The Freelance Client Gift Guide

You probably already have a long list of people to buy for. And as a business owner, you have another list of people to buy for – your clients!

Approaching the idea of giving gifts to your clients can be a daunting one.

What’s appropriate? Who do you buy for? Is this going to crush your Christmas budget?

Never fear, dear freelancers. We’re in this together.

The Freelance Client Gift Guide

Cards

Paperless Post

With Paperless Post you can send beautifully designed holiday cards… without the paper. Select from a range of cards, include your message, add a photo to customize it, and send via email. The cards are animated, so the experience is better than just sending an image attachment in an email.

What I love about Paperless Post is the designs. They’ve partnered with designers and brands for really unique cards (Rifle Paper Co is my favourite!).

You can also get your cards printed if you want to send physical holiday cards!

Paperless Post is so easy to use, and you don’t have to worry about finding addresses for all of your clients. (And it’s great if you’ve left your holiday gifts to the last minute!)

(Note – Paperless Post provided The Freelance Hustle with free coins to try out their service for free and share my thoughts with you)

 

Boxes

Greetabl – Greetabl is fantastic for sending a small, thoughtful, and cute gift to any client.

You choose a small gift – like candles, candy, pins, or teas. Most items are under $10. Next, choose your box design from the selection of patterns. Finally, you can customize it with pictures and a personal message. This is a great option for a small gift.

Box Fox – Box Fox makes beautifully curated gift boxed to send to your favorite clients. You can choose from their pre-curated items, or build your own box with items like candles, matches, face masks, cocktail kits, books, and more.

Sweets

Sugarfina – Sugarfina allows you to create a customized candy bento style box. Choose from their gourmet candies from all over the world – like skinny margarita candies, Parisian pineapples, and maple bourbon caramels.

Sweeter Cards – Like sending a greeting card, only sweeter. These chocolate bars have a wrapper designed like a greeting card, so it’s a card and gift in one!

Handmade

If you’re a great baker or really crafty, go the handmade route. A client would be delighted to open a box of homemade cookies or a cute mason jar hot chocolate mix. Making something yourself can save you some cash, and is appreciated much more than a generic box of chocolates. Sending a handmade holiday card is a great way to add a personal touch, too.

If you’re not the crafty type yourself (or you don’t have time to make handmade gifts) consider hitting up a craft market in your area. Do a quick search in Facebook for events in your area. Or check out Etsy’s holiday gift guides to pick up something unique.

 

Gift Cards

I know gift cards feel impersonal, but let’s be honest… getting gift cards is awesome! Especially when it’s for something useful to them.

If you know your client goes to Starbucks every afternoon for a latte and a cookie, a gift card would absolutely put a smile on her face. 

Another great option is to get a gift card for a local service like a spa service.

You can even get gift cards for things to make your busy client’s life easier, like a gift card to TaskRabbit or Good Food/Hello Fresh.

Books

Who doesn’t love getting a good book for Christmas? Get your client something from this list of books for freelancers and entrepreneurs.

 

Who Should You Buy For?

If you have worked with a lot of clients over the past year (or years), it might not be reasonable to send every one of them a gift. It would break the bank! So how do you choose who to buy for?

• You’re currently working on a project with them? They get a gift!
• They’re a long term client and you work with them on a monthly retainer? They get a gift!
• They send a ton of business your way through referrals? They get a gift!
• You’ve maintained close contact with a past client that you want to work with again? They get a gift!

How Much Should You Spend?

The amount of money you want to spend on your client gifts is completely up to you – there are no rules. You also don’t have to spend the same amount of money on each client. You may spend more money on a client you’re on retainer with than someone you did one small project with. But just because they’ve spent more money with you, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend more money on them. It’s really the thought that counts here.

Decide on your total holiday client gift budget. When thinking about the number remember the cards, the gift wrap, and the postage. Now take the list of clients you have decided to buy gifts for and split your budget up among them as you see fit.

How much you spend is not the most important part of sending clients a holiday gift. As with most gifts, it should be a symbol of your appreciation for that person. Have fun with it, make it personal, and don’t stress. Your past and present clients will appreciate the gesture and remember it when they need to hire someone again!

 

Are you buying gifts for your clients this holiday season?

• 

•