The SMILE programme is open to any business that is included in the Essential Local A to Z Directory and to those existing SMILE businesses that responded to our communication earlier this year.
Only usable once per card, SMILE offers are designed to encourage people to experiment with a range of local businesses as they cross off each of the offers on their card (with a few additional offers becoming available to them each month and the possibility of buying a second card at some point). They are thus not 'mass response' discounts for a particular campaign but are instead an opportunity for businesses to attract new clients over a long period of time using a limited high quality offer.
In this way, whatever offer is promoted is there for when the potential customer is actually LOOKING FOR the type of product, venue or service in question. The idea is to encourage a customer to try new businesses by giving them plenty of time to take advantage of an offer and then to return to those businesses as full paying customers.
Is the procedure a simple one?
Yes. All a participating business needs to do is to decide upon an offer and they will then receive a tally card with instructions for checking the validity of a SMILE card and upon which they can note the membership numbers of people redeeming an offer. When a cardholder redeems an offer, the business simply checks the card, notes their membership number, crosses off the offer number on the customer's SMILE card and gives them the discount.
Promotion*
• All offers and participating businesses will be promoted on SMILEoffers.co.uk and through emails to our database over a 12-month period. Please note that by providing an 'offer' you agree to honour
it for that period.
• If you are listed in the Essential Local AtoZ Directory, your entry will be highlighted with a SMILE logo and your offer listed below your entry. It will be made clear that the offers are accessible only to holders of a valid SMILE card.
• Selected offers will also be promoted in Essential Local magazine four times per year, and regularly on InsideBattersea.co.uk (InsideBalham/InsideClapham) and through other publications.
*To receive promotion, participating business must adhere to our terms and conditions.
Deciding upon your offer*
Local businesses can promote either one or two offers. The only requirements for offers are as follows:
1) That they be at the very least as attractive as any other offer a business is promoting through another publication.
2) That they are not offers you are promoting to non-SMILE cardholders in-house.
3) That the SMILE cardholder can access the offer/s (or a replacement offer of similar value*) at any time over the next 12 months. If a business wishes to, terms can be added to the offer to restrict the response to just one or two redemptions per person per year, or it can be left open.
*Participating businesses have the opportunity to change their offers to others of a similar value a maximum of four times over the 12-month period. There is a £30 admin fee per change.
A) If you are an existing advertiser in the Essential Local AtoZ Directory, simply send us an email with the details of the offer you would like us to promote on your behalf. There is an administration charge of £50 for your 12-month promotion.
B) If you are not currently listed in the Essential Local AtoZ Directory, you can take advantage of this low-cost advertising medium by taking a 12-month Directory listing for £95 inclusive. 20,000 copies of Essential Local magazine/the Directory are distributed directly to local residents four times per year. The administration charge for then being involved in SMILE is just £50.
If you are a business based in Battersea, Balham, Clapham, Earlsfield, Tooting, Streatham or Wandsworth or represent a networking group or trade association, please email Richard Chumbley on smile@essentiallocal.com or call him directly on 07985 642245.
For more information as to how the system works, click here to view some Frequently Asked Questions.
2) Reward your team with a 12-month SMILE Card
All businesses, clubs, schools and organisations based in postcodes from SW2 to SW20 are entitled to a 50% discount on a purchase of 3 or more 12-month SMILE cards so as to provide managers or owners with a low-cost gift that can treat their staff to hundreds of pounds worth of savings in the local area. This £10 per card offer is only available to legitimate claimants. To apply, simply send your order to smile@essentiallocal.com and we will invoice you accordingly. We will donate 50% of that cost (£5) to local causes.
3) Become a SMILE sponsor:
Promote your business, treat your staff AND raise money for the local community
If you represent a business and would like to find out more, please request further information at smile@essentiallocal.com
4) Raise funds for your favourite local cause:
Promote SMILE and raise funds for your business's favourite cause
Promote SMILE to your customers in your shop, through your e-newsletter or in any other way (and mention to them the cause you would like them to nominate) and for every individual who purchases a £20 12-month SMILE card we will donate £15 to the local cause they nominate (or Trinity Hospice if they do not nominate a cause).
How does SMILE work?
1) Local businesses provide offers designed to encourage local people to explore the local area, use their services, visit their premises or enjoy their venue. Each offer is designed to be used once per person, although they can in theory renew their SMILE card to use their favourite offers once again. If a business wishes to avoid a second or third use of an offer later in the year, they can add a 'term' that it's for that person's first visit only.
2) Individuals and organisations purchase credit card sized SMILE cards that last for approximately 12 months or in rare cases they may receive a temporary promotional card for free. Each card has a grid of numbers which represent offers from local businesses. These numbers correspond to offers promoted on this website and, in many cases, on the list of offers sent to new Cardholders; on InsideBattersea.co.uk and in Essential Local magazine.
3) Users do not have to print out promotional vouchers or source a promotional code. When taking advantage of an offer, SMILE Cardholders simply hand their card to the shop, service or venue. The retailer then checks the date and stamp on the card, crosses the relevant offer number off with a ballpoint pen and notes the Cardholder's membership number on the card tally sheet supplied by SMILE.
4) For every £20 card purchased, we will donate £15 to the local cause nominated by the buyer (or if no cause is nominated to a local cause of our choosing, currently Trinity Hospice).
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How will I / my staff remember what deals we have signed up to?
We will send you an information pack with a tally card detailing your offers that you can put near your till (see above left)
Is there a minimum offer prescribed?
Please look at some of the examples of the offers we have already been given. We want to get people to use your business on an offer basis on just one or two occasions through the year and then to return to you as a full price paying customer. With this in mind, the more exclusive the offer, the more likely you will attract a new customer and the more promotion you will receive from SMILE, Essential Local, InsideBattersea.co.uk and via our other publications.
Local businesses can promote either one or two offers. The only requirements for offers are as follows:
1) That they be at the very least as attractive as any other offer a business is promoting through another publication.
2) That they are not offers you are promoting to non-SMILE cardholders in-house.
3) That the SMILE cardholder can access the offer/s (or a replacement
offer of similar value*) at any time over the next 12 months. If a
business wishes to, terms can be added to the offer to restrict the
response to just one or two redemptions per person per year, or it can
be left open.
How long will my offer be valid for?
You pledge to honour any offer you describe to us for a period of 12 months. During this time you may change the offer to reflect changing circumstances on a maximum of four occasions throughout this period. The replacement offer should be of similar value to your initial offer.
How do I renew my Participation Agreement?
We will send you an email reminder when the contracts are due for renewal.
Please click here for the full terms and conditions.
Where will my deal appear?
At the bare minimum your deal will be appear on Smileoffers.co.uk, on the companion website relevent to your location (e.g. SmileBattersea.co.uk) and in the literature sent out to new Cardholders. In addition to this, if you are featured in Essential Local's AtoZ Directory, your offer will be included in each issue of the magazine.
How much does it cost me?
From this point onwards, the SMILE programme is open to all advertisers in Essential Local magazine, whether they take a full page or merely an entry in the Essential Local AtoZ Directory, 20,000 copies of which are delivered to the local area 4 times per year.
Should you wish to have your business included in the AtoZ Directory for 12 months, for example, the cost is £95 in total for four issues. For a full ratecard for advertising in Essential Local magazine, please click here.
There is then just an additional administration fee of £50 for your company to be included in the SMILE programme. Thus a local business can be featured in the SMILE programme AND receive promotion in 80,000 copies of Essential Local magazine for 12 months for a total of £145. Contact smile@essentiallocal.com if you would like to be included.
Please don't hesitate to email us at smile@essentiallocal.com
or call Richard personally on 07985 642245 if you have further questions.