtful sentiment.
- Dump the cardboard box in favor of special packaging that wows recipients.
- Personalize as much as possible through messages and packaging.
- Update the mailing list to avoid a tardy arrival that tarnishes a gift’s impact.
- Make sure delivery is to a specific person at the company. Addressing your package to “Front Desk” will have a lack luster impact.
Looking for more thoughts about demonstrating meaningful appreciation or enhancing your recognition strategy. Let’s talk.
Toll free: 800-742-6800 In Minneapolis/St. Paul: 952-933-8365 email: Hillary@askhillarys.com