Augusta, Georgia area business owners have an abundance of options for marketing their goods and services to local consumers. New research from Nielsen, however, indicates that advertising on Augusta radio is still the best way to reach local shoppers.

Every week, according to Nielsen, Augusta radio reaches 367,446 adults. This is significantly more than are reached by social media, local TV stations and cable systems, newspapers, streaming video and audio, and podcasts.

In addition to listening to their favorite Augusta radio stations over the air, Nielsen reports that 106,828 adults also listen to local stations online every month.

As a matter of fact, according to a study conducted by Edison Research during the third quarter of 2022, among Adults 25-54, 17% of all time spent listening to local AM/FM stations occurs online. This share of online listening has nearly doubled since 2016.

To ensure success, every Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) business owner needs to advertise.

"Think you have a great product?" asks the US 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.”

There are dozens of ways for local small business owners to advertise. By most metrics, the best way to advertise is on Augusta, Georiga radio. These measures of effectiveness, however, are often obscured by the glimmer and glitz of newer technologies. 

To help reduce the glare that often blinds business owners to the potency of advertising on Augusta radio, here are the top five things many local business owners get wrong.

In 2020, there were 23,012 new cars and trucks registered in the Augusta metro area. This number is based on projections from the National Auto Dealers Associaton (NADA) and the U.S. Census bureau.

In all, says NADA, there are 490 new-car dealerships in Georgia. Despite the pandemic, these dealers, including those in the Augusta area, sold $29.7 billion worth of new vehicles.

Through June of this year, these same dealers have already rung up $19 billion in new car sales.

When it comes to buying new vehicles, Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) consumers have a broad range of preferences. Some buyers want Fords while others want Chevrolets, Toyotas, or Teslas.  Some buyers want pick-up trucks, while others want sub-compacts, SUVs, or sports cars. Of course, some want blue vehicles, while others want pearl white, orchard green, or redolent red.

There is one purchase criterion, however, that most CSRA car buyers can agree on. They want an AM/FM radio smack-dab, in the middle of their dash.

According to Nielsen, 21.8% of CSRA consumers listened to or downloaded a podcast during the past 30 days.

A podcast is a downloadable digital audio file available to listeners on an internet-connected device like a smartphone, tablet, or computer. These files are typically part of series focusing on a particular theme such as true crime, professional football, politics, or pop culture.

Augusta, Georiga area consumers can listen to their favorite podcasts whenever they choose using apps like Spotify, Pandora, Google, and Stitcher. The most used podcasting app, though, is Apple Podcasts.

Research from PodcastHosing.org indicates that Augusta area consumers can access more than 2,000,000 podcast series comprising over 48,000,000 unique episodes. According to data compiled by Edison research, the top 10 podcasts during the second quarter of 2021 were:

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.

Over the next 12 months, Central Savannah River Area consumers are expected to spend $8.6 billion at retail.  To capture a larger share of this cash,  local small business owners should consider advertising.

The US Small Business Administration recommends that every SWFL small business advertise consistently.  “Think you have a great product?” asks the SBA. “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."

CSRA business owners have depended on Augusta radio 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, Augusta radio, by any key advertising metric, is still the best way for business owners to reach local consumers.

Ask any Central Savannah River Area small business owner how to measure the success of an advertising campaign. The answer will almost always 'sales.'

According to Nielsen research, the media-element of a campaign that has the most significant effect on sales is reach. This is the number of different people exposed to the advertiser's message.

There are more ways than ever to advertise. But, which of those options has the largest reach among CSRA consumers?

Doug Schoen, an advertising professional with 35 years of experience, writes in Forbes: "You wouldn’t know it from all the media coverage focused on streaming video and streaming music, but radio actually has the most reach among American media consumers. 93% of adults listen to the radio each week as compared to 87% who watch TV, a substantive difference."

It's a fact. Unless a consumer remembers your business when it comes time to buy, then it is likely they will purchase from someone else. Staying top of mind, therefore, is critical for every Central Savannah River Area small business owner who wants to grab a share of the area's $9.3-billion retail market.

Advertising on Augusta radio provides local business owners with the most affordable way to move to the top of customers' minds. But, before discussing how to get remembered, we must understand why consumers forget.

Every second, local consumers are exposed to 11,000,000 pieces of data. A consumer's brain, however, is only capable of dealing with about 50 pieces of this data at a time. So, if my calculus is correct, a consumer forgets approximately 10,999,950 things every second.

Central Savannah River Areas shoppers are expected to spend $1.3 billion this holiday season.  This will be approximately 4% higher than last year. These estimates are based on forecasts by the National Retail Federation and Deloitte.

To claim a fair share of the Christmas cash, local small business owners will need to battle some giant competitors. Advertising on Augusta radio stations may be the perfect weapon to ensure success.

According to information published in the retail trade magazine Chain Store Age, as of right now, here is where consumers are planning to shop...

In 1930, the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation put the first car radio on the market. They called it the Motorola. This in-car entertainment would have setback a Central Savannah River Area consumer about $120. That would be equivalent to $1300 today.

But, if you had that kind of cash back then, you would be able to cruise around in your Ford Model-A, DeSoto, Packard, or Studebaker and hear the music of the day from radio stations in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Atlanta.

Today, there's a radio in almost every vehicle on the streets of the CSRA. Despite the competition on the dashboard from other sources of entertainment, AM/FM radio remains the dominant choice among consumers for in-car entertainment.  This is great news for local business owners who depend on Augusta radio to market their goods and services.

The first radio station in the Central Savannah River Area, WRDW, went on-the-air in 1930.  Seventy-four years later, Facebook inaugurated the social media era.  Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and hundreds of other sites quickly followed.

As social media matured from a novelty to part of consumers' daily rituals, some CSRA small business owners began to experiment with advertising.

By every key advertising metric, though, Augusta radio remains the best choice for a small business to market their goods and services. Here's why.

"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.

Central Savannah River Area small business owners have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services since the first August radio station, WRDW, began broadcasting in 1930.

Today, hundreds of local small business owners still invest in radio advertising. Not only because it's the only local medium that can reach 412,144 consumers every week, but, most importantly, because it works.

Meet five of the of local business owners who currently advertise on Auguste radio to capture a significant share of the $8.6 billion CSRA consumers will spend this year.