Advertising is critical for Southwest Florida small business owners looking to cash in on the $22-billion local consumers will spend at retail this year.
To successfully stay top of mind, many business owners advertise on Fort Myers radio stations. These local companies depend on radio's reliable reach, recall, and return-on-investment to convert listeners to customers.
For those local business owners who do not advertise on Fort Myers radio stations, here are five facts they need to know right now about the power of advertising on radio.
Nielsen recently released its Total Audience report for the third quarter of 2018. This in-depth research analyzes consumer habits across all measurable media. In the categories critical to the success of an advertising schedule, radio remains the dominant force.
1. Radio Reaches Almost Every Consumer.
According to Nielsen, radio reaches 92% of all consumers every week. This is significantly more than are reached by television, smartphones, computer, and tablets.
2. Radio Has The Largest Reach Among Black and Hispanic Consumers
Black and Hispanic consumers make-up a significant portion of the Southwest Florida population as well as retail spending. To ensure the success of any advertising campaign, then, it is essential these two demographics are included. Black and Hispanic listeners tune-in to local radio in greater numbers than they use television, smartphones, computer, and tablets.
3. Radio Has The Largest Reach Among Every Demographic
What may be surprising to many SWFL small business owners is that radio reaches more consumers of every age than all other media. This includes millennials who still prefer AM/FM radio to TV and all other digital options.
4. Consumers Spend A Large Portion of Their Daily Media Time Listening to Radio
Seventeen percent of consumers' media usage each day is spent listening to radio. That translates to almost 2 hours per day. The amount of time spent listening to radio has remained consistent despite an increasing number of media options (Source: Nielsen, Total Audience Report Q3 2018).
5. Most Radio Listening Occurs Away From Home
The majority of radio listening happens outside the home when consumers are in their car or at work. This is especially important to SWFL retail businesses because this means potential customers are mobile and can easily access stores during business hours. (Source: Nielsen, Total Audience Report Q3 2018).
It is evident, based on this research, the best way for SWFL business owners to advertise is on Fort Myers radio stations.
"Radio advertising works for me," says local attorney Sean King. "My commercial has been on every day for the past seven years. Advertising on Fort Myers radio helps me reach clients from Marco Island to Venice. No other media has that kind of coverage."
Mr. King primarily represents clients who have claims involving personal injury, car accidents, medical malpractice, or wrongful death. "It is not unusual," he says, "to get calls from clients from an accident scene because they just heard our commercial on the radio. Sometimes it's right then, or sometimes it's a couple of hours later or the next day. But they call because they know me and my phone number from my advertising."
Mr. King believes radio advertising can be effective for almost any Fort Myers small business owner. "The key," he advises, "is patience. You can't just advertise for a week and expect it to work. It might take several months to see measurable results. I've tried newspaper advertising and phone book advertising, but it hasn't been successful. The reach and frequency I get from advertising on Fort Myers radio provide branding opportunities these other media can't."
Rock Solid Counter Tops & More, a Naples small business agrees.
"Advertising on Fort Myers radio built this business," says Dann Krinsky. He oversees the marketing efforts of Rock Solid Countertops & More.
"Fifteen years ago, when Hugo Vargas opened for business, the showroom was one-quarter the size it is now. There was half the number of employees. And there was no fabrication shop. It was a shoestring operation," explains Mr. Krinsky.
"Eleven years ago," he continues, "I convinced Mr. Vargas to advertise on the radio for the first time." Originally, Rock Solid committed to a weekend-only campaign on a Fort Myers rock-and-roll station for one month. "We saw results almost immediately and have been advertising on Southwest Florida radio every day ever since."
"No other medium can give us the reach we need," says Mr. Krinsky. "Radio provides us with the absolute lowest cost per exposure. All advertising is familiarity. It's much easier to close a sale in-store if you can focus on selling your products and not your company. Advertising on Fort Myers radio helps us do that."
