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It’s a question I asked myself early on in BIBLIOnomics’ journey and have spent the past couple of years trying to crack the code on business gifting.
Over and over, books prove to be one of the strongest contenders.
So here's five things that seem to matter most, stuff we keep seeing work when we're out there with clients or putting together campaigns. I'll run through them quickly first, then dig in.
Pretty straightforward. You're a financial advisor? Don't give investment books. Work in advertising? Skip the marketing titles. All you're doing is telling them what they already know about you. There's no surprise, no added value on the relationship side.
But you can work around the edges of what you do. That same financial advisor could give a book about teaching kids about money, or something on legacy planning that touches on values. It connects to their work but opens up the conversation.
This one's trickier. I've got this colleague from Newcastle who moved to North America. He's received like five books about Newcastle from different people over the years. Everyone thinks they're being thoughtful, showing they remember where he's from. But it falls flat.
There’s nothing wrong with Newcastle. It's just lazy gifting. Like handing someone a mirror when they wanted a window.
The better approach is to give them something you actually care about. Or pick something that might create a new connection and a conversation. Not something that’s a reflection of what you think you already know about them.
This is huge for us. It goes back to my days in local media, really, and it’s the core thesis for our tech, our campaigns, and the work we do with our clients.
Small businesses beat big ones when they can connect locally. Be specific about where they are. Books are perfect for this. A decent book by a local author often hits harder than a bestseller from somewhere else.
It doesn't have to be where you are right now, either. Could be heritage stuff, or just geography as identity. I know a British lawyer in BC who loved getting "Brit Happens" by James Mullinger, a British comedian who is based in Atlantic Canada. When that kind of connection works, it feels incredibly personal and true.
This surprised us. Most people giving books don't expect them to get passed along. But when we started asking recipients what they actually did with the books, it turns out re-gifting is huge.
One wealth manager in Halifax figured this out. His clients are mostly older, have kids and grandkids. So instead of just thinking about what the client wants, we help him pick books their family would love. The client gets excited about passing it along, becoming the gift-giver themselves. Really reflects well on the advisor.
Kids' books are great for this. Think about a grandparent being able to give their grandchild a beautiful book that originally came from you. That's a good memory right there.
Probably the biggest one, and hardest to pull off without some tech behind it. When you give someone a selection of books, maybe 12 good options, the whole thing changes.
First, it just feels better. Picking books is emotional, often spur-of-the-moment, and reactive. Something like 40% of book purchases happen when people don't have a specific title in mind. So when they get to choose from a curated set, they're not just getting a gift. They're getting the fun of choosing something that fits them.
Plus you learn something. What they pick tells you what they value. That's useful for the relationship.
The act of choosing a book makes the recipient appreciate the book more. The 11 books they don't pick just disappear. The one they picked feels like it was made just for them, even though it came from a list.
Books work because they're personal without being pushy, memorable without being flashy, and they create connections that outlast the business transaction. In a world where everyone's fighting for attention, sometimes the quiet gesture is the one that actually gets heard. I’ll keep sharing any new insights we uncover along the way.
