How Strategic Gifting Is Revolutionizing Customer Engagement

Standing out in a crowded marketplace requires more than just innovative products and competitive pricing. It demands a personal touch, a way to genuinely connect with customers and prospects.

Kris Rudeegraap, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Sendoso, is leading the charge in redefining customer engagement through gifting and direct mail strategies. With his decade-long experience in sales and business development, Kris has built a platform that turns gifting into a strategic tool for companies looking to drive results across the entire customer lifecycle.

Today, we explore how businesses can leverage gifting to rethink customer engagement.

‍

Identify Key Use Cases

One of Sendoso's biggest breakthroughs came from listening to customers and discovering the variety of ways gifting could be used. As Kris notes, he initially thought this was just for prospecting. But soon, he noticed gifting drives and conversions, renewals, and even survey responses. Some high-impact use cases include:

• Prospecting: Use gifts to stand out in a crowded inbox. For example, hearing a prospect's dog bark during a call and sending a dog toy can create a memorable connection.
• Events: Drive attendance to webinars or conferences with pre-event swag or post-event thank-you gifts.
• Customer Retention: Celebrate milestones with personalized gifts that show customers you value their loyalty.
• Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Use gifting to engage buying committees and expand influence within target accounts.

‍

Educate Your Team and Customers

Kris highlights the importance of education when introducing gifting. You can't just say, "Switch to Sendoso and start order-taking." You have to educate on what gifting means and why it's valuable.

Start by training your team:

• Sales Teams: Teach SDRs and AEs how to use gifting as part of their outbound strategy.
• Marketing Teams: Showcase how gifting can enhance campaigns, improve event ROI, and drive content engagement.
• Customer Success Teams: Equip them with ideas for renewal gifts, onboarding kits, and appreciation tokens.

Educating your customers is equally important. Help them understand how gifting works, the ROI it delivers, and the creative ways it can be implemented.

‍

Leverage Technology for Scale and Personalization

Scaling a gifting program manually can be a logistical nightmare. That's where platforms like Sendoso come in. Kris built Sendoso to address the pain points he faced, such as packing boxes after hours, tracking shipping, and justifying expense reports for gifts.

Key features to look for in a gifting platform:

• Automation: Trigger gifts based on specific actions, such as attending a webinar or completing a purchase.
• Personalization: Use integrations to send hyper-personalized gifts, like an Amazon-sourced New York Yankees beanie for a prospect in New York.
• Analytics: Track the success of your gifting and measure ROI.

Technology allows you to move beyond one-off campaigns to an evergreen strategy that consistently delights customers.

‍

Get Creative with Your Campaigns

The most successful gifting programs are those that think outside the box. Kris shares examples like Gong's Project Piñata, which influenced $30 million in the pipeline, and Gainsight's book-sending campaign, which drove $6 million in the outbound pipeline.

When designing your campaigns, consider the following:

• Hyper-Personalized Gifts: Tailor gifts to the recipient's interests or location.
• Smart Send Features: Use tools that recommend gifts based on email addresses or personas.
• Multi-Touch Campaigns: Combine gifting with other outreach methods, such as email or social media.

‍

Measure and Refine Your Strategy

Like any marketing or sales initiative, gifting requires regular analysis and optimization. Kris advises setting up processes to measure the impact of your campaigns:

• Track Metrics: Monitor response rates, meeting bookings, and pipeline influenced by gifting.
• Gather Feedback: Talk to your customers and prospects about what gifts resonated with them.
• Iterate: Use data to refine your approach, experimenting with different gifts, timing, and messaging.

Continuous improvement ensures that your gifting strategy remains effective and aligned with your business goals.

‍‍

Think Long-Term and Build Relationships

While gifting can deliver quick wins, its true power lies in building long-term relationships.

Tips for fostering lasting connections?

• Stay Consistent: Use gifting to maintain regular touchpoints with your audience.
• Be Genuine: Choose thoughtful gifts that reflect your brand values and show genuine appreciation.
• Engage Beyond Gifting: Pair gifts with meaningful interactions, like personalized emails or follow-up calls.

‍

Customer engagement is evolving, and businesses must adapt to keep pace. When done thoughtfully and strategically, gifting can be a game-changer for driving results and building lasting relationships.

Whether you're a startup looking to stand out or an established company aiming to deepen customer loyalty, gifting offers endless possibilities. So why not take the first step? Explore how gifting can transform your engagement strategy and unlock new levels of success.

Now that you know how personalized gifting might skyrocket your sales numbers, discover the full list of episodes at The B2B Revenue Executive Experience. If you enjoy the show, instructions to rate and review it are found here.

‍