The current high rate of inflation is tempering how much Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) business owners can spend on advertising.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 16,000 small businesses in the Augusta area. There is one thing each of these owners of the companies has in common, whether they own a hardware store in Aiken, a furniture store in Evans, or a restaurant in Martinez. They are all experiencing the negative consequences of inflation.

In a monthly survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business Owners (NFIB), inflation now ranks second as the single most important problem companies face. A year ago, inflation was barely an issue.

Inflation has not hampered the enthusiasm to spend among Augusta area consumers keeping retail sales hovering above pre-Covid levels. But, inflation is taking a dramatic toll on the amount of revenue business owners can keep.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, small business owners see inflation-fueled price increases in almost every cost of operation, including inventory, utilities, rent, and wages.

Because of these rising operational costs, Augusta business owners are looking to cut expenses where they can, including advertising expenditures. But, because there is still robust consumer demand for goods and services, these companies need to make sure that the amount they do invest in advertising has the best return possible.

By almost any marketing metric, advertising on Augusta radio provides the greatest return-on-investment (ROI) of any medium available to local business owners.