PFL’s 12 Tips of Holiday Gifting for Marketers

Happy Holidays!  Now you might be thinking, “Really? A holiday greeting a week before Halloween?” Believe it or not, now is the time to get your holiday strategy in place, and we have the tips and tricks to make your planning painless.  

If you want to be properly prepared for the upcoming season and make lasting impressions with your customers, not only should you start now, but you should read on and join PFL—and our 25+ years of experience—for our 12 Tips of Holiday Gifting! 

Tip #1: Use packaging that is sustainably made and fully recyclable.

The public, and your customers, are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of holiday waste. When possible, try to use packaging that is made with post-consumer waste. (Post-consumer waste is produced by the end consumer, quite commonly the waste that individuals routinely discard, either in a waste receptacle or a dump.)

Recycling one ton of corrugate saves 7,000 tons of water and one ton of recycled cardboard reduces nine yards of landfill space!  At PFL, our paper and corrugate are made with 50 percent post-consumer waste materials and are 100 percent recyclable. And, for every tree that’s used, we’ll plant one! 

Tip #2: Give yourself a much-needed break and let PFL handle the curation, design, and execution of holiday gifting.

Avoid the panic and stress of procrastinated gift giving and let PFL do your heavy lifting this season. We make it easy with curated catalogs, holiday design templates, preferred address capture, and ready-to-map personalization templates. 

Tip #3: Select organic and sustainably made products.

Poorly made plastic swag is quite dated here in the ’20s. It rarely looks good, never lasts long, and will probably just end up in a mountain of waste.

Products made from sustainable materials are generally more durable and can be reused often. This reduces the impact on the environment by reducing carbon emissions, conserving raw materials, and by just keeping more junk out of landfills.

Tip #4: Show your elves (er, employees) some love with a thoughtful gift.

With all the holiday focus on customers and prospects, it’s easy to forget all those hard workers within the company that could use a little recognition during this stressful time. Think about sending out a little something to spread the joy internally.

Tip #5: Send gifts from brands that give back.

Make sure your vendors and partners are taking the initiative to give back and that you are sending products that are aligned with your company’s sustainability mission and values. Staying true to sustainable practices is not only good for the environment, but it also makes customers, prospects, and employees alike proud to be associated with your brand. 

Here at PFL, we are Print ReLeaf certified, which allows us to offset our paper consumption by planting trees for forest restoration. We measure our consumption and can see how many trees we’ve planted and also support products made by responsible companies.  

Tip #6: Use your budget wisely by tiering your gift spend based on relationship.
Tier your gift spend based on where your buyer is in their journey and their total lifetime value. Long-time VIP customers or named accounts might be worth a higher-end gift, while lower-value accounts or top-of-funnel prospects will still appreciate and enjoy a holiday surprise.

Tip #7: Curate gifts that spark joy and build brand affinity.

Joy. It’s what the holiday season is all about. Sure, a gift card or e-gift card has value, but will it really light up someone’s day or create a memory? Give a gift that won’t be forgotten. It starts with presenting your holiday moment with a personalized and branded unboxing experience.

You won’t sacrifice name recognition if the unboxing of your gift is impressive and fun. And that’s exactly what we at PFL specialize in. Present your holiday moment with a personalized and branded unboxing experience. Since we can produce branded boxes in-house, even tight timelines work. Let us worry about the logistics and fulfillment.

Tip #8: Know the address Santa should visit this holiday season.

What’s remarkable about sending direct mail to the right contact at the wrong address? Nothing. Remarkable moments happen when strategy meets intentionality.  

Take advantage of PFL’s “Preferred Address Capture” solution for address confirmation and skip the stress of an incorrectly delivered package, while also reducing unnecessary waste and saving some of your marketing budget. You can be more accurate with your sends and focus on engagement.

Tip #9: Don’t just reserve gifting for the holidays. Use intent-data to send authentic and relevant direct mail all year long.

Think about orchestrating the digital and physical to create more authentic human experiences at scale, bridging the gap between physical and digital engagement all year long.  

According to a recent report by Forrester, 80% of marketers recognize that the pandemic has increased their reliance on digital touchpoints, while at the same time; 76% agree that engagement with digital tactics is dropping. So, what’s a marketer to do? Easy. Personalized, targeted, and orchestrated direct mail experiences will help you overcome digital fatigue and forge deeper customer engagement.

Tip #10: Measure holiday gift impact—whether to close a deal, re-engage prospects or customers, or increase loyalty. 

Of course, it’s a nice gesture to reach out and thank your customers or prospects this holiday season, but don’t forget to check the data! By utilizing PFL’s integrated platform you can measure pipeline, track MQLs, and see what, exactly, is driving your new revenue or new meetings booked.

You can also see how your customers engagement is doing, do recipients have an up-tick in using the product 30 days after receipt of gift? Are recipients more likely to book and/or attend a meeting with their rep 30 days after receipt? Dive into the data and send smartly this year.

Tip #11: If your budget is tight, a personalized note in the mail can still make a big impact.  

While everybody likes a gift, it really is often “the thought that counts.” Remembering a customer or prospect in this simplest of ways goes a long way. The key here is making it truly personal; a canned [YOUR NAME HERE] message won’t cut it. Consider sending a personalized handwritten holiday card and warm the hearts of your recipients this winter.  

Tip #12: Let your recipients know the gift they are receiving is sustainable and why.  

Lastly, while the note accompanying your gift should share your appreciation for your customers and prospects, you can also highlight that you’ve chosen a sustainable gift with them in mind. Explain to them the benefits of your gifts, your sustainable business practices, and how you’re doing what you can to limit waste. 

If finding and sourcing your own green gifts and packaging is a bit too intensive this late into the holiday season, join PFL with our Print ReLeaf certification, to let your customers discover how serious you are about sustainability and giving back.

Check out some wonderful holiday ideas in our Holiday Lookbook and contact at inquire@pfl.com to get started on your plan for sparking joy and peace of mind this holiday season.