A few weeks ago, we introduced you to The Surrey Circle following our rebrand from Your Local Little Black Book. The feedback we have received has been fantastic and we are grateful to those who have sent us positive and encouraging vibes! It’s been a busy but amazing time, we have just gone to print with our 6^th edition, continuing to finesse our website, moving into new areas, and speaking with new businesses every day. We thought it was time to update you on what The Surrey Circle is (and isn't) and how we can help not only businesses but our audience too. The Surrey Circle not only gives your business a platform to get noticed, but we also aim to make it a central resource for everything in one place, so people who live in Surrey can find what they need when they need it and keep discovering what’s on and off the high-street. So, whether you are a business, browser, or buyer we have something for you!

What we are...

Our name has changed, but it was important to us that our branding remains recognisable, the next print edition has also had a little revamp, we have injected a bit of fun, we hope you like it. For us, it is all about making marketing easy for our clients, you don’t need to have a massive budget or lots of time, we have tweaked our offering to give you more choice, which we are really excited about. We're still two mums from Surrey running a young business, between us five kids (7 if counting the husbands) and four dogs. The Surrey Circle is growing, exciting and fresh but our encompassing and inclusive ethos and branding reflects across all areas whether it’s the print, hubs, or social media, we have all four corners of your business covered!
It's our passion to shout about all things local, including the fantastic Surrey businesses and delights you've not yet discovered. We understand the challenges businesses can go through when trying to market who you are and what you do, it can be overwhelming and that’s where we come in to take the strain out of your busy schedule and promote your business like it’s our own.

What we're not...

Firstly, we are not a huge corporate company with hordes of employees and locations. But we see that as a positive because we identify with small businesses and we can relate to what you are going through, whether it's good, bad or you feel a bit lost!

In addition, we're 100% independent, and when we work with you, we do our own thing because we don't have a board, shareholders, or others to control us or tell us to work in a certain way. We like that, it's part of who we are, we are individual and so are you and we want to keep it this way, it’s all about the personal touch and we strive to give you the best customer service we can. We want to work with you long term, build relationships and help give your business more and more recognition over time.

What we offer businesses

In the beginning, our only marketing offering was in the form of a stylish print directory featuring local businesses. However, with a substantial readership now across all of Surrey, the book's success has allowed us to develop our offerings further. Don’t forget this is accessible to everyone no matter where you live, on our website and can be downloaded to your phone too, we also distribute 500 copies across multiple pick up points so whether it’s hard or soft copy it’s there for the reading!
 

PRINT- The Local Black Book

The Local Black Book has a strong presence in Reigate & Dorking (31,500 delivery) and we have just launched print in Esher & Cobham (19,500 delivery).

BOOKINGS NOW OPEN for both areas for Spring/Summer & Autumn/Winter 2022 Editions, Epsom & Ewell won’t be far behind!

This not only gives businesses access into local homes (with various age groups) and immediate customers but also an opportunity for our audience to discover and be inspired by what is on their doorstep. We only allow three of the same business types per edition, so it’s not a saturated book of personal trainers, hairdressers, or estate agents, come to think of it in edition 6 we didn’t have any estate agents! So don’t wait, snap up your space! You are entitled to one complimentary post on our social media channels and unlimited story sharing throughout the duration of the edition (if tagged) as an added free bonus!

WEBSITE - Business Hub, Shopping Hub & Social Media

We have recently launched our new Shopping Hub a one-stop-shop where you can sell or browse a wide array of local products and gifts. Our vision here was to create a marketplace online where people can browse and be tempted in the comfort of their favourite chair. Just because the shops close at 5pm doesn’t mean you can’t still see what’s inside. We have wasted so many hours scrolling large department stores for inspiration, so, we thought this is something we could create for local businesses, in a nutshell if you are a Surrey business that sells products then we would love to hear from you. Showcase a taster of what you sell and if the user wants to buy you are only one click away!

Our online Business Hub is a great resource directory to get to know businesses in more detail, on view 24/7 and is searchable by location or category. Whether you dazzle with a video, images (or dig out your best headshot), a great testimonial or just include a catchy bio, all is displayed for our audience to see who you are and what you offer. Great to attract new customers, enhance your own SEO and raise your profile all in one go!

There is a saying ‘never underestimate the power of social media’. We feel that it is a fantastic way to engage regularly with all our 4,300 followers and another way of keeping you abreast of what’s going on and a chance to give our clients a spotlight. Our social media accounts doesn’t work like some of the others, our grid is for our clients, we don’t tend to post or share accounts which are not part of The Surrey Circle. We do get a lot of requests for shoutouts and shares but to be loyal to our clients we keep this to a minimum! We have just launched two standard social media packages, so that you can feature once or three times a month over a twelve-month period, or as some clients prefer, we can offer bespoke packages depending on when you need the most exposure. Just have a chat with us and we can tailor something just got you.

And if that's not enough, we also have other marketing offerings, including inclusion in our e-newsletter ‘The Loop’, feature a blog or write up about your business on the website under Surrey Stories and web banner advertising. All our marketing options and costs can be found and purchased HERE.

We're more alike than you might think...

We too are learning every day as I’m sure you are. It’s just the two of us who run the business but we do have some wonderful people who support us with different aspects of pulling everything together (Knibbs Design, Gladstone Design & 4Print), so we understand that marketing can come close to the bottom of a very long to do list. We know that local communities thrive when they come together and support each other, this is our passion, connecting local businesses with local people. We want to get to know you and your business so we can truly represent you, this is so important to us.

Come in and Join The Surrey Circle

So, there you have it, a whistle-stop overview of what we do and the marketing options available for you. We would love to discuss yourbusiness marketing needs, we have a suite of packages on the website ready for you, or if you want to chat in person or need something bespoke just get in touch, you can rest assured that we'll champion your business!

Lisa & Ali xx