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Larry Julius


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Best Way To Advertise In SWFL: Furniture & Mattresses

Feb 23, 2023 3:00:00 PM / by Larry Julius

Over the next 12 months, according to Nielsen, 123,881 Fort Myers area households plan to buy furniture and mattresses. Based on a per capita forecast from Furniture Today, these expenditures will total $488.4 million during 2023, an $8.9 million dollar increase over 2022.

Although the forecast growth of furniture and bedding sales is expected to moderate a bit versus 2021, what retailer would not want to grab a share of the multi-million dollar category growth this year?

To capture a bigger share of the increased spending on chairs, couches, beds, tables, and mattresses will require local stores to invest in marketing. And according to most key metrics, the best way to reach local furniture buyers is with advertising on Fort Myers radio.

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Topics roi, retail, radio advertising, return on investment, furniture, retail sales, retail store, retailer, mattress, retail spending, advertising return on investment, advertising roi

Fort Myers Radio: The Best Way To Recruit Construction Workers

Feb 14, 2023 11:15:45 AM / by Larry Julius

Southwest Florida area construction companies will need to recruit 2,111 more workers in 2023 in addition to the normal pace of hiring. This forecast is a per capita estimate based on research from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).  

The frenetic pace of recruiting construction workers in SWFL is expected to extend into 2024, with an incremental 1,253 workers needed next year, as well, in addition to the normal pace of hiring.

Overall, the demand for construction workers in America has been increasing at an epic rate.

According to ABC, the construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month in 2022, the highest level on record, and the industry unemployment rate of 4.6% in 2022 was the second lowest on record, higher than only the 4.5% unemployment rate observed in 2019. In addition, national payroll construction employment was 231,000 higher in December 2022 than in December 2021.

Right now, filling open jobs at any Fort Myers company is a struggle.

A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business Owners found that after inflation, the most critical problem facing these businesses is the inability to recruit and retain quality employees.

Right now, says the Federal Reserve,  unfilled jobs remain near an all-time with 1.7 openings per unemployed person.  As a result, only one person is being hired per every four job openings.  To put this dismal hire-to-opening ratio in perspective, ten years ago, there was one hire per every job opening.

Compounding the recruitment woes of Fort Myers's small business owners is the very stubborn quit rate.  According to the Federal Reserve, for every ten hires made, seven current employees quit. 

So, how can local builders and contractors fill the open jobs at their companies? Most metrics indicate that advertising on Fort Myers Radio may be the best way.

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Topics radio advertising, radio recruitment advertising, recruitment advertising, employment advertising, help wanted, blue collar workers, internet job posting, passive job seekers, active job seekers, zip recruiter, construction, ziprecruiter, hire qualified candidates

Valentine's Spending In SWFL Expected To Grow 8.4% in 2023

Jan 26, 2023 1:46:10 PM / by Larry Julius

Southwest Florida business owners should brace for a sweet Valentine's Day in 2023.

Based on per capita spending forecasts from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Fort Myers area consumers are expected to spend $100.2 million on their Valentines this year, 8.4% more than they did in 2022.

Overall, says the NRF, 52% of consumers plan to celebrate Valentine's day this year. On average, each celebrant will spend $192.80 on holiday gifts and outings. This is $17 more than last year.  Here is the most interesting part, though.

"While spending on significant others and family members is in line with last year, many consumers are looking to show appreciation for the other meaningful relationships in their lives," says the NRF. "Of the $17 increase in per-person spending, $14 comes from gifts for pets, friends, and co-workers, along with classmates or teachers."

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Topics Reach, roi, retail, radio advertising, return on investment, valentine's day, retail sales, retail store, retailer, advertising reach, reach & frequency, retail spending, advertising return on investment, advertising roi

Top Priority For Fort Myers Small Business Owners: Fill Open Jobs

Jan 20, 2023 10:42:09 AM / by Larry Julius

30,689 Southwest Florida companies fit the description of being a small business, according to the US Census Bureau.  A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business Owners found that after inflation, the most critical problem facing these businesses is the inability to recruit and retain quality employees.

Right now, says the Federal Reserve,  unfilled jobs remain near an all-time with 1.7 openings per unemployed person.  As a result, only one person is being hired per every four job openings.  To put this dismal hire-to-opening ratio in perspective, ten years ago, there was one hire per every job opening.

Compounding the recruitment woes of Fort Myers's small business owners is the very stubborn quit rate.  According to the Federal Reserve, for every ten hires made, seven current employees quit. 

Although the labor crunch affects Fort Myers business owners of every size, nearly half of all job vacancies are at companies with fewer than 50 employees.

So what is the best way for local small business owners to attract qualified candidates to fill open jobs?  Most metrics indicate that advertising on Fort Myers radio may be the optimal choice.

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Topics radio recruitment advertising, recruitment advertising, white collar workers, employment advertising, help wanted, blue collar workers, internet job posting, passive job seekers, active job seekers, zip recruiter, ziprecruiter

TV Advertising In SWFL: Local Stations and Cable Losing Ground

Dec 20, 2022 8:54:28 AM / by Larry Julius

The combined weekly reach of broadcast television stations in Southwest Florida has slipped to 76.1% of all adults, according to Nielsen. These stations include WINK, WBBH, WZVN, WGCU, and WFTX.  

The combined Fort Myers TV area audience now is only a fraction ahead of cable programming at 75.6% and streaming platforms at 64.8%. To put this virtual dead heat into perspective, none of the three video media is a match for Fort Myers radio which reaches more than 88% of local adults every week.

But although the reach of broadcast TV, cable, and streaming are neck-and-neck, the share of time consumers spend with each of these media is dramatically different.

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Topics fort myers television, fort myers tv, television advertising, television, cable tv, pay-TV, CTV, OTT, streaming video, avod, svod, local television, streaming TV, streaming media

Advertise In Fort Myers: Top 5 Articles Of 2022

Dec 13, 2022 5:02:46 PM / by Larry Julius

For Southwest Florida area consumers, the past twelve months have been, to say the least, frenzied.  The year has been plagued with inflation, recession fears, coronavirus, mid-term elections, and geo-political drama. It seems, however, that these coinciding crises have not tempered consumer spending as local shoppers are on track to spend a record $19.2 billion at retail. 
 
What has changed during 2022, however, is how adults in the Fort Myers area consume media and how local business owners are marketing their goods and services to these shoppers.
 
To research the changing consumer and media landscape in Fort Myers, many local business owners have found the articles posted at www.AdvertiseInFort Myers.com helpful.  Below are the five most-read articles from that site during 2022:
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Topics radio advertising, advertise in Naples, advertise in Fort Myers, advertise in SWFL, How to Advertise on Radio, advertise in southwest florida, online advertising, digital advertising, Advertise on Fort Myers Radio, advertising options, how to advertise, internet advertising, 2022

Surprise? Fort Myers Radio Is Still #1 Way To Reach Local Consumers

Nov 30, 2022 4:09:48 PM / by Larry Julius

Southwest Florida area business owners have an abundance of options for marketing their goods and services to local consumers. New research from Nielsen, however, indicates that advertising on Fort Myers radio is still the best way to reach local shoppers.

Every week, according to Nielsen, Fort Myers radio reaches 877,056 adults. This is significantly more than are reached by social media, local TV stations and cable systems, newspapers, streaming video and audio, and podcasts.

In addition to listening to their favorite Fort Myers radio stations over the air, Nielsen reports that 223,251 adults also listen to local stations online every month.

As a matter of fact, according to a study conducted by Edison Research during the third quarter of 2022, among Adults 25-54, 17% of all time spent listening to local AM/FM stations occurs online. This share of online listening has nearly doubled since 2016.

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Topics Reach, roi, fort myers radio, advertise in Fort Myers, advertise in SWFL, fort myers radio stations, advertise in southwest florida, return on investment, advertising reach, reach & frequency, Advertise on Fort Myers Radio, advertising return on investment, advertising roi

Holiday Spending In Southwest Florida Will Top $3.6 Billion In 2022

Nov 11, 2022 4:37:42 PM / by Larry Julius

Economic concerns among Fort Myers area consumers are not expected to subdue holiday shopping in in 2022.  Based on forecasts from The National Retail Federation, local shoppers are projected to spend at least $3.6 billion this year. This would be 6% more than was spent in 2021.

“While consumers are feeling the pressure of inflation and higher prices, and while there is continued stratification with consumer spending and behavior among households at different income levels, consumers remain resilient and continue to engage in commerce,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “In the face of these challenges, many households will supplement spending with savings and credit to provide a cushion and result in a positive holiday season.”

The biggest challenge facing Fort Myers business owners is keeping holiday spending local. NRF expects 10-12% of purchases to happen online from retailers like Amazon and Walmart.

To lay claim to this expanding pool of holiday spending,  and keep business local, small business owners will need advertising. By, most marketing metrics, the best way to advertise is on Fort Myers radio.

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Topics Reach, roi, radio advertising, return on investment, christmas shopping, holiday shopping, consumer spending, advertising reach, reach & frequency, holiday advertising, advertising return on investment, advertising roi

Advertising In SWFL: Is Online Marketing Enough?

Oct 21, 2022 9:55:08 AM / by Larry Julius

According to Nielsen, 952,337 adults in Southwest Florida have access to the internet. Eighty-one percent of these consumers conduct online research before making a retail purchase, says a report from GE Capital Bank. 

To reach Fort Myers area adults in the market to buy their goods and services, businesses spent $711 million in 2021 on digital adverting, according to projections based on the 2021 IAB Internal Advertising Report.  This is 35% more than was spent during the prior year.

This mammoth pool of online advertising dollars targeted at SWFL consumers is being spent on a variety of digital resources including search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), display ads, video ads, audio ads, email, and social media. Each of these tools can precisely target consumers who are currently in the market to buy whatever it is a business is selling.

Most forms of online advertising are designed to compel Fort Myers consumers to click on a digital ad that will transport them to the website of a company that sells whatever it is consumers are in the market to buy.  Is investing only in digital advertising enough to drive sales for a local business? 

Many marketing experts believe that online advertising needs to be part of a broader marketing strategy to be successful.

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Topics radio advertising, online advertising, digital advertising, internet, internet advertising

Digital Advertising In Southwest Florida: How To Get Found Online

Sep 30, 2022 12:05:33 PM / by Larry Julius

Last year, $711 million in marketing was spent online to reach SWFL area consumers, according to projections based on the 2021 IAB Internal Advertising Report.  This is 35% more than was spent during the prior year.

There is a correlation between the massive amount of money being spent to reach Fort Myers area consumers online and the extraordinary amount of time that these consumers are connecting to the internet via websites and apps.

According to Nielsen, 46.8% of Fort Myers adults are spending 10-plus hours during an average week online. Furthermore, The Pew Research Center, a public opinion research company, reports that one-in-three consumers say they are online constantly. A 50% increase from 2015.  In all, 85% of consumers say they connect at least once daily.

To successfully market and advertise a Fort Myers area business on the internet requires a full-scale understanding of precisely what online marketing is.  Spoiler alert, having a website or having a social media site is not enough.

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Topics web traffic, online advertising, digital advertising, social media advertising, internet, website visitors, social media, online shopping, internet advertising, sem, seo, google

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