Advertising on Fort Myers radio is the best way for business owners to reach consumers. Last week, 92% of all consumers in Southwest Florida tuned-in to their favorite station. This reach is significantly higher than local TV, local newspapers, or streaming audio services like Pandora or Spotify.
What may come to a surprise to most business owners is that Fort Myers radio also reaches the greatest number of people who make the purchasing decisions at other local companies. Almost 95% of B2B buyers tune-in to a local radio station. Significantly more than all other advertising media in Southwest Florida.
Southwest Florida business owners will spend hundreds-of-millions of dollars this year with other business owners. They will be writing checks for legal services, accounting services, banking services, cleaning services, office supplies, security, gifts, insurance, trash hauling, and collection services.
On average, the typical local business owner will spend almost $15,000 trying to create business-to-business sales opportunities. This money will be spent on things like direct mail, ads in business journals, and specialty items. Very few of these dollars, however, will be used to advertise goods and services on Fort Myers radio.
An article recently appeared in the newsletter for members of ACA International. This is a trade publication for collection agencies across the US.
The article recounts the success of Ed Moss, the owner of a collection agency, who had been trying to attract new clients from his local business community. He was relying, however, on what he called 'gimmicks' (specialty items like coffee cups, key chains, pens, and notepads). "These things," Mr. Moss admits, "hadn’t done one bit of good."
Mr. Moss, according to the article, was called on by a manager of a local radio station. "Advertising is for the birds," Mr. Moss told his visitor."
The radio station manager replied, "My friend, you just haven’t tried the right kind of advertising.”
"Naturally," recalls Mr. Moss, "he proceeded to tell me how radio could reach thousands for a fraction of what I had spent on gimmicks."
With a bit of trepidation and skepticism, Mr. Moss agreed to his first radio advertising campaign specifically designed to reach other business owners.
"The campaign simply concentrated on our profession as a profession, throwing out all the old clichés," Mr. Moss explains. "We made the public aware that there were collection agencies who really knew their business, who were real pros, We did this by using commercials blending tasteful jingles with copy that emphasized using able, experienced collectors to collect, as you would use a doctor to cure, or an accountant to handle your taxes."
"Did it work?" asks Mr. Moss rhetorically. "Almost immediately. We got to people who had never used a collection agency before."
"In general," he continues, "we found that whenever one of our representatives called on a new account, they had already heard of us. Our company found the way paved for easy contact and sales closures … to reach the business owner who needs our services."