How did it get to be Black Friday already? It feels like just a few days ago we were enjoying the summer weather and Fourth of July fireworks. At any rate, here we are in the thick of the holiday season.
If you are anything like me, you struggle to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Gift cards are useful, but they just don’t express the right sentiment. If you are trying to buy for a digital marketer, your list of possible gifts might seem even smaller.
If you are struggling to find the right gift for the digital marketer in your life (or need a gift list to send to your family!), then you are in the right place. I’ve rounded up a variety of gifts in a range of budgets to make your holiday shopping just a little bit easier!
From techie gadgets to cool tools, there is something on this list for every digital marketer in your life.
Alexa (Amazon Echo)
Alexa is the virtual assistant who powers Amazon Echo, a voice-controlled speaker that is connected to your Amazon account. You can ask questions like “Alexa, what is the weather like today?”, and the Bing-powered search engine will tell you. Or “Alexa, play Gangster’s Paradise by Coolio.”, and Alexa will use your Amazon Prime account to play the song. You can even order a pizza. Whaaaat.
Super cool features:
- Allows you do to Bing-powered searches by voice command.
- It can read you books off of Audible.
- Integration with Google Cal allows it to tell you about upcoming events.
- They are consistently adding new features and commands so that it will get more useful over time.
Prices for Amazon Echo start around $120 for a refurbished model and up to $170 for a new, top of the line model.
Google Home
Amazon Echo is most useful for those who have Amazon Prime. Another option for a smart speaker is Google Home. This device works very similarly to the Amazon Echo and is activated by saying “Okay, Google”. It does have some features that Amazon Echo lacks, including the ability to send items to your phone and easy to use touch controls.
Cool features:
- Integrates with Google Calendar, YouTube Music, Nest, Pandora and many others.
- Allows you to control thermostat and other house settings via Nest.
- Allows you to check traffic and drive times to your destination.
- Contextual conversations, for example, you can ask “Who plays Harry Potter?” and then follow that question up with “How old is he?” and Google Home will recognize that ‘he’ refers to the actor who plays Harry Potter.
- Customizable base colors.
Google Home costs $129 at Best Buy.
The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization
This book is an industry staple for any digital marketer. Written by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, and Jessie Stricchiola, this is a must-read for any SEO or digital marketer. In it they share up-to-date techniques, strategies, and best practices for implementing an effective SEO strategy.
Cool features:
- Updated regularly, so the newest version includes best practices for today.
- Written by three industry experts who know their stuff.
- In-depth, so it is good for both newbies and experienced SEOs.
You can buy the paperback third edition on Amazon for around $40.
VR Headset
2016 has brought VR into the mainstream with gear like the Oculus Rift, Google Daydream View, PlayStation VR, Samsung Gear VR, and the HTC Vive. VR headsets are called “head-mounted displays” that allow the user to fully immerse in a virtual reality world.
Digital marketers love to be ahead of the curve, so a VR Headset is a great gift idea. With so many different types, how are you to know which one to choose? That will depend upon a variety of factors, including your budget and what type of phone the gift receiver has.
This article on The Verge breaks down the benefits and costs of the most popular VR Headsets beautifully.
Cool features:
Prices for VR Headsets start at $15 for a cardboard version and run up to $799 for HTC Vive.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is a wrist-mounted mini-touch screen that allows you to text, use apps, access Siri, give directions, set workout goals, and much, much more. For the tech-obsessed Apple lover, this is the ideal gift.
Cool features:
- Comes in a wide range of styles and colors. Apple also partnered with brands like Hermes and Nike to offer (expensive) special editions of the watch.
- Series 2 and up models are waterproof up to 50 meters.
- Great gift for physically active folks – offers built-in GPS, heart rate monitoring, and more.
Apple Watches start around $260 and go up to nearly $8,000 for special editions.
Plastic Welder Kit
It is hard to find a great gift for gadget lovers that doesn’t break the bank. This (affordable) plastic welder allows you to fix a wide range of plastic items, including frayed phone cords, USB cables, glasses, and anything else that glue usually won’t hold. Simply use the pen-like applicator to apply the plastic, then cure with a UV light.
Cool features:
- Doesn’t dry out like glue.
- Fixes items (like phone or earbud cables!) you would normally have to replace.
- Works on plastic, wires, wood, etc.
Plastic welder kits can be found on Amazon for around $25.
Noise Canceling Headphones
Many modern companies have embraced the idea of the ‘open office.’ No walls, no privacy – just a wide open floor plan. Which is awesome for collaboration and cultivating a team feel, but not so great for focusing and blocking out your office neighbor who keeps droning on about last night’s Game of Thrones episode.
SEJ is a completely remote team, which means I work from home – in an office I share with my husband. It is mostly awesome, but sometimes it is hard to focus on writing an epic post when he’s on back-to-back work calls. I recently got a pair of noise canceling headphones, and I am in love. I can crank up Coffeetivity and finally focus.
Keep in mind; these won’t make it dead quiet, but (for me, at least) they do dial down the outside noise enough to allow you to block it out.
Cool features:
- There is a super wide range of styles, colors, and prices.
- Most use white noise to quiet outside sounds.
- Ideal for traveling and focusing in a loud work environment.
Prices range from around $50 to several hundred dollars. Make sure the pair you choose actually says “noise canceling.”
Gift Giving Made Easy!
Digital marketers and SEOs tend to be tech focused and like to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. I hope this gift list will help you choose the right gift for yourself or the digital marketer on your gift list
Did I miss an awesome gift idea? If you’ve got the perfect gift for an SEO or digital marketer, I’d love to hear it in the comments.
Featured Image: Deposit Photos | Anna_Om
In Post Images: Screenshots Taken by Writer
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