Southwest Florida small businesses that sell products or services to pet owners should sit up and take notice.  Local consumers will spend $268,247,000 this year on behalf of Fido and Fluffy. This amount has increased 323% since 1994, with no sign of letting up.

According to the American Pet Products Association, here's how spending on furry companions breaks down:

• Food: $109,981,000
• Supplies/OTC Medicine: $59,014,000
• Vet Care: $67,061,000
• Live Pet Purchases: $8.047,000
• Other Services: $24,142,000

The biggest month for sales of pet-related products and services in SWFL is, by far, December. That is when 10.5% of all annual spending happens in this category.

Southwest Florida small business owners have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services since 1940.  That's when William E. Benns put the first Fort Myers station, WFTM, on the air.

Today, there are 28 radio stations that serve Lee and Collier counties. Each provides a unique blend of music, information, and entertainment.  Some stations focus on politics or sports. Some play country music. Some play the hits. Some play classic rock. Some are on the AM dial. Some are on FM.

When Mr. Benns began broadcasting, there were no TV stations in Florida. Those would come nine years later. Also, there was no social media, YouTube, Sirius/XM, Pandora, Spotify, or smartphones. Each of those would be products of a new Millenium.

With an overabundance of advertising options now available to small business owners, does advertising on Fort Myers radio still make sense?  Here are five facts that serve to answer that question.

Southwest Florida consumers are expected to spend $2.7 billion during this year's holiday shopping season, based on predictions by The National Retail Federation.  This would be a 4% increase over last year.

Deloitte, one of the world's top four accounting firms, forecasts similar growth.

"The projected holiday season growth is, in part, due to the current health of the labor market,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte's U.S. economic forecaster. “Near record-low unemployment rates, coupled with continued monthly job creation, may encourage people to spend more during the holiday season. The economy is still growing, albeit at a slower rate. Additionally, we continue to see consumer confidence elevated, which also helps boost holiday spending."

For most SWFL retailers, holiday spending brings in about 20% of annual sales But, long gone are the days when the bulk of this shopping occurred between Black Friday and Christmas.

Every once in a while, radio advertising fails.

There can be no debate, though, when implemented correctly, advertising on Fort Myers radio works, and works well.

Aaron Walker is the owner of Naples Nissan. "Last year," he says, "we had the biggest sales year in the history of the store. Advertising on Fort Myers radio was a key driver of our success."

Naples Nissan had been a fixture in Southwest Florida for many years before Mr. Walker took over four years ago. "The previous owner," he explains, "had been selling, on average, 110 new and used vehicles a month. Because of the way we consistently market our dealership on the radio, we now sell 300 cars per month."

Mr. Walker knows that his radio ads are effective. "If we are ever off the air for a few days, my sales managers notice a significant dip in customer traffic."

In US history, there have been more recessions than presidents, 47 vs. 45.  Many economists believe number 48 could be imminent.  

The textbook definition of a recession is a period of declining economic performance across an entire economy, frequently measured as two consecutive quarters. In other words: it's a time when most Fort Myers area small business owners sell fewer of their goods and services.

There is one thing a recession is not.  It is not a time for Southwest Florida business owners to stop advertising.

One of the greatest marketers of all time, Henry Ford, once said, "The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time."

The bowl of cereal you ate this morning could be all the proof you need that Mr. Ford's observation is accurate.

Business owners who sell mattresses in Southwest Florida might be losing sleep.

Last year, local consumers spent close to $40 million for new mattresses.  A recent survey conducted by Piper Jaffray indicates that many retailers believe  that the category will become even stronger during the last four months of this year.

The reason for the owners' sleep loss is that many customers are skipping local stores and buying their mattresses on the internet. According to Statista, 37% of mattress buyers are now purchasing from one-of-175 direct-to-consumer sites like Casper or from online retailers like Amazon. 

To keep customers shopping local requires advertising.

Technology is changing the way people in Southwest Florida consume media. This includes streaming audio platforms like Pandora and Spotify or the ability to watch Netflix on a smartphone.

But one thing has not changed.  That thing with the buttons and knobs that's been part of a car's dashboard since 1930. The contraption called radio.

Some small business owners believe the medium is outdated, and nobody listens to it anymore. But, contrary to that view, radio still reaches 92% of all consumers in America.

In SWFL, for example, last week significantly more consumers tuned-in to their favorite Fort Myers radio stations than watched local TV; read a newspaper; logged-on to Facebook, or signed-in to Pandora or Spotify.

Every vote counts.  Many times the difference between winning an election and losing is a handful of ballots. This is true in races for almost every elected office, referendum, and issue on the national, statewide, and local level.

To win a modern election requires advertising. Successful advertising requires reach. In Southwest Florida, the most potent way to reach voters is on local radio.

Last week, for instance, 92% of all registered voters in Lee and Colliers County tuned-in to a Fort Myers radio station.  This is significantly more than were reached by local TV, local newspaper, or the major social media site like Facebook and Instagram.

Next year, according to Nielsen, 52,438 people in Southwest Florida will be getting married.  Assuming that those folks are hitching-up with each other, that means there will be 26,192 weddings. 

CostOfWedding.com reports that the average cost for these pending nuptials will be $27,209 including (but not limited to) rings, dresses, tuxedos, flowers, venues, photographers, invitations, limos, and rice (or birdseed for the ecologically inclined).

This means small business owners in the Fort Myers-Naples area who cater to the bridal market will be competing for a share of $712 million.

Mark Twain has some script writing advice for Southwest Florida small business owners who depend on radio advertising to market their goods and services.

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - 'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning," advises Mr. Twain.

In other words, fill your commercials with lightning, not bugs!

Currently, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 171,476 words in the English language. A handful of these words, Fort Myers area small business owners can't use in their radio commercials. The Supreme Court of the United States says so.

Of all the words that can be used in broadcast advertising, however, there is one word that should be shunned: 'get' and all of its nasty derivative forms including 'got' and 'gotten'.  Here's why.

The typical 60-second commercial on Fort Myers radio consists of 160 words.  Depending on the station, each word in that ad could cost around $1.00.  It is important, then, that each word is carefully selected to engage listeners and then compel them to action.  This is especially crucial when using verbs. 

"One of the best ways of grabbing and keeping an audience is to use strong, descriptive verbs," says the Writing Center at the University of Houston.  'Get' is not that kind of verb.