How Strategic Gifting Drives Revenue Growth in ABM Campaigns
Mika Kayt · April 8, 2025
giftingrevenue growth
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Thank you everyone for joining and for those listening to the recording. I'm Ma Kite, CEO and founder of Outgage. Outgage is an engagement platform that uses gifting as a marketing channel.
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Joining me today is Maggie Tonkan, an expert in ABM and field marketing, particularly in gifting. Maggie and I have worked together on gift marketing campaigns at several companies. She has always been ahead of the curve, implementing strategies that are now standard practice. Maggie is also an Outgage advisor. Thank you, Maggie, for joining and sharing some case studies to demonstrate how gifting can be done thoughtfully and strategically.
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Today, we’ll cover several topics. I’ll give a more in-depth introduction to Outgage, discuss the power of strategic gifting, and show data that proves its effectiveness. We’ll also discuss how gifting can be a scalable revenue engine, how it can elevate ABM and field marketing, and how Outgage differentiates itself, especially for those unsure how to approach gifting.
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What sets Outgage apart is our focus on marketing-specific use cases. Many people who have done gifting before know there are many ways to send gifts, whether through vendors or other services. Outgage is designed for marketers, built to be the expert in gifting for marketing. In the age of AI, when there's a lot of noise and limited capacity to be experts in everything, we help marketers by specializing in gifting.
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We are AI and data-driven, moving away from traditional "spray and pray" approaches. Using data from millions of campaigns, we create predictive strategies to help customers build more effective campaigns. Besides our platform, which offers hundreds of thousands of branded goods, e-gifts, donations, and more, we provide a partnership approach—helpful from start to finish, not just a marketplace. We close the loop with customizable, actionable landing pages and full measurement, integrating results back into marketing automation systems. Our clients have seen over 10x engagement compared to other channels and up to 12x ROI. Many say they wouldn't be able to launch campaigns on tight timelines without our support.
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Regarding time savings, in many companies, creative is a shared service with competing priorities. Gifting campaigns often fall lower in priority, making fast execution difficult. Outgage’s support allows these campaigns to launch quickly, which is essential for ABM and field marketing. As Maggie will share in the upcoming case studies, Outgage truly is built for marketers—helping at every step, with all the strategies and goals marketers have in mind.
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Thank you, Maggie, for that feedback. It’s helpful to hear from someone on the client side. Maggie, you’ve managed more than just gift campaigns. Could you talk about the challenges and why someone would run a gifting campaign?
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Certainly. One of the biggest challenges marketers face is breaking through noise and clutter. At one company, I had to prove ROI for every tactic, so I worked closely with Outgage to gather the necessary data. When we analyzed our marketing channels, direct mail consistently had the highest engagement and ROI. While I believe in integrated marketing and the value of every channel, gifting always stands out. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a storage crate of gifts from various campaigns—they’re fun and memorable.
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When people hear "direct mail" or "gifting," they often think of old-fashioned postcards, which can seem outdated. I developed the "lumpy mail" concept: sending a package creates excitement. Whenever you receive something at your door, it sparks curiosity and engagement. This kind of gifting results in much higher engagement.
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Research shows there’s a psychological need to reciprocate when receiving a gift. It triggers emotional responses and stands out compared to another email. The thoughtfulness and effort behind a gift makes a strong impression.
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As marketers, it’s important to consider the recipient’s perspective. My inbox is overflowing, so many messages get lost or filtered. I design campaigns that would engage even me. I encourage everyone here to consider what would ignite their own response when planning strategic gifting.
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Gifting isn’t meant to replace other channels. Every marketing channel serves a purpose, and multiple touchpoints are still necessary. ABM uses gifting as a way to take that extra step—moving beyond mass emails to targeted, meaningful engagement. The goal is to reach decision-makers and key accounts with highly relevant touches.
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When gifting is done smartly, depending on where prospects are in the funnel, we’ve seen engagement rates from 5% to 97%, with most campaigns above 35%. These numbers far exceed typical email marketing response rates.
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ABM has evolved from pure one-to-one plays to a broader approach. Even when reaching larger groups, personalization is essential—and gifting is highly effective at creating emotional connections and engagement.
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Strategic gifting campaigns can double or triple meeting acceptance rates. It’s important to differentiate between a strategic marketing gift and a sales follow-up gift (like a coffee card for booking a meeting). Both have their place, and I often run both types of campaigns simultaneously.
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Sales is one place in the funnel (one-to-one), but marketing needs to reach one-to-few or one-to-many at scale. People buy from people, but you can’t take hundreds of accounts to dinner. Gifting provides a scalable way to add a personal touch without being perceived as bribery. The key is thoughtful execution.
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Gifting acts as a pipeline accelerator throughout the funnel—from awareness and lead qualification to retention, upsell, cross-sell, and referrals. Outgage supports campaigns across all these stages.
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Budget is always a consideration. The type and cost of the gift should match your campaign goals. For awareness, you won’t send an expensive gift to thousands of people. For pipeline acceleration, targeting stalled opportunities with a relevant gift can help move deals forward. I track how campaigns impact pipeline progression over time, and gifting consistently drives results.
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Timing is critical for gifting. Sending gifts as a one-off “test” is rarely effective. To maximize ROI, gifting should be integrated into a coordinated campaign, with marketing and sales working closely together on follow-up and nurturing. Without follow-up, gifts may generate interest but not qualified leads.
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Sales and marketing alignment is crucial. Gifting is not magic; after a gift is delivered, timely sales follow-up is essential. Sending 100 gifts without a follow-up plan wastes budget. Campaigns should be fully built out, with sales and marketing in sync on timing, messaging, and goals.
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To be effective, gifting should be part of a multi-touch, ongoing strategy. For example, Outgage has sent gifts to prospects using creative formats (like a locked cookie jar requiring engagement to open). Even if prospects weren’t ready to buy at the time, the memorable experience led to future business.
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Let’s move to case studies to illustrate these points.
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Case Study 1: At Reich (a project management platform), the goal was to generate leads from a large, cold database. We sent locked acrylic boxes with candies and a branded postcard, driving recipients to a landing page. To unlock the candy, recipients had to engage on the landing page and request more information. Engagement was 41%, the highest of any outbound tactic used. Sales followed up with all recipients based on engagement data from Outgage’s platform, increasing overall campaign ROI.
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Marketing automation and BDR follow-ups should work together. Automated messages ensure no touchpoint is missed, while personal outreach increases connection. Outgage’s landing pages go beyond form fills—they tell the company’s story and explain why someone should engage, increasing conversion rates.
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Case Study 2: At Zendesk, we targeted existing customers for upsell and product expansion. We sent game pieces representing new products, directing customers to a landing page. Those who engaged received a personalized drone. Engagement was 46%. The campaign qualified leads by allowing recipients to request demos or download resources, ensuring only interested prospects went to sales, saving time for both parties.
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Gifting can also support retention and customer delight. For global campaigns, e-gifts are useful—allowing recipients to select relevant rewards for their region. For example, a holiday campaign achieved 71% redemption and 54% recipient engagement, strengthening customer relationships.
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Creativity is essential in gifting. Adding elements of surprise, playfulness, or nostalgia (like locked boxes or two-part gifts) can make campaigns more memorable. However, not every idea works. For example, sending chocolate in the summer can lead to delivery problems, and a poorly executed two-part gift can backfire if the first part is underwhelming.
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Choosing which accounts to target depends on your campaign goal. For high-value gifts, use intent data and target engaged or stalled opportunities. With limited budgets, prioritize warmer leads or customers likely to convert. Avoid sending expensive gifts as the first touch with cold prospects.
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Be mindful of the sales cycle stage. Don’t send gifts late in the decision or negotiation phase, as it may be seen as bribery. Once a deal is closed, onboarding gifts can strengthen new customer relationships.
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AB testing gifting is more challenging, but Outgage’s technology allows for duplicating and modifying campaigns—testing messaging, workflows, and creative variations for optimal results.
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To summarize: Strategic gifting is a powerful revenue accelerator. Personalization, automation, and scale are essential for modern marketing. Outgage differentiates itself through custom workflows, landing pages, and full campaign tracking. Most of my most successful campaigns have been with Outgage because of their ability to drive engagement with creative, measurable campaigns.
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If you’re interested in seeing what gifting could do for your company, we’re happy to offer a one-on-one consultation.
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Thank you for the opportunity to share these insights. There’s tremendous creativity in gifting, especially when integrated with ABM. Start with your goals, then explore how creative gifting can help you achieve them.
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Thank you for having us in the community.
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