1 Consider The Usefulness And Durability Of The Item – The purpose of giving away business gifts is longer brand recall. The idea is that you want the person receiving it to remember you and your company for a long time.

With that in mind, you should consider gifting something that the individual is likely to use on a regular basis so they will think of you every time they use it. The item should also be durable so that the person will think of you for a longer time. Something that breaks easily will just get thrown out and will not serve this purpose.

2 Buy The Best Quality You Can Afford – Don’t just choose the cheapest item you can find. The promotional gift you send will reflect on the image of your company and items of poor quality can damage your image. Even if you are on a tight budget you can find smaller items of good quality that you can use as your business gifts. I would advise you to first determine your budget and then look for quality items that fit within your budget.

3 Identify Your Clients’ Needs – I know this can be challenging. Considering that you will have several clients, it can often be impossible to know all of them on a personal basis.

The best way to do this is to consider the demographics of your average customers. Taking into consideration the average age group and whether they are mostly male or female. Also take into consideration the cultural differences.

Different countries and cultures have their own etiquette for buying and giving corporate gifts. Better not to give a gift rather than give something that will hurt a potential client’s sentiments.

4 Spend on the Packaging Too – Packaging the gift is as important as choosing the right gift and it is worth spending on it. The packaging you choose will make that all important first impression. When you are budgeting for gifts, keep the packaging in mind too.

Source: http://www.promotionalgiftsguide.com/corporate-promotional-gifts.html