Trends and Tips Digital Magazine, Spring 2020 by Debbie Quintana

SPRING 2020

TRENDS AND TIPS ALL NEW INTERACTIVE ONLINE VERSION

Sharon Kavanaugh Day

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2020 NATIONAL GIFT BASKET CONVENTION IS OPEN!

An Audio Message from Debbie Quintana

Designing Mini's MINI

DESIGNS MAJOR

THAT

HAVE

IMPACT

Making A Big Impact with Mini Gifts By: Debbie Adame, Owner and Certified Gift Designer My Daddy’s House of Gifts, LLC

Mini gift, pop-by gift, client touch gift or whatever we may call them, the purpose is the same…to make a big impact with a small gift. This type of gift is popular among the real estate industry, finance industry (banks) as well as the hospitality industry. These budget-friendly gifts are primarily used to thank a client, as a marketing tool, or as favors for a specific event. They are easily customizable to any budget, theme, holiday or occasion. Here are some reasons mini gifts can be a viable choice for your clients: Budget-friendly - Because they are budget-friendly, the client can stretch their budget, order more gifts and “touch” more of their client base. Marketing Tool – Labels, tags and ribbon can be customized with a logo, tagline, and/or contact information, making them a great marketing tool. The client may choose to add their marketing items such as pens, Koozies, magnets, personalized candy bars, etc. making it even more impactful. Relationship Building – What better way for the client to introduce themselves than with a small gift? Not only will the gift help “break the ice,” but their logo and contact information are “packaged” up in a mini gift vs. just handing out a plain old business card, thus making the initial meeting more memorable. Let’s face it, it’s much easier to walk into a client’s or prospective client’s office with a gift in-hand! It’s the perfect reason to go on those much-needed sales calls, gain new business, build a relationship and brighten up someone’s day!

Special Event/Occasion – They make great “giveaways” at special functions or occasions. Personalization is key here. Personalize the item with the event name or date, the client’s name and/or company name, etc. Make the gift memorable for guests and, if possible, make it something that can be used as a keepsake (i.e. personalized wine glasses). They’re Fun! – Holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, St. Patty’s Day, Easter, etc., are perfect times to create treats for handing out! Try creating a garden themed gift using a hand shovel and pair it up with themed seed packets, or fill a patriotic themed mini tote with sunscreen, some fun sunglasses, water and snacks. The possibilities are endless! As we can see, mini gifts can make a big impact in a variety of ways. Need ideas? Ask the client for their input, try Google or Pinterest, or even ask some of your fellow “basketeers!” Now go and have some creative fun!

Design by Eve Viens of Corporate Gifts Boston

Are you stocked up for special diets? As our society becomes more sensitive to others needs, the requests for special diet gifts will continue to rise. Are you proactively offering these gifts? Gluten Free? Keto Friendly? You might be surprised to see that some of the products you're already carrying can fit those special requests. Go through your inventory and see what you have, create a few designs and then market them! Don't forget to add those keywords for SEO purposes!

DESIGN

SMALL BUSINESS GIFTING

Hello fellow Giftpreneurs! I am Virginia Tomic, Owner of The Carolina Company. I moved to Wilmington NC in 2017 and started my gifting and marketing products company. I became disappointed when I realized that there were not many large companies in the area to target for gifting. (Confession #1: I didn’t know at that time I would start the gifting company when looking for a new place to land…note to self.) Since I was not familiar with the area, I threw myself into networking opportunities as much as I could and joined a BNI chapter, The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and local chapter of SHRM or Society of Human Resources. I also went to other networking groups and one on one meetings with people that made sense for me. It was hard to get out of my comfort zone but wanted to be on Debbie Quintana’s list of “kick-ass” students! At first, the networking didn’t seem to be a good investment of my time. But that changed the more I got to know people. (Confession #2: My mother kept saying “You aren’t going to build a business from the couch! LOL) What I have grown to realize through trial and error is that there is a huge need for client and referral thank you gifts for the many service-related companies locally. No other gift company appears to be focused on this market locally. Wilmington is a hot bed for people who move or retire from corporate jobs and start a small business. There are 30.7 million small businesses in the U.S. which account for 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses (SBA, 2019).

There are many free resources for small businesses, so I attended digital marketing courses, ActionCoach seminars and anything that might help my business. Through networking and seeing small business owners more than once, I have hit a nice sweet spot! Some of the best clients I have gotten referrals from include landscaping, roofing, AC/HVAC, kitchen and bath remodeling, massage therapists, film and video and some real estate and mortgage companies.

DESIGN

While I receive some online orders, the area of my business that has grown by 50% in the last year has been the small and start- up sized companies in town. I originally thought that the best sales targets were hotels, weddings venues, tourism related companies—but that isn’t the case yet. I am re-launching my Wilmington NC specific product options soon and will try again to target these areas.

My biggest challenge has been how to handle low cost gifts and generate a profit. (Confession #3: Going on sales calls and bookkeeping are really my biggest challenges☹.) Many of the startups and small business don’t have a huge budget. The upside is that they order every month and have become more of a subscription type customer. They send me the list and I ship them directly to the recipient with a standard handwritten message the client has provided. Our GBA’s own Sharon Kavanaugh Day (who is one creative lady & coincidently a Wilmington, N.C. native! Thank you, Sharon!) stated during a class at the GBA convention that she created $15 pop by gifts for companies because they have resulted in additional business- so I said yes when folks asked! However, … I ran into a few challenges. I had been driving around town delivering these gifts, which of course resulted in zero profit! I thought it would bring me more business so I would “suck it up.” As my business picked up, I needed to find a way to create a better low-cost gift that was quick, impressive and low cost to ship.

After a month of thinking about how to improve this process, I believe I’ve figured out a better option. My new plan has been to make or repackage some of my own items to fit in a small box. Then I had an Aha! moment and remembered using a box in a past life that had a window in it. This would allow me the option of changing (box pictured left) the type of gift from thank you to happy birthday to congrats or employee anniversaries. I created an oversized Thank You card through Canva that could double as a thank you card with envelope or place card in the box as shown.

As I write this article, I am almost finished putting this together hopefully resulting in a perceived value of $25+ dollars, improved efficiency and margin. The total cost of the gift, box and shipping is $12 and it can fit into a large padded envelope. The only trick is that the package must ship USPS 5-day mail to result in a reduced cost. Obviously, you could switch it up if your clients are willing to pay the shipping, courier or you just increase the price to cover it. For more information or details about the box or my experience with small business gifting, feel free to reach out to me at vtomic@thecarolinacompany.com.

For more information or details about the box or my experience with small business gifting, feel free to reach out to me at vtomic@thecarolinacompany.com.

A Designers Dream

SMALL QUANTITIES, FAST SHIPPING, NO MINIMUMS & UNIQUE PRODUCTS WWW.CURATEBYGBA.COM W E ' R E

M A K I N G

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E A S I E R

DESIGN With the popularity of die cutter machines and rise of subscription box services, the world of gifting has expanded beyond gourmet food and drinks. Gifting with clothing like the above gift brings another level of personalization and diversity to your gifting services. As with all gift design, your products must be well thought out with careful consideration of your target audience. Shirt sizes, type, and brand name are key details that contribute to the success of a thriving clothing gift box.

Having an Effective Client Acquisition Strategy

BUSINESS

Filling the Pipeline:

We've all heard about making sure your sales pipeline stays full, but that is easier said than done. Regardless of your business size or where your business is located (home or brick and mortar), the overall goal is to consistently grow by gaining new clients through referrals of current clients or prospect conversions. Client acquisition is a process used to attract new clients to your company. Client acquisition involves three parts: 1. Gaining awareness of your company 2. Considering your company over your competitors 3. Deciding to become a customer So how do you lead a prospective customer through the stages? We know that gifting is something everyone does but is everyone your client? We also know that our gifts are solutions to many companies' and individuals' pain points. When deciding who we want to do business with, we have to be strategic. Now that we are clear on who we want to target as customers, it's time to put your strategy into action.Below are ways to help you seek out your ideal audience. Go Where They Are Test, Taste and See

A great way to engage with your target audience is to invite them to try your product or service. Sampling products such as a new cookie you are offering in your gifts or getting their opinion about a fresh candle scent. Getting their feedback or input can also help you with marketing.

You know who your ideal client is, now you need to know where to find them. If you know you want to market to realtors, find where the realtors hang out, both virtually and in person. Get involved and contribute in their settings. Allow them to see the need for your services. Finding your target audience hangouts used to be a daunting task, but today with platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Meetup, it's a breeze.

BUSINESS

Create Content Get people talking about your articles, blog posts, and newsletters. I firmly believe this is the most effective form of client acquisition. Not only is creating content effective, but it's also inexpensive. Just a side note, you don't always have to write about your products or service, and it's best you don't. For example, you can write about Ten Heartfelt Ways to Ask Your Girlfriends To Be In Your Wedding. This topic is timely and relevant and will be a big hit since the wedding season is upon us.

SEO Make sure to look at your website analytics and study how your content is ranking, what keywords are being searched to locate you. This will give you an idea of what people are looking for and will help you give them what they want. Google Analytics is an excellent tool for this.

Be More Social Marketing through social media, no matter if it's organically or paid, is beneficial if done right. This is a great way to build brand awareness and sharing content (blogs and videos) without breaking the marketing budget. Social media is meant for two way communication, so always learn from your audience and offer solutions when possible. Come up with a plan to post consistently and engage with those you follow.

Email Marketing Unlike social media, email marketing provides a link through their inbox, but there is no guarantee they will open it. To make email marketing more inviting, try segmenting your list. Create interactive emails and contests to help engage the receivers.

Client acquisition is an experimental process. Like anything else in your business, the process has to be tweaked to fit your business and your overall goals. Always use your resources wisely, and know your numbers.

Create Gift Experiences

MARKETING Does Your Photography Capture Your Client? Our industry is one of the most visual out

Take things out of the container to

there. People don't read our descriptions

show them off.

they view our photos. Are you photos on

Tell the story of the gift by naming it

point? Do they scream "buy me"? Here

properly. Instead of "gourmet gift"

are some tips for creating compelling

consider "A Charcuterie Kit".

photos.

Remove the background to make your photo stand out.

Show the product in use.

Change the angle of your shot if you're

Raise the saturation slightly to bring out

getting too much glare.

brighter colors vs. using brightness.

Take photos at table height, not your

Use coordinating colors.

height.

Meet Sharon Kavanaugh Day Owner/Designer - Express Yourself Gifts, Area Director - BNI Massachusetts & GBA Coach

Tell Us How and When You Started Your Company. I started my company on November 5, 1995 after a bizarre string of events that occurred after I joined a networking group, representing my newly formed Marketing and PR Company! After providing a gift basket as a door prize at one of these meetings, I started receiving referrals from companies in the group for gifts. At that time, I had only made gifts as a hobby when I needed to give someone a gift. I was surprised that I was asked to create gifts, but being a creative person who likes a good challenge, I started to fill those orders. Within a couple of months, I was asked to bid on a gift basket job, by one of my fellow network members that badly wanted to do business with this large bank. The specifications for this job were clear, so I followed the specs and put together a gift, drove it to the bank headquarters in downtown Boston and never gave another thought to actually winning this bid. It turns out that I did win the bid to create 1,000, $30 gifts for the bank to send to accountants all over the state prior to tax day!!! That was my entry into this industry, before I was an actual gift business…..a trial by fire, for sure!!! After successfully completing that job and receiving the payment of $30,000.00, I immediately concluded some market research and changed the focus of my Marketing/PR Company, changed the name from Creative Solutions to Express Yourself Gifts and Baskets and the rest is now a 25 year history!

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it? There have been many challenges through the years, but the first threatening challenge came during the real estate and financial market meltdown in 2008. Much of my business was with realtors, mortgage companies, financial planners and banks. I did some quick research into up and coming industries, realizing that if I didn't quickly replace this lost business, that my company would not survive. I uncovered a new surge into the senior living market, and immediately developed a plan, a line of gifts and started to market to these facilities and communities that were literally springing up in every town. Within a year, I had replaced the lost business and vowed to never again put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. Ever since, I have tried to diversify my corporate client base over many industries to minimize any downturns within any one of them.

What are you most proud of in your business? I am proud that I have continued to grow each year while managing the stresses of being a business owner and overcoming fears of taking on overhead by leasing a storefront in 2000, a larger storefront in 2006 and opening a second location in a neighboring state in 2017.

What is your recommendation to others who are starting out? What advice would you give your younger self? Wow, that is a loaded question! I guess the things that have always paid off for me in building this business were:

doing my homework and research. following my gut instinct. making thoughtful decisions not hasty ones. being cautious with spending and inventory, a practice I follow to this day.

20+

Rosemarie Bohinek

Patrice DeHaven

Years of Service

Harolene "Lee" Chopyak

LeAnn FanningMedard

Sharon Kavanaugh Day

Lise Schleicher

GIFT BOX DESIGN BY LEANN FANNING-MEDARD

MAXIMIZING YOUR BOX SPACE WITH CREATIVE PACKAGING

Meet Amy Hinden Brittle Re-Imagined. Handmade. Simplest of Pleasures.

Why and when did you start your company? My family started making brittle about 25 years ago as a holiday tradition. People would always rave about the “buttery brittle that isn’t too hard,” and it wasn’t long before we knew we were onto something special. Unsolicited orders began pouring in from friends and strangers and that’s when I decided to make the candy available to everyone and create an official business.

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it? The biggest challenge is growing pains. Living on a small town on the coast of California has made it difficult to find affordable kitchen space. Fortunately I was able to find a commercial kitchen that I share with other tenants. I also hold a home kitchen license which allows me to fill small local orders.

What are you most proud of in your business?

Each batch of brittle is handcrafted by me with non-gmo sugar, nuts and butter. It’s important to me to offer a fresh product without the use of preservatives or fillers. Shelf life is shorter than mass produced goods but I believe quality is more important than quantity. I’ve found a loyal following among food and wine enthusiasts who really value where their food comes from and that means a lot to me.

What is your recommendation to others who are starting out? What advice would you give your younger self?

I would say just go for it. If you sit around wondering about all the what ifs you will give yourself paralysis of analysis. I’ve found that as soon as you take step one, step two will become clear and so on. As far as advice to my younger self I would say to get help before you think you need it! I’ve found myself in survival mode too many times where I’ve had to work all night for weeks to fill orders and am too busy to train someone. This will the first year I’m going to take my own advice on that!

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. PUSH YOUR LIMITS, EXPERIENCE LIFE, CONQUER YOUR GOALS, AND BE HAPPY.

Would you miss learning from these peers?

Us either. Get your ticket to the NGBC!

www.ngbcaz.com