Mark Twain has some script writing advice for Delaware Valley 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 words in the English language. A handful of these words, small business owners can't use in their commercials on Philadelphia radio. 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.

"I wish I had known about radio advertising when we opened up our first store in 1998," says the Dan DiZio the co-founder and CEO of Philly Pretzel Factory. "It would have allowed us to grow even faster than we did."

With permission of his Mom, an 11-year old Mr. DiZio began selling pretzels on the treacherous intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Rhawn Street in Northeast Philadelphia. His inventory was remnants from his neighbor, who owned the Kensington Soft Pretzel bakery.

"On the first day I sold 1000 pretzels", recalls Mr. Dizio. "After splitting the profits with my neighbor, I had $100 left in my pocket. A lot of money for an 11-year-old."

Shortly after that, Mr. DiZio began recruiting 40-50 classmates a day to hawk even more pretzels on street corners all over the neighborhood.  This early taste of franchising kept his pockets very full through middle school, high school, and into college.

This was the origin of what, today, is a $50,000,000 a year business with 175 stores in 17 states. Eighty-five of those locations are within 40 miles of Center City Philadelphia. Mr. DiZio has gone from selling 1000 pretzels per day to 175,000,000 per year.

"Radio advertising has been instrumental in our growth," says Kristin Smith the controller for Hatfield, Pennsylvania based World Wide Stereo. The iconic Delaware Valley retailer has been selling every imaginable type of home electronics from car stereos to home theatres since 1979.

"Many competitors have come and gone during our 40 years," adds Emily Cole, the company's Director of Marketing. She and Ms. Smith rattle off a long list of names including Tweeter, Silo, HiFi House, Circuit City, and Sixth Avenue.

"Radio has been the one advertising medium we have been using consistently all this time," says Ms. Smith.

Radio is hard-baked into the DNA of World Wide Stereo.  The company's founder and CEO, Bob Cole, first became hooked on electronics as a kid growing up in the 1950s. He remembers building his own radio with some copper wire and the wooden-spool from some sewing thread.

You've done the research. You now know that by every measure, radio advertising is the most effective way for your Delaware Valley small business to market its goods and services.

You have learned, for instance, 3,830,493 consumers regularly tune-in to their favorite Philadelphia radio stations.  That's more than 90% of all adults.

You've also learned that, on average, adults spend almost two hours per day listening to Philadelphia radio.

If you dug deep enough, then you know radio advertising delivers, on average, a $10 lift in sales for every $1 invested. This would be a remarkable return-on-investment for any Delaware Valley small business owner.

What you may not have figured out, however, is what is the best time of day to advertise on Philadelphia radio?

The ten most memorable brands in America have something in common. They each advertise on Philadelphia radio stations.

According to the YouGov Brand Index, the brands whose commercials generate the highest awareness are Geico, McDonald's, Verizon, AT&T, Walmart, Subway, Direct TV, T-Mobile, Progressive, and Walgreen’s.

If you were one of the 3,830,493 Delaware Valley consumers who tuned into a local radio station last week, then chances are you heard the ads for these brands. All ten are among the biggest users of radio advertising.

Here's is professional advice business owners can use to create a memorable brand for their own companies using Philadelphia radio stations.