Southwest Florida small business owners are learning that 're-opening' may not be an appropriate word for the challenges they face as the Coronavirus crisis winds down.  A better term might be 're-introducing'.

Since the Governor of Florida shuttered the state on April 3 to slow the spread of COVID-19, SWFL consumers have discovered new ways to buy the goods and services they need.  It's now the burden of local business owners to lure these customers back. The first step is re-introduction.

In 1940, WFTM in Fort Myers signed on as the first radio station in Southwest Florida. Since then, local business owners have used radio advertising to introduce themselves successfully to new customers. Radio has also helped these businesses survive recessions, depressions, world wars, hurricanes, and floods. By any metric, advertising on Fort Myers radio remains the most effective tactic a small business owner can use post-pandemic, as well.

Southwest Florida consumers are expected to buy $22.5 billion worth of local goods and services over the next 12 months. To claim the largest share of those dollars requires small business owners to advertise.

“Think you have a great product?” asks the Small Business Administration. “Unfortunately, no one’s going to know about it unless you advertise.”  The SBA goes on to say, “Advertising, if done correctly, can do wonders for your product sales, and you know what that means: more revenue and more success for your business."

According to the eBook Seven Steps for Success, "There are many ways for small business owners to advertise. Options include local newspapers, local magazines, local television, and online."

"But to achieve the “3-Rs” of advertising success, Reach, Recall, and Return, no other medium delivers results as effectively and efficiently as advertising on Fort Myers radio."

For budget-conscious small business owners, there are three tactics that can be employed to make sure every advertising dollar spent on Fort Myers radio stations works as hard as possible.

Thousands of Southwest Florida small business owners depend on radio advertising to successfully market their goods and services.

Take Bob Bigelow, for instance. He and his wife Dawn opened Biggy's Place, a 164-seat Fort Myers restaurant five years ago. Their sales have grown by 600% since they started advertising on Fort Myers radio.

"Three months after we took over the restaurant, we began investing hot-and-heavy into our radio advertising," says Mr. Bigelow. "I've been involved in marketing for over 37 years, but I have never been as overwhelmed by the response to our current advertising. Almost every day a new customer will tell us they learned about us on Fort Myers radio."

Conditioned Air is a Naples-based heating, ventilation, and air conditioning company.  Theo Etzel joined the company in 1995 as President and CEO.  That was the same year the company began advertising on Fort Myers radio as part of an aggressive growth strategy.

"To accelerate our growth at the beginning, we needed a strong platform to share the company's story," recalls Mr. Etzel. "So, we invested heavily in radio advertising."  To this day, Fort Myers radio is still Conditioned Air's predominant form of advertising.

There's a right way and a wrong way for SWFL business owners to advertise on Fort Myers radio.  Fortunately, there is a free resource at AdvertiseInFortMyers.com that can help replicate the successes of Mr. Bigelow and Mr. Etzel.

You've done the research. You now know that by every measure, radio advertising is the most effective way for your SWFL small business to market its goods and services.

You have learned, for instance, 807,219 consumers regularly tune-in to their favorite Fort Myers radio stations.  That's more than 90% of all adults.

You've also learned that, on average, adults spend almost two hours per day listening to Fort Myers radio.

If you dug deep enough, then you know radio advertising delivers, on average, a $10 lift in sales for every $1 invested. This is a remarkable ROI for any Southwest Florida small business owner.

What you may not have figured out, however, is what is the best time of day to advertise on Fort Myers radio?