Since 1930, advertising on Augusta radio has helped small business owners survive and thrive during times of peril. This includes world wars, natural disasters, depressions, and recessions.

Even during a pandemic, by almost every key marketing metric, radio advertising remains the best way for a Central Savannah River Area business to market its goods and services.

To prove the point, here are five statistics that vividly demonstrate the value of advertising on Augusta radio.

There are 234,400 adult women in the Central Savannah River Area. Based on research from the Harvard Business Review, as a consumer group, females account for 70-80 percent of all consumer purchasing through a combination of their buying power and influence.  According to Nielsen, this will amount to between $6.6 billion and $7.6 billion this year.

Overall, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the US Census Bureau:

• Single women across all income brackets spend, on average, $34,817 on goods and service
• Working married women contribute over a third of their families’ incomes
• Over a quarter (29.4%) of wives earned more than their husbands in 2018, an increase from 15.9% in 1981.

Furthermore, according to research published by Forbes:

• The top homebuyers after married couples are single women (18%, double the percentage for single men at 9%).
• Women are 50% more likely than men to regularly watch online how-to videos.
• 94% of women between the ages of 15-35 spend over an hour per day shopping online.
• 70% of travel consumers are women.
• 85% of women say that if they like a brand, they will remain loyal to it.

For Augusta small business owners to successfully capture a meaningful share of the local female economy requires advertising.

Augusta's first radio station, WRDW-AM, began broadcasting on June 25, 1930.  The process of getting the station's programming from the studio into the home of local listeners required tall-transmitting towers with miles of underground copper wire in the middle of massive fields.

For the next 63 years, this massive investment in real estate, steel, and cooper was the only method of delivering a radio advertiser's message into the ears of Augusta consumers.

In 1993, however, new technology permitted Augusta radio stations to augment the reach of their tall towers by simultaneously streaming its over-the-air programming via the internet. This provided local consumers with the choice of listening to their favorite stations on their car radios, clock radios, and boom boxes or on an internet connected devices like computers, smartphones, or tablets.

Today, based on estimates from Edison Research, 11% of listening to local radio stations occurs on a streaming media device.  The ability for AM/FM to migrate from their tall towers to internet streaming allows Augusta radio to reach more local consumers every week than all other media.

Radio came to Georgia on March 15, 1922 when WSB went on the air. The station was owned by The Atlanta Journal.

From that day, many predicted radio's success would succumb to advances from new technologies. In 1927, the challenge came from talking movies. In the 1940s, the predators were 13-inch TV sets. In the 1970s, it was 8-track and cassette tapes. In the past 20 years, there was a multi-flank attack from iPods, Zunes, YouTube, Sirius, XM, Pandora, Spotify,

So far, all of these challengers have failed. Not even a pandemic has been able to remove radio as a vital force in the life of Central Savannah River Area consumers.

Every week, according to Nielsen, more adults tune-in to Augusta radio than watch TV or cable. Use social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Read newspapers. Or, stream music from Pandora or Spotify.

How important is Twitter to Central Savannah River Area consumers? Yesterday, for instance, the social media platform was mentioned in at least ten articles published by the Augusta Chronicle yesterday.  Almost every local TV newscast included references to the site as well.

Twitter's outsized presence in the news, however, is enormously disproportional to the importance of the micro-blogging app in the life of Augusta's consumers.

According to Nielsen, only about 15% of adults in the CSRA use Twitter during the course of a month. This is minuscule compared to other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Twitter offers 20 different options that Georgia and South Carolina small business owners can utilize to market their goods and services to local consumers.  The platform's minimal reach, however, can hamper the success of any advertising campaign.

Until 1930, there were no radio stations the Central Savannah River Area. Local listeners would need to tune to distant signals including WSB, a station owned by The Atlanta Journal.  WSB was Georgia's first radio station and had been on the air since March 15, 1922.

On June 25, 1930, however, Warren Davenport and Clark Jack put Augusta's first radio station, WRDW, on the air. Mr. Davenport and Mr. Clark were owners of Musicove, a store at 309 Eighth Street that sold radios, records, and sheet music.

The inaugural broadcast of WRDW began at 1:05am and lasted nearly three hours. The first program included a performance by local musician J. Bernard Carpenter.

A few days later on July 3, WRDW broadcast a speech by J. Roy Cooper, a candidate for Mayor in Augusta. This was the city's first ever political broadcast.

For 90 years, small business owners have depended on local radio stations to successfully market their goods and services through depressions, recessions, wars, and natural disasters. Even now, during a pandemic, advertising on Augusta radio remains a dependable way to make cash registers ring.

Here are five facts every CSRA small business owner needs to know about local radio in 2020.

There are 107,300 adults in the Central Savannah River Area who have earned a four-year college or postgraduate degree, according to research from Nielsen. A study from the Federal Reserve indicates that these educated consumers have been least affected by the economic consequences of the pandemic.

"While the labor market disruptions have affected workers in a wide set of industries and occupations, those without a college degree have experienced the most severe impact," say Mary C. Daly, Shelby R. Buckman, and Lily M. Seitelman authors of The Unequal Impact of COVID-19 in the Economic Letter published by the Federal Reserve of San Francisco.

Although the unemployment rate increased among consumers of every education level in late March when the Governors of Georgia and South Carolina lockdown their states to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, the smallest increase was among those with bachelor or postgraduate degrees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics..

Seven months later, job recovery among those with college degrees is closer to pre-pandemic levels than consumers with lower levels of educational attainment.

Many small business owners have seen the correlation between advertising and survival during the economic crisis inflicted by the pandemic.  With precious few dollars to invest, it is crucial that every advertisement reaches consumers who have disposable income to buy. Right now, the most likely spenders are customers with college degrees.

By key advertising metrics, the best way to reach consumers with higher education is on Augusta radio.

Central Savannah River Area shoppers are expected to spend a record $1.4 billion online in 2020, based on the most recent projections from eMarketer. This would represent year-over-year growth of 32.4%.

During the same period, according to eMarketer, receipts at brick-and-mortar stores have contracted by 3.2%.  Overall, excluding gas and auto sales, e-commerce will account for 20.6% of all retail sales this year.

The Coronavirus pandemic is credited with this seismic shift in shopping behavior as consumers continue to avoid stores and opt for online shopping.

“We’ve seen e-commerce accelerate in ways that didn’t seem possible last spring, given the extent of the economic crisis,” said Andrew Lipsman, eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence. “While much of the shift has been led by essential categories like grocery, there has been surprising strength in discretionary categories like consumer electronics and home furnishings that benefited from pandemic-driven lifestyle needs.”

Even before the onset of the pandemic, 76.7% of CSRA consumers had bought goods online over the prior six months, according to Nielsen research. Purchases included clothing, health & beauty products, travel reservations, books, furniture, and groceries.

Before we explain AVOD, it is important to understand SVOD.

Central Savannah River Area small business owners may not be familiar with SVOD, but chances are they let it into their homes and onto their phones.

SVOD is the abbreviation for Subscription Video On Demand. That is the collective name for streaming networks like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.  For a monthly fee, these services provide commercial-free access to TV shows, original content, and movies.

These SVOD networks are delivered to viewers' phones, tablets, computers, and smart-TVs via the internet and not over-the-air or cable systems.

SVOD makes up a significant part of what advertisers refer to as OTT (Over-The-Top-Television) and CTV (Connected-Television). OTT/CTV is video-programming content that viewers can only watch on smartphones, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Firesticks, and Roku Sticks.  Nielsen reports that 91% of CSRA adults own at least one of these devices.

There are more than 357,000 car radios in the Augusta area. In early April, though, many of these devices became quarantined along with their owners. That was the day when the Governors of Gerogia and South Carolina shut down their states to slow the spread of COVID-19.

According to the Apple Mobility Index, the Governors' public-safety orders caused traffic on CSRA roadways to plummet to 45% of pre-pandemic levels.

By the beginning of July, however,  the AMI indicates that traffic in Augusta began to exceed pre-Covid levels. The surge in mobility is due, in part, to work-from-home, furloughed, and laid-off employees returning to their workplaces.

According to Nielsen, during the week of April 30, only 39% of adults with jobs were working outside-the-home.  During the week of October 1, though, that number had expanded to 61%.

Augusta area business owners are expected to spend $9.1 million on newspaper advertising in 2020. This will be 29% fewer dollars than were spent in 2019, according to a study by Borrell Associates, a company that analyzes local media expenditures across the country.

Of course, the pandemic is part of the reason advertising revenues have plummeted at Augusta newspapers. But, the more significant factor is the sustained erosion of readership.

For example, between October 2017 and March 2019, the Monday-Saturday circulation of the Augusta Chronicle has decreased by 27%. The Sunday edition suffered a 32% decrease.

Among all advertising media available to small business owners, newspaper's ability to reach adult consumers now lags significantly behind Augusta radio, cable, broadcast TV, and social media.

There are more than 375,000 vehicles registered in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). Many need new windshield wipers, shocks, struts, brakes, air filters, ignition coils, and the hundreds of other items that fill the shelves of local auto part dealers.

Despite the pandemic induced slowdown, business at auto parts stores has grown nearly 13% since February, according to the US Census Bureau.

This explosive growth in auto parts sales directly relates to the  average age of cars on Augusta area roads.

"Per the latest study from IHS Markit, the current combined average age of vehicles has hit a record of 11.9 years," Rimmi Singhi wrote this week on NASDAQ.com. "The aging vehicles are a boon to auto parts, replacement, and repair companies. In a bid to ensure long-term functioning of the aging vehicle population, customers are making investments to replace faulty vehicle parts and components."

Also contributing to the rapid aging of cars on the road is the current demand for used versus new vehicles. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) for used cars is 25% higher in August than it was during the same month last year.

There are approximately 134,000 households in the Central Savannah River Area with existing mortgages, according Nielsen. The median value of these homes is $161,000.

Yesterday, there was extraordinary news for many of these borrowers and for CSRA banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies

According to The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), mortgage rates have hit an all-time low of 2.86%.

Advertising on Augusta television and cable is becoming less attractive to Central Savannah River Area business owners as viewers rapidly defect to alternative video entertainment sources including, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon and Disney+.

Collectively these streaming services are referred to as Over-The-Top Television (OTT) and Connected-TV (CTV). Viewers can only access this OTT and CTV content via smartphone, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Fire Sticks, and Roku Sticks, Nielsen reports that 91% of Augusta area adults own at least one these devices. Furthermore, they are using them.

According to Nielsen projections, OTT and CTV networks now reach 43.4% of CSRA consumers every week.

New data from the US Census Bureau has optimistic news for Central Savannah River Area companies that sell business-to-business.

There are approximately 8600 businesses in the Augusta area, according to the Census Bureau. Indeed, many of these businesses have suffered since the onset of the Coronavirus, especially in April.

Census information is now showing positive indicators that the fortunes of area companies are improving. This includes those with 500 or fewer employees. These small businesses account for 86% of all CSRA firms.

During the week of April 26, 75% of Georgia area small businesses reported temporary closures.  By July 1, the number dropped to 34%

Also, during that same week, 41% of small business owners in the state were reporting decreases in revenue versus the prior week.  By the end of June, that number fell to slightly over 10%.

In both June and July of this year, national data shows all retail and food services spending significantly outperformed the prior year by between two and three percent.

As the business climate improves in the CSRA, the fortunes of B2B companies will accelerate as well. These include those businesses that sell office supplies, restaurant supplies, cleaning services, legal services, accounting services, transportation services, banking services, technology, and commercial real estate.

Before COVID-19, most listening to Augusta radio happened outside the home. CSRA consumers were tuning-in to their favorite stations from the car on the way to their job. Then, they tuned-in when they arrived at work. They listened again during the commute back home.

Nielsen recently surveyed consumers who worked from home before and during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The results show, as of June, 66% of respondents now work from home full-time as a consequence of the pandemic.

As consumers are compelled to work from their houses and curtail their commutes, the share of at-home listening to Augusta radio has grown by 18%, according to Nielsen.

Augusta radio reaches more area adults every week than any other medium. During a typical seven-day period, according to Nielsen, 412,000 local consumers tune-in to their favorite AM and FM stations. This is significantly more than those who watch broadcast television, subscribe to pay-TV, browse social media, read a newspaper, or stream music from Pandora and Spotify.

Radio's omnipresence in the life of Central Savannah River Area consumers is remarkable considering today is the medium's 100th birthday.

Despite all of the media options available for small business owners to market their goods and services, advertising on Augusta radio is still the best way to reach local consumers in the Central Savannah River Area.

Adult consumers are spending 741 minutes per day consuming electronic media, according to a new study by Nielsen.  This is 7.8% more time than they spent last year and 11.2% more than in 2018.

The typical daily media diet consists of radio, live TV, time-shifted TV, DVD/Blue-ray devices, game consoles, internet-connected devices, as well as internet via computers, smartphone apps, and tablet apps.

According to Nielsen, despite all of these media options, local radio reaches the most consumers every week.

During the spring, 344,400 adult radio-listeners tuned in to their favorite radio stations each week, according to Nielsen. This is 10% more than during the fall, despite the pandemic. 

Some advertising experts had predicted that as consumers spent more time at home because of COVID-19 concerns, the hours devoted to radio listening would decrease. That, however, was not the case.

In the Spring of 2019, according to Nielsen, 38.4% of radio listening occurred at home. During July of this year, in-home listening jumped to 45.4%. Despite the reduction in out-of-home activities, though, CSRA consumers still spent the almost the same amount of time listening to Augusta radio.

More than one-third of Central Savannah River Area households are 'cord-cutters' or 'cord-nevers'. This means, they have fired their cable or satellite television providers or never subscribed at all. Instead, these consumers are choosing to find their video entertainment elsewhere.

The number of local homes that subscribe to pay-TV services began plummeting in 2013. New technologies has allowed viewers to bypass cable and satellite for more compelling content at lower prices. These cord-cutters now depend on services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime to fill their multiple screens.

For many years, CSRA small business owners have been investing a significant portion of their advertising budgets into cable-TV.  The medium had proven to be a low-cost, high-reach alternative to buying commercial on over-the-air television stations. 

Now, because of cord-cutting, there are 154,000 adult consumers in the Augusta Metro with unconnected TVs. This profoundly diminishes the value proposition of advertising with local cable systems.

There is a powerful and affordable solution, however, for small business owners to reach both the diminishing cable audience and the expanding number of cord-cutters.

Central Savannah River Area small business owners have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services since June 25, 1930.  That's the day William Davenport and Clark Jack put WRDW, the first Augusta station, on the air.

Today, there are 28 radio stations that serve the CSRA. 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. Davenport and Mr. Jack began broadcasting, there were no TV stations in Georgia. Those would come 18 years later. Also, there was no social media, YouTube, Sirius/XM, Pandora, Spotify, or smartphones. Each of those would all be products of the next millenium.

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

Central Savannah River Area consumers are expected to spend $9.3 billion at retail this year, according to Nielsen. This means that every household, on average, will be paying out $41,705.

To capture a larger share of these dollars, local small business owners need to know the answer to two questions.

The first question is, where is this enormous amount of cash being spent?  The list below details the answer.

Last week, according to Nielsen, 94,966  single, adult women tuned-in to an Augusta, GA radio station.  This is 89% of every consumer who fits this description.

Why should Central Savannah River Area small business owners take note of this demographic? A study by investment bank Morgan Stanley finds 41% of working-age women are single. That number is expected to increase to 45% over the next ten years.

The study, called 'Growth of the SHEconomy', indicates that single women outspend the average household in many retail categories. Remarkably, says, Erica Sweeney of MarketingDive, "Women purchase more than half of products traditionally considered 'male' including autos, home improvement products, and consumer electronics."

"Radio is a large part of our advertising, and it always has been," says Peter Alewine.  His family has owned and operates Pete Alewine Pools & Spas in the Central Savannah River Area since 1998.

"My father's goal, when he began the company out of our garage, was to build a few pools a year. He started with three employees, including me,  during my school vacations."

Today, the company has more than 100 employees working out of locations in Evans, GA; Aiken, SC; and Lexington, SC. In addition to building hundreds of pools per year, it has expanded into the sale of hot tubs, pool chemicals, deck furniture, and maintenance.

"Augusta radio is our dominant form of advertising," says Mr. Alewine who, is responsible for the company's marketing. "We are starting to add more online advertising to the mix as well, including social media and Google advertising. We have used a little bit of television, but it hasn't worked well for us."

Based on information from the National Retail Foundation, Central Savannah River Area consumers will be spending $13.4 million on Halloween this year. 

Typically, 80% of all Halloween shopping, according to the NRF, will occur between now and October 16.  The remaining dollars will be spent in the last 14 days leading up to the holiday.

Nearly 53% of consumers in the CSRA are expected to participate in Halloween this year, each spending, on average, about $86.  This money will go towards the purchase of candy, decorations, costumes, pumpkins, and greeting cards.

Almost every type of local small business enjoys a taste of this spending. This includes hardware stores, convenience stores, craft stores, fabric stores, thrift stores, florists, card stores, consignment shops, haunted houses, home decor store, bakeries, and, of course, candy stores.

To claim a significant share of this Halloween cash will require local small business owners to advertise.  The key to successful advertising is reaching as many Halloween shoppers as possible over the next four weeks.

"Advertising on Augusta radio has been great for us," says Eddie Jordan. He is the Managing Partner of ten Papa John's Pizza restaurants in the CSRA. "Customers tell me all the time that they hear our ads. When they think about pizza, they think about us."

Mr. Jordan began his career at Papa John's in 1994 as a delivery driver. He worked his way up to assistant manager, general manager, and area supervisor. After six years he bought in as an owner.

"When I started, we just had two stores in the area. We added a new location every year until we had six and then stopped for a while," says Mr. Jordan. "But, in 2007, we knew the population in the CSRA was going to grow like crazy, so we started building again. In 2017, we added our ninth and tenth locations. We now have restaurants in Aiken, Augusta, and North Augusta."

Mr. Jordan was right. Pizza has become big business in the CSRA.  Last week, according to Nielsen, more than 135,000 adults used a local pizza restaurant. This is almost one-third of the entire population.

Advertising on Augusta radio stations is the best way for Central Savannah River Area small business owners to reach the lucrative, local mother market.  Here's why.

CSRA consumers will spend $8.4 billion over the next 12 months. Forbes magazine reports that it is moms who will control 85% of all household purchases. In the Augusta, GA area there are more than 110,000 women with children under the age of 17 at home.

Local small business owners need to pay special attention to these mothers and their wallets.

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 the Central Savannah River Area, the most potent way to reach voters is on local radio.

Last week, for instance, 91.6% of all registered voters in Columbia, McDuffie, Richmond, Aiken and Edgefield County, tuned-in to an Augusta 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, 24,897 people in the Central Savannah River Area plan to be married.  Assuming that those folks are hitching-up with each other, that means there will be 12,448 weddings. 

CostOfWedding.com reports that the average cost for these pending nuptials will be $26,680 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 Augusta area who cater to the bridal market will be competing for a share of $332 million.

Mark Twain has some script writing advice for Central Savannah River Area  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 in the English language. A handful of these words, CSRA 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.

Two things are remarkable about voting day in 1920.  It was the first time, ever, women could participate in the selection of the U.S. President. It was also the first time live election results were broadcast on the radio. Not to mention, it was also the first radio broadcast, ever.

The voters' choice that night was between Warren G. Harding  and James M. Cox.  Both men had derived their political power as successful newspaper publishers.  It is quite ironic, then, that one of these men would reach the highest office in the land on the same night that the nascent radio broadcasting business began its takedown of the newspaper industry.

Nowhere is this takedown more apparent than locally, where radio has become, by far, the advertising medium with the largest reach among Central Savannah River Area consumers.

First Choice Home Builders is an Evans, Georgia based construction company. It has been building spec and semi-custom luxury homes in the Central Savannah River Area since 2003.

"In 2018, we sold 48 homes," says Jade Ross, the company's Marketing Coordinator. "The year before we sold 32."

"Advertising on Augusta radio stations has been very important in the growth of our company," she says. "We have used it to build our brand so that when people in the CSRA are ready to buy a newly built home, the first company they think about it us."

Market research indicates that radio advertising is the best way to reach the prospective home buyers that First Choice needs to reach to be successful.

If you don't have time to read this entire article, then I will tell you right now. The best way to advertise in the Central Savannah River Area is on Augusta radio.

A vital function of advertising is to build mental availability, which nudges a consumer toward the purchase of a product or service. It also serves to provide public notice that a product or service exists and is available for purchase.

Consumers in the CSRA area are expected to spend at least $8.6 billion at retail this year. To claim a greater share of this giant pool of cash requires local business owners of every size to advertise their goods and services. As Professor Jef Richards at Michigan State University points out, “Advertising is totally unnecessary…unless you want to make money."