staples make moreThis post is sponsored by Staples. They are a great tech destination and have exclusive products for small business owners to give as gifts. Their goal is to make the holiday less stressful and provide more savings.

This is a very stressful time of year for small business owners. It is not the typical “how to hit the sales target this month” pressure or the “how to meet payroll this week” nightmare”. It’s actually about what type of gift to give customers that will reflect the company’s brand. The best ones are anything that they would never buy for themselves.

To reduce the stress, here are my top gifts for small business owners to give this holiday season:

Promotional products with your company logo. Giving something that the customer will use every day can serve as a great marketing reminder. The trick is to give something that will be used and not thrown in the trash. My top suggestions include:

Bluetooth Keyboard for tablets.  Everyone needs one, but can never justify buying it. They will thank you for making their fingers more comfortable.

Charge-It-Up Power Pack for smartphonesBatteries never last long enough. Let the customer think of you when their phone battery dies and this device easily recharges their phone.

Jabba Bluetooth Speaker. Great small speaker for every customer to keep in their office. This will always add a smile to their face.

 The key to getting other kinds of gifts is not how much you spend, but how thoughtful the gift was for that customer. Here are other specific suggestions:

Custom Phone Skins. It is impossible for anyone to buy a customer a case for their phone. But with this gift, they design their own! Go bigger and give a skin for their lap top.

Monster Brew Mini Beer Making Kit  For the right customer, this will be a fun experience to share with them and sure to be talked about for years to come.

Food. This is always a popular alternative to share although it has a limited shelf life. I give food towers like Lindor Chocolate Truffles since they look big when they come into the office and get noticed. Everyone also likes to open up multiple gift boxes.

Paper. One of my favorite gifts of all time I received from a vendor was a case of paper! It was something my office could always use. The vendor stuck their logo on each ream of paper to remind me at every printer refill.

What are you giving this holiday season to your customers?