Personas for corporate gifts
The first priority of shortlisting the appropriate corporate gifts is what to give. To do that let us understand each recipient's profile in more detail. The target audience are classified as consumers, customers, partners, influencers, employees and associates. Once you get clarity on each profile then you create a budget depending on their role and importance. The budget helps to identify various product choices available within that price range. It may be done keeping your end goal and purpose in the mind.
CONSUMERS
Consumers are the actual user or end consumer of your product or services. The life time value of a consumer is very high. For this reason most of the brands are willing to invest a high budget to influence and get new users. Your products must keep adding new consumers on an ongoing basis. To do so beyond advertisement you need to add various other touch points to woo the new consumers. The best and easiest way is to offer something they cannot refuse and in the process try your new product. This may help you get another new consumer.
CUSTOMERS
The customer is the person who buys the product on consumer's behalf. In b2b setting the consumers are not visible to you and may not interact with you . Your contact point is the customer. He in turn influences the user to consider your offerings. Purchase, admin and HR managers are the correct examples for this profile. A brand may have tie up with another non competing brand for mutual benefit. They may not use the product themselves but link up with you to increase joint awareness. This in turn increases sales of their own products. A branded soap buying another branded pen is a customer but not the consumer or end user.
PARTNERS
Partners are associates who help reach your end goal of increased sales and market share. Partners are intermediaries like c&f agents, distributors, stockists and retailers. The turnover of each stakeholder is different depending on their roles. You need to design the scheme or identify the gifts to achieve your end goal by motivating them. The goal may change with time either to increase the sales, market share or stocks in the pipeline. It helps in blocking new product or competitors. The buyer is aware of this fact and so fit into the profile of trade or channel partners.
INFLUENCERS
Influencer helps in influencing the various decision makers. You may say in case of lubricants the influencer is a mechanic. There can be many influencers for a single product. For example, masons are the first influencers for a cement manufacturing company. The engineers come next as they are technically qualified to educate and influence. Architects come next in the pipeline as they handle the total designing of the projects. Project managers are the final decision makers in the chain of the influencers. You need to identify the role of each influencer. It may depend on the buyer’s profile, your industry standing,market competition and other project related parameters.
EMPLOYEES
Gifts presented to employees for carrying out their duties, for exciting younger generations and at festivals come under employees gifting. Traditionally companies may give festival gifts to staff once or twice a year. It depends on the industry, margins and thought process of the management. They may receive gifts based on their achievements or completion of service years . IT companies may come up with gifts from time to time starting from induction to completion of a project. The outsourced employees are also covered. They are employees who are outsourced or on contracts.
ASSOCIATES
Business associates can be your well wisher, consultants, referral partners and friends. Based on occasions like new year, anniversaries or festivals you can decide the gift. Generally, buyers divide them into A, B and C categories. It helps in differentiating various levels in an organization. You can also justify the budget and identify the appropriate gift for each level. The seniority of the receivers also plays a role. When you make a list of probable recipients, names that don't figure in any of the other profile land in this category. Government departments, their inspectors and officers may find their place in this profile. Visitors who ask for diaries, calendars and other utility gifts During festival times and new year are also part of this category.
To conclude, category of recipients is an important consideration in choosing corporate gifts. It helps in understanding what type of gift suits a particular group of people. By segmenting them , you make sure to achieve maximum client satisfaction.