For Delaware Valley small business owners who depend on Valentine's Day to spike first-quarter sales, this year could prove to be a battle as the decline in celebrants is expected to continue.

Based on estimates from the National Retail Federation, 2,5 million Philadelphia area consumers will be participating in the holiday this year. This is 20% fewer than ten years ago.

There is good news, however, for local business owners. Although there are will be fewer customers, local Valentine's Day spending is expected to grow to $413-million. This is 28% higher than a decade ago.

So, how does a Delaware Valley retailer or restaurant win the battle for the hearts and wallets of romantic consumers?  Advertising is a necessary weapon to win this war.

No weapon is as potent as advertising on Philadelphia radio.

"Don't believe anyone who tells you that advertising on radio doesn't work," says Jamie Riley. "We have been doing it since 2007 when I joined the company, and we continue to see our key business measurements grow."

Ms. Riley is the Director of Marketing and Promotions of Ron Jaworski Golf.

"Before I started working for Ron Jaworski, the Yellow Pages and newspapers were the only advertising the company was doing," she says. "When I suggested we do a remote radio broadcast at one of our golf clubs to bring in new people, everyone thought I was crazy."

"I guess it was a success because I wasn't fired, and we've continued to advertise on the radio, ever since."

There's a reason many Delaware small business owners target their advertising towards consumers who have completed a four-year college degree. It's because, typically, university graduates earn $29,106 more per year than those with only a high school diploma, according to The Federal Reserve.

There are, according to Nielsen, 1.5 million college graduates living in the Philadelphia  area. In total, this population generates $112.7 billion in annual take-home pay.

To tap into a similar pool of spending power, a marketer would need to reach 2.5 million consumers who did not go beyond high school. The problem is, there is 100,000 fewer than that living in the Delaware Valley.

The number of people reached by a campaign is, generally, what determines the cost of advertising. So, for a local small business owner operating on a tight marketing budget, spending can be kept in check by targeting those consumers with the most money to spend. In this case, college graduates.

Small business owners in the Philadelphia area must advertise to claim a fair share of the $100.9 billion retail economy.

“Think you have a great product?” asks the U.S. 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 sales, and you know what that means: more revenue and more success for your business."

During 2019, many Delaware small business owners sought advertising guidance on the advice pages of www.AdvertiseInPhiladelphia.com. Below are the top ten most-read articles from the past 12 months.

"When we recruit for study participants on Philadelphia radio, we always hit our goals," says Michelle Golding, Managing Director of Clinical Research at KGL Skin Study Center in Broomfield, PA. "Some of our studies require us to find up to 350 participants."

KGL provides independent clinical testing services to major pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies. These studies help determine the safety and effectiveness of a range of dermatology products including, topical drugs, cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, and acne treatments.

"Our company was founded in 1964 by Dr. Albert Kligman in 1964," says Ms. Golding. "He is considered the grandfather of dermatology. He set the standard for the testing we still use today."

"The first time we advertised on Philadelphia radio was two years ago.  We needed to recruit participants for an acne study that we were asked to conduct. It required us to find teens and young adults who have moderate to severe acne. This can be a very difficult group to reach. Our radio commercials brought in more than enough participants to fill the study."

When a Delaware Valley small business owner buys a 60-second commercial on a Philadelphia 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 advertiser's marketing objective. 

A telephone number comprises seven words. Ten when 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 allotment.

So, should a Philadelphia area 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.

For many generations of marketers, advertising on Philadelphia television was considered the "gold standard". For a Delaware Valley small business owner who craved massive reach, TV used to be the medium that could deliver.

Over the past few years, however, viewers have been abandoning local TV stations in vast numbers. This has propelled Philadelphia radio into being the most potent reach medium among local consumers.

Every week, 3,830,493 adult consumers tune-in to their favorite Philadelphia radio stations. This is significantly more than the 3,585,160 reached by local television.

For the past 39 years, Philadelphia radio has reached more than 90% of all consumers. But, look what has happened to TV's audience.

Over the next 12 months, Delaware Valley  consumers are expected to spend $103.4 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."

Local business owners have depended on Philadelphia radio advertising to market their goods and services since 1922. That's the year three local retailers each put a Philadelphia radio station on the air.  These included John Wanamaker's WOO, Strawbridge & Clothier's WFI, and Gimbel Brothers' WIP.

Today, Philadelphia radio, by any key advertising metric, is still the best way for business owners to reach local consumers.

Attention Delaware Valley small business owners. The five busiest shopping days of the year are imminent.

Based on data from the National Retail Federation, more than 3.2 million Philadelphia area consumers are likely to shop beginning on Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.

“The tradition of Thanksgiving weekend holiday shopping has become a five-day event with consumers spending money in stores, supporting local small businesses, and online with their mobile devices and computers,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Even as people are starting to purchase gifts earlier in the season, consumers still enjoy finding good Thanksgiving deals and passing time shopping with family and friends over the long holiday weekend.”

Based on the NRF findings, here are the number of shoppers local business owners can expect on each of these five days:

Almost 1,100,000 adult consumers in the Delaware Valley belong to a fitness club. These memberships bring in close to $1.9 billion in sales to local gym owners.

January is critical for the small business owners that operate gyms in the Philadelphia area. According to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, this one month alone, accounts for 10.8% of annual membership sales. New Year's resolutions are the reason for this early year spike.

To capture a larger share of the $209-million local consumers  will spend on gym memberships in January, requires fitness center owners to advertise. The best way to do this is on Philadelphia radio. Here's why.