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.

It is not a gimmick. Many CSRA business owners qualify for free advertising on Augusta radio stations. They pay nothing out-of-pocket.  Zero. Zilch. Zip. Bupkis. Free.

Henry Ford understood that the continual investment in advertising was necessary for a business to be successful. “Stopping advertising to save money," he said, "is like stopping your watch to save time.”

Sometimes, though, when daily expenses challenge their cash flow, CSRA small business owners must prioritize spending. Many times, unfortunately, Mr. Ford’s advice is ignored and buying commercials on Augusta radio will move down the list behind making payroll, maintaining delivery vehicles, and replenishing stock. A lot of times, advertising doesn’t make a list at all.

Some CSRA business owners have discovered that their radio advertising doesn’t have to be sacrificed at all when belts need to be tightened. It turns out there’s a deep pool of “free money” that can be dipped into for the singular purpose of advertising. These funds are called cooperative funds, or co-op for short.