Dating back nearly 100 years, the use of gift certificates or gift vouchers is not only a great gift and giveaway but also an excellent marketing tool. According to The UK Gift Card & Voucher Association, the very first gift voucher was issued in 1932 by The Book Token making it one of the oldest marketing tools around. Gift certificates have the potential to create sales and attract new customers, by encouraging more spend and building brand awareness.
But it is not as easy as just printing a bunch of gift cards and hoping that your customers will use/buy them. You need to have a promotional strategy that includes looking closely at timing and placement. According to SVM Global, the best time to market your gift vouchers or certificates is at specific times of the year when people are looking for gifts. Whether it’s a gift certificate for purchasing over a certain amount on Black Friday or VIP gift vouchers for loyal customers over Christmas, make sure your business takes full advantage of these times of the year. When it comes to placement, Square Up recommends placing them everywhere. Make sure people don’t miss them when on your website and in your store by placing them at the register of your store or having a pop up on your website.
With all your time spent on figuring out when and where to promote your gift certificates, you might not have the time to design vouchers. To make your life so much simpler, we’ve added free gift certificate templates to our Gift Certificate Maker. To help you make the best decision for your brand, here are our eight most popular gift certificates.
Pretty In Pink Gift Certificate
Using a pink blooming background truly makes the gift card stand out from the rest. The bright background is beautifully contrasted by the bold black fonts on a pure white overlay (which can be changed to any other color). Perfect for a flower shop, beauty spa, or bakery, this gift certificate has space for personal message which can be modified for special occasions like Mother’s Day, Christmas and birthdays.
Bright & Bold Gift Certificate
This playful, brightly colored gift certificate is perfect for toy stores or kids clothing stores. Alternatively, you could personalize them in a fun way and add them to gift bags at baby showers, kids birthday parties, and gender reveal parties. Even though the colors cannot be changed, the baby blue and pink compliment each other as well as the bold white font. The gift certificate leaves plenty of space to add additional details like whom it is to and from, when it expires and any other fine print.
Writing On The Wall Gift Certificate
No matter what kind of business you run, if you’re looking for something simple yet modern, choose this gift certificate. With a photographed background of a white wall, all the black and grey fonts genuinely pop. There is plenty of place for personalization as you can change the font color, type, and what it reads. You can also remove or replace elements like the promo code, address at the bottom and the ‘hey beautiful’ on the top.
Gift certificates have the potential to create sales and attract new customers, by encouraging more spend and building brand awareness.
Ocean Aerial Gift Certificate
The beautiful aerial shot of the ocean waves breaking on a white sandy beach oozes luxury, rest and relaxation, making it perfect for vacation rental company, beach club, or travel agent. Even though this gift certificate does not give you the option to add a monetary value, it does allows you to give your customers a discount (25% off), a giveaway (a day trip in the area) or a free offer (free entry). For the receivers benefit and the company’s self-promotion, there is plenty of space to add your business contact information at the bottom of the certificate.
Floral Gift Certificate
Whether a florist or a wedding coordinator, this illustrated floral gift certificate work exceptionally well for your business. Alternatively, it would be a great gift certificate to use as a birthday, bridal shower, or Mother’s Day gift. Unfortunately, there is no space to add company details, but you could simply attach your business card to the voucher.
Winter Wonder Gift Certificate
With an illustrated rabbit and fox in winter attire, this gift certificate absolutely adorable. Whether you use it during the festive season or as a winter giveaway, it is an excellent way to drive customers to your business during the low season. This will work well for beachside restaurants, swimwear stores, and other seasonal businesses who need a spike in sales during the colder months.
Modern Simplicity Gift Certificate
There’s nothing that says simple, modern, and oh-so-stylish than this beautiful black and white gift certificate. Less is definitely more with this plain white background with the bold black font and clean and clear copy. Whether a suit hire company to editing service, this sleek voucher works well with any business.
Serenity Gift Certificate
If you are looking for a gift certificate where you can add a bit more about the voucher or your business, opt for this beautiful gift certificate. Made up of a selection of serene photographs, this gift certificate is perfect for spas, florists, boutique hotel, coffee shops or retreats. If you prefer to use your own stunning photos, you can upload them using our online editor. You’ll also have plenty of space to add additional copy as well as your company logo and details.
Now that you've seen our favorites, its time to pick your own. All you need to do is pick a pre-made template, add your information and print it in the comfort of your own home. You’ll have the complete creative freedom to modify certain elements of each template to suit your branding. And the best part, it's absolutely free!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lara Moses
Lara Moses is the founder of Copy In The Cloud, a social media and blog management agency for wedding professionals. For almost 10 years, she worked in corporate business as an editor, copywriter, and writer for brands including Seventeen Magazine and Traveller24. In 2014, after leaving her 9-5 job, she co-founded Freemadic while freelancing as a writer and social media manager.
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