Delaware Valley business owners are expected to invest $1.3-billion during 2021 to advertise to consumers connected to the internet. This forecast was produced by Borrell Associates, a company that tracks business advertising expenditures across the country.

These online marketing dollars will be spent on banner advertising, search engine marketing, email, as well as audio and video advertising. This is all to capture the attention of shoppers and buyers as they go about their connected days.

According to Nielsen, 95.2% of adult consumers in the Philadelphia area have access to the internet. They connect, primarily, with desktop and laptop computers; smartphones; or tablets.

Ninety-seven percent of Delaware Valley adults spend at least one hour per week online, with most spending at least 10 hours connected.

Over 96% of Delaware Valley adults have access to the internet, according to Nielsen. Nearly 70% of these consumers spend more than five hours a week connected.

Nielsen reports that Philadelphia area consumers go online to stay connected to friends and family; research products and services; learn the latest news, and obtain directions to where they are going and know what the weather will be when they get there.  

Here are some of the many reasons why Philadelphia area internet users go online each month

• Social Media: 79%
• Weather: 58%
• Online Banking: 55%
• Maps/Directions: 52%
• Product Reviews: 48%
• Current Events: 39%
• Restaurant Reviews: 34%
• Sports Scores/News: 30%
• Job Search: 22%
• Real Estate: 16%

And, of course, there is shopping.  Over the past six months, according to Nielsen, 81.3% of Philadelphia consumers shopped online for every imaginable product and service including, cars, golf clubs, office supplies, wedding rings, mattresses, tires, medicine, shoes, socks, and eyeglasses.

To reach local consumers while they are online, Philadelphia business owners will spend $1.3 billion for digital advertising in 2020, according to Borrell Associates.  Here is how the money is being spent:

Following the lead of many national marketers, some Delaware Valley small business owners are considering canceling or, at minimum, pausing their advertising schedules with social media network Facebook and its co-owned photo-sharing platform, Instagram.

According to the New York Times, "more than 400 companies, from Coca-Cola and Adidas to Ford and Lego, have vowed to halt advertising on the social network, in a growing protest over how it handles hate speech and other harmful content".

With the pandemic figured in, Philadelphia small business owners were expected to spend $289 million on Facebook and Instagram advertising in 2020. This is according to Borrell Associates, a firm that specializes in the collection and analysis of local marketing expenditures in every city across the United States. But these expenditures could shrink if the protests become louder.

Every type of Delaware Valley business imaginable, including clothing stores, plumbers, HVAC repair, funeral homes, restaurants, dentists, and nonprofits, has come to realize how powerfully social media can contribute to their bottom lines.

Part of what makes Facebook and Instagram attractive to small business owners is the enormous reach these platforms have among consumers. Locally, the audience size for these two social media sites now rival Philadelphia radio, TV, cable, and newspaper outlets.

For small business owners considering a hiatus from social media advertising, there is a viable way to redirect these dollars into a different medium without losing the marketing equity or momentum built-up on Facebook.

Type "PHILADELPHIA REAL ESTATE AGENTS" into Google. In slightly over a half-second, the search will deliver 27,800,000 results. Similar searches for Chesterbrook, Penn Wynne, Ardmore, and West Conshohocken produce a proportional number of returns.

Despite the economic hardships imposed by the Coronavirus crisis on Delaware Valley consumers, the demand for real estate is booming. 

The Wall Street Journal published a trend this week indicating that mortgage applications for purchase a home have achieved levels equal to last year.

According to redfin.com, home buying demand is 16.5% higher now than it was pre-COVID-19 on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Redfin attributes this explosive growth in real estate shoppers to two factors, including record-low mortgage rates. The other primary driver is a migration trend from expensive metropolitan areas as buyers hunt for more space at lower prices.

To capture a larger share of the robust market, local real estate agents need to stand apart from the millions of Google results.  Advertising on Philadelphia radio will help accomplish this.  Here's why.

Facebook usage has swelled since the onset of the Covid-19. 

According to Nielsen, before the current chaos, 61% of Delaware Valley adults used Facebook each month. This was significantly fewer than were reached by local radio or television each week.

According to the New York Times, however, since the start of the Coronavirus, daily Facebook traffic has increased by 27%. This compares to 33% growth in the amount of time consumers spend listening to local radio during a similar period.

Based on the surge in Facebook consumption, Philadelphia small business owners might be tempted to purchase advertising on the social media platform to augment their regular, free postings. Here are are few facts these businesses should consider before investing.

Every week, 3,830,493 adult consumers tune-in to a Philadelphia radio station. That is way more than are reached by other media, including local television, newspaper, social media, or streaming audio sites like Pandora and Spotify.

A more significant number for thousands of Delaware Valley small business owners who advertise on Philadelphia radio is how many of these listeners stick around when their commercials come on.

A 2011 Nielsen study discovered that, on average, 93% of listeners stayed with the radio station they are tuned-to when the commercials come on. That number amazed many advertisers at the time who believed that audiences were far more likely to defect when the music stopped.

A lot has changed since 2011. Philadelphia area consumers have many more media options and can instantly connect to each  with a button-push, mouse-click, screen-tap, or voice command. With all of these choices, do radio audiences still stay tuned during commercial breaks?

The chaos created in the Delaware Valley by the onset of Coronavirus has been a disruptive force among consumers. 

Work routines, buying habits, family life, and media consumption have all been palpably affected. These are all factors that need to be considered by small business owners who continue to advertise their goods and services during the crisis.

Before the current chaos, advertising on Philadelphia radio, by any metric, was the best way a local small business could advertise.

For instance, pre-Coronavirus, 3.8 million adult consumers tuned-in to a Philadelphia radio station every week. This is significantly more than watched local TV, read a newspaper, accessed social media, or streamed audio from sites like Pandora and Spotify.

New research released from Nielsen indicates that amidst the current crisis, listening to local radio remains little changed. This is great news for those Delaware Valley small business owners who are depending on advertising for their long-term survival.

Delaware Valley small business owners are fighting the coronavirus battles on multiple fronts.  Their first objective is to keep their families and employees safe. Then, of course, there are the concerns of keeping their businesses healthy enough to survive current disruptions.

The business literature has an abundance of case studies showing how survival is often connected to a thoughtful communications and marketing strategy during challenging times.  

Business owners need to let Philadelphia area consumers know if they are still open. If their hours have changed. Or if they are providing alternative shopping methods (e.g., delivery, curbside pick-up).

Most importantly, it is imperative consumers know that a business will still be there for them when the crisis is over.

For those owners who are depending on communication to preserve their business, the best option may be to advertise on Philadelphia radio.

Philadelphia area retailers spend a considerable amount of time and money marketing their small businesses on social media.  Is this effort paying off?

Each month, according to Nielsen, 2.8 million Delaware Valley adults use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This equates to 66.5% of consumers.  This reach is rather anemic compared to Philadelphia radio and TV, which attracts considerably more users in a single week than these social media platforms do over 30 days.

Among local millennials, the monthly reach of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is eclipsed by the weekly reach of Philadelphia radio.

The number of consumers reached by an advertising campaign, according to Nielsen, is the media consideration that has the most significant effect on increasing sales. 

Delaware Valley consumers spent more than $103 billion with retailers last year. The National Retail Federation forecasts 4.1% more will be spent this year.

Who are the shoppers that will be spending all this money?

According to Nielsen, 51.7% of retail dollars are spent by Philadelphia area consumers over the age of 50. This may surprise many small business owners because older consumers comprise only 41% of the area's adult population.

These older consumers account for the majority of spending in almost every retail category. This includes furniture, cars, pet supplies, fast food, and electronics.

To earn a share of these massive dollars spent by these older consumers requires Delaware Valley small business owners to advertise.