One of the best marketing strategies for a small businesses is to have gift certificates that customers and clients can gift to their friends and family. Whether you have a small independent pastry shop, a bakery, a hair salon, a nail spa, a boutique, an antique store, or a one-of-a-kind craft store, giving your customers the option to purchase gift certificates is a wonderful idea. Gift certificates are a great option for those people who are not sure what their loved ones would like to have as a gift. It is better than giving cash, which is a bit impersonal, or gifting something which the recipient does not like. But to create gift certificates for your home business, you need good designs that are elegant and look professional. Best Gift Certificate Design Always make sure that the design of gift certificates that you are creating for your business is unique and one of a kind. The name of the store or business should be prominent, and the design and style should be pleasing to the eye. Choose a size for the certificate that is neither too large nor too small. The size should be such that it can be easily kept in a pocketbook without folding it. The font size on the certificate should not be too small, and always use a decorative but legible font style in your gift certificate. The wording for a gift certificate should not be too flowery, and there should not be any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Remember that a gift certificate is a powerful low cost marketing tool, and as such, its design should reflect the image and brand of your business. If you have a small bakery, cake shop, or patisserie, then the best design for gift certificate would be to have a beautiful picture of a birthday or wedding cake. Alternatively, you can also put a good sketch of a cake or pastry in pleasing colors on one corner of the certificate. Other essential is to have the name of your business in bold, along with the address. A blank space for the recipient's name and the giver's name, along with the amount the gift certificate is redeemable for should also be mentioned on the card. If you have a small boutique or a hair salon, create a gift certificate design with a sketch or picture of a great designer dress, or some element of the salon. Do not forget to give a short description of the kind of services that are provided in the spa, or the types of apparel found in the boutique, at the back of the gift certificate. A gift certificate should always be unique and personal so that people are attracted towards them, and are induced to purchase them for their loved ones. Gift Certificate Design Template Here are two gift certificate templates that will give you an idea of how it should be designed:

Gift Certificate Naomi's Boutique Fulham Street, 12 Main Street, London Phone: 512,321,4653 To.................................. From................................ Gift Certificate $............Value

Gift Certificate Rachel's French Pastry Shop French Pastry Makers Fulham Street, 17 Main Street, London Phone: 512,326,4951 Presented to.................................. In the amount of $................................ From........... Expires on..................

These were just two sample gift certificate design ideas that you can use for your business. Many free design templates are also available online, and you can use them to make a great gift certificate for your business. Make sure that the design you choose is stylish and matches the image you want to project of your business.