Services
A thoughtful holiday gift for a client is one with their name or logo on it, not yours, paired with a handwritten card that says thank you and nothing else.
That's the short answer. Here's how to pull it off, who should get one, and what to skip.
Why Does a December Gift Matter So Much?
Most businesses only send client gifts once a year, in December. That makes it the one time your clients actually expect something.
If you send nothing, you're the vendor who forgot.
If you send something generic, you're one more popcorn tin in the pile.
If you send something personal, you're the one they remember.
The bar is low, and that's good news.
A little thought goes a long way when everyone else is ordering the same thing.
What Makes a Client Gift Feel Personal?
Flip the logo. Put their name or their company's logo on the gift, never yours. This is a hill I will die on forever.
A Yeti with your logo on it is advertising. A Yeti in their brand colors, etched with their logo, is a gift. It's the same tumbler for about the same cost, but it is received completely differently.
That's exactly what we did our first year: Yetis matched to each client's brand colors with their logo etched on the side. Zero GhostHandwriter branding anywhere.
Another year, we sent pens engraved with each client's name. A few people emailed, texted, or told us in person how much they liked them. One client told us the pen made her cry. She was getting married that year, and seeing her maiden name on a pen felt sentimental in a way we never expected.
Personal doesn't have to mean expensive or clever. Sometimes it just means their name.
How Do You Personalize a Gift When You Barely Know the Client?
You know more than you think. At a minimum, you know their name and their company. That's enough to work with.
Grab their logo from their website. Etch it on a tumbler, a notebook, or a cutting board.
Match their brand colors. Pick the item in the color that matches their logo.
Use their name. Engraved pens, notebooks, or anything that says "this was made for you."
None of this requires knowing their hobbies or their kids' names. It just requires doing it for them instead of for you.
What Should You Write in a Holiday Card to Clients?
Keep it simple and never sell.
Wish them a happy holiday season.
Thank them for being a client. Be specific if you can.
Incorporate any meaningful stories during the business relationship.
Tie in the gift if it makes sense. "We hope this keeps your coffee hot all winter" beats "Enjoy!"
What to leave out:
Any sales pitch. No "let's talk about next year" and no discount codes.
Generic sign-offs like "Happy Holidays from all of us at..." It reads like a form letter, because it is one.
If you're sending a lot of cards, a robotic handwritten card in real pen keeps the personal feel without your team hand-writing 200 of them. ;)
Who Should Be on Your Holiday Gift List?
We recommend casting a wider net than you think. Here's who we send gifts to:
Current clients. The obvious one.
Past clients. A gift with no ask is the easiest way to stay top of mind until they need you again.
Referral partners. The people sending you business deserve a thank-you.
Vendors. More on this below.
We rarely send to prospects. The exception is a deal that's about to close, where a gift feels like a welcome instead of a bribe.
Why Should You Send Holiday Gifts to Your Vendors?
It sounds backwards. They're the ones who should be thanking you, right?
That's exactly why it works. Almost none of their customers send them anything, so you stand out right away.
And it pays off. When we need a favor or a fast turnaround, our vendors come through.
A good vendor relationship is worth a lot more than the cost of a holiday gift- TRUST me on this.
What Holiday Client Gifts Should You Skip?
Anything with your logo on it. It's marketing wearing a bow.
Alcohol. It's the easy default, and plenty of people don't drink.
Anything that looks like it came out of a swag catalog. If your client could guess where you ordered it, you're not trying hard enough.
Spend somewhere between $10 and $50 per person, scaled to what the relationship is worth. That reads as generous without feeling over the top.
Want Help Sending Something They'll Actually Remember?
We'll personalize the gift, write the card, and ship it it for you.
You get all the credit without getting sidetracked with additional client gifting responsibilities :)
want us to handle it?
Tell us the outcome. We’ll handle the rest.
Handwritten cards and lumpy mail, planned, written, packed, and shipped for you.
