One of the easiest ways to step up your “biz game” isn’t something you would immediately think of…

Advertising? No.

Marketing? Nope.

SEO? Not even close.

I’m talking about going back to the basics.

Back to the core of what your business is all about but gets overshadowed because you assume it isn’t an effective strategy to come across as the professional that you are.

I’m talking about building trust with your clients.

One of the best ways of doing that is by showering your clients with attention to show them that you genuinely care about them and don’t simply view them as a bunch of dollar signs.

Well, that’s great, grand and wonderful, Lauren, but I hardly have time to shower, let alone dote on every single client. And that, my friend, is where you are wrong!

ENTER STAGE LEFT —> THE NEW CLIENT WELCOME PACKAGE.

Creative Client Gifts

Don’t start with the eye rolls just yet. Hear me out. 🙄

Maybe you’ve thought of doing this before but couldn’t figure out what to send your couples, or it is something you’ve tried in the past and din’t think amounted to a hill of beans. Of course there’s the chance that you may be correct, BUT if I had to guess, you just weren’t going about it the correct way that aligned with your business.

If strategically timed and thought out, not only can a welcome gift build trust with your clients, but it can serve as promotional material on social media, will set you apart from the competition, AND it can take care of having to repeatedly cover the basic information you tell each and every new client. Now if you don’t view that as a win — you probably resemble Robert on Season 8 of Shark Tank. Well. Any season really…

Before you start thinking of all the reasons you can’t, shouldn’t, don’t want to, a welcome gift doesn’t have to be all kinds of complicated or intricate. (I immediately thought of a macrame plant hanger I once a attempted to make… let’s just say that the B-bag won).

Anywho! When I would send something to my planning clients, it took me all of 15 minutes to assemble, package up, wrap, and prep for USPS.

I never went crazy - I always sent things that were in alignment with my business so it remained authentic to my brand. If I wouldn’t want to receive a soy candle or ANOTHER bar of soap to keep my closet smelling nicely while it sat in storage for the next 23 years, I didn’t sent it.

In the beginning of my wedding planning business, I started small in my gift-giving. As the biz grew, so did every other aspect including my gifts. So enough small talk and let me shed a little light on some examples of what YOU can send to your peeps! Shall we?

Let’s start small.

Client Welcome Gifts

(From Inexpensive to VIP Status)

1. A simple handwritten thank you card. --> $2 or so for card and stamp

Take a second to think back to when you received a HANDwritten card for something you did for someone. Not a birthday card. A genuine, “Hey, thanks for _____.” A year? Two? Well that tells me 2 things: A. You need to start hanging out with people who appreciate you more. OR B. You need to start doing more nice things!

2. Thank you card and welcome guide. --> $15 or so for guide, card, and postage

3. Thank you card, welcome guide, gifts. --> starting at $25 or so for items and postage

4. Thank you card, welcome guide, gifts, gift card. --> Looking at around $50+

5. Pay someone to do it for you. --> $$$

Make sure you listen to your client about their interests and DO NOT forget that in order to be a “couple” there is another person in the relationship! (The first package I ever sent out, I got a text from the bride saying thank you so much!!!! and then 3 minutes later a text from the groom saying sooooo… are you saying I should paint my nails? LOL!) 🤷🏻‍♀️

Different Items you could Include in Your New Client Gifts

Handwritten card
Chocolate/Favorite candy for BOTH people
Vow notebooks
Bling wipes
Ring dishes I would purchase these on Amazon, cut my own decal on my Silhouette Cameo
Welcome guide!! --> I've teamed up with my friend, Rose, over at Bittersweet Design Boutique to offer you 20% OFF your entire purchase when you use the code WEDDINGBOSSLIFE
Gift card to dinner and a movie
If a destination, something from your state (i.e. I live in NH so I would include things like maple syrup, maple candy…)
Magnet
Branded coffee mug Again, I would purchase these on Amazon or at the Dollar Store and cut my own decal on my Silhouette Cameo
Champagne infused gummy bears Buy some champagne, dump the gummy bears into a bowl with a lid, pour champagne on top, cover with lid, let sit overnight in refrigerator and then package in these adorable containers
Bridal tote bag Once again, that Silhouette Cameo has come in handy! If you don’t own a heat press, just use an iron!
Bride/Wifey t-shirt - Head to Michael’s or your nearest local craft store and buy a range of T-shirt sizes at $2 a pop, throw some vinyl on from your Silhouette Cameo (this thing deserves to sleep in your bed every night at this point…), and you’ve just saved yourself $15 vs. buying it on Etsy!
Nail polish
Days until the wedding sign
Pashmina scarf
Starbucks gift card with a coffee charm

You can always hop on Etsy and find individual items to purchase, but I found that I managed to save over $450 by purchasing the items in bulk and making myself with my Silhouette Cameo.

A key to a well-thought out welcome package is in the packaging!! Don’t underestimate the importance of a first impression.

Branded Packaging

You can hop on over to Design Aglow, Amazon, or even Zazzle to score some seriously adorbs packaging materials!

Another idea for you is to send out an inexpensive initial gift including the welcome guide, a note, and a trinket or two, and then 2 months beforehand send a card with date night gift cards.

THIS is how you begin to work your referral system strategy. You are planting the seeds that you are the BOMB.COM and ALL of their friends deserve to be pampered like this!

If you are like me and SUCK with coming up with the perfect wording for things (THANK GOODNESS for email templates!!!!), I’ve included what I use as a guideline for my thank you cards!

Thank You Card Outline

Hi __________!

I wanted to send you both a small thank you for joining the LDCBride family and trusting me to help you plan such an important and special day in your lives! From the bath salts to the chocolate (sorry _____, that’s about as manly as this welcome package gets LOL!), I’m sure you will find a use for everything in here! The most important thing to remember over the course of the next year is don’t forget to enjoy the little moments and small wins during the planning process! It will be over before you know it!

#LDCBrideSwagBag @ldcweddings

Save some serious $$$

If you are thinking to yourself, who has the time to do all this?! Online shopping is going to be your BFF when it comes to putting together your client welcome packages. Now, let me fill you in on an even better secret.

Ebates.

Ebates literally GIVES you cash back when you shop online. Yes, you read that correctly. All you have to do is shop through Ebates at your favorite stores (or just install the plugin to tell you when you can get $$ back when you are already checking out of Target or Nordstrom). Then you score a check or Paypal payment at the end of every pay period. Oh, and if that wasn't reason enough to use it, both the app and Ebates website clue you in on 100's of retail coupon codes to use during checkout.