The National Retail Federation has predicted that this year's back-to-school shopping season will set a new record. Households with school-age children are expected to spend, on average, $696.70 preparing their kids for the first day of classes. This tops the previous record set in 2012.

For Central Savannah River Area small business owners, this means there is $155,483,400 of back-to-school bucks in play between now and the first bell of the school year.

According to the NRF, here's how the $696.70 per household will be spent.

• Clothing & Accessories: $239.82
• Computers & Electronics: $203.44
• Shoes: $135.96
• School Supplies: $117.49

To grab the largest share of back-to-school spending will require small business owners to advertise.  By any metric, advertising on Augusta radio stations will be the most effective.  Here's why.

The number one job of every commercial on Augusta radio is not to sell products.

The number one job is not to build store traffic or to create top of mind of awareness.

The number one job of a radio commercial is not to build brand or deliver ROI.

The number one job of every commercial on an Augusta radio station is to be heard. Period. When a commercial is heard, then all the rest will follow. But being heard is not easy.

At the exact second a radio commercial begins, 11,000,000 other pieces of information are all wrestling for the listener's attention.  Sadly, a consumer's brain is only capable of dealing with about 50 bits of that information at a time.

If you are a Central Savannah River Area business owner who would like to secure a larger share of the $8.6 billion local consumers will spend this year, then what you say first in your commercial is crucial to winning the battle for a consumer's ear.

When a Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) small business owner buys a 60-second commercial on an Augusta radio station, she is limited to about 160 words to persuade listeners to become customers.  To be successful, then, each word needs to be carefully selected to fulfill the desired marketing objective. 

A telephone number comprises seven words. Ten if the area code is included.  If the number is repeated three times during the commercial, then it will consume 21-30 words or up to 18% of the total.

So, should a CSRA business owner sacrifice a significant portion of a radio commercial to insert a phone number? Except for certain circumstances, described below, the answer is no. 

Here are the facts.

Eight months ago, Jonathan Wingard opened his own State Farm insurance agency in North Augusta, South Carolina. Since then he has added 120 new households as clients.

After about 30 days in business, Mr. Wingard began advertising on Augusta radio stations. "New customers come in all the time," he says, "and say they heard about us on the radio."

Mr. Wingard always knew he wanted to be in insurance. "I was introduced to the business in college by one of my elementary school teachers who had become a State Farm agent herself.  I liked her confidence. I liked the way she listened to people. I liked her professionalism.  I knew I wanted to be like that, too."

Before opening up his own small business, Mr. Wingard worked for another agency to "learn the ropes."  After four years, he was ready to go out on his own by absorbing 800 accounts from an agent who was moving out of town."

"When I started my business," says Mr. Wingard, "there were already six other State Farm agents in North Augusta. So, I knew I had to build my own brand to differentiate myself. Advertising was the way to go." 

"I do as much as I can afford," he says. "Since I opened, I have invested about 8% of the income generated by my existing accounts back into advertising."

It's time to set some misinformed CSRA small business owners straight.  When we say everybody listens to Augusta radio stations, we mean everybody.  Generations X, Y, and Z. Baby boomers, and, yes, the millennial generation.

You know...millennials. Those are the "kids" who came of age at the turn of the millennium (which is, debatably, either 2000 or 2001).  This means 18-34 year olds. 

Thousands of Central Savannah River Area small business owners depend on radio advertising to claim their share of the $8.6 billion local consumers will spend this year. Cha-ching.

These advertisers have, typically, 30 or 60 seconds to convince the 412,144 listeners who tune-in to Augusta radio stations each week to become customers. So, it is essential to know how to use that time effectively.

Gathering a sample of 6003 respondents, Westwood One in partnership with audio testing experts Veritonic studied how different elements of award-winning radio commercials affect a listener's intent to buy the products or services advertised. 

Here are the results of the study that CSRA business owners could find useful.

Professional advice is always welcome. Especially when you are a Central Savannah River Area business owner investing your own money trying to capture a larger share of the $8.6-billion local consumers will spend this year.

Hundreds of business owners depend on Augusta radio stations to market their goods and services.  What a company says in their commercials and how they say it are the most critical factors for turning listeners into customers.  This is referred to by the professionals as the "creative."

A study by Nielsen indicates that the creative elements of a commercial are responsible for 47% of an advertiser's sales result. 

Creative, it turns out, has a more significant effect on sales for CSRA small business owners than does reach, targeting, or branding elements. 

Producing and judging effective creative, though, can be a challenge for a CSRA business owner. So, here is some advice from an award-winning, advertising professional.