"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.

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.

By April 15th next year, 2.1 million residents in the Delaware Valley will file a tax return.  More than 53% of these returns will be completed by the taxpayer themselves, either by hand or with the help of an online provider like Turbotax.

Every season, Philadelphia area small business owners who specialize in tax preparation services lose customers to the do-it-yourself options.  This year, 975,000 local consumers will spend $188,000,000 with tax professionals. But, based on the average cost of services, more than $215,000,000 will stay in the wallets of the DIY crowd.

To clawback this enormous amount of money from the DIY market, local tax services will need to advertise the valuable benefits of using a professional.

The best advertising option for tax professionals is on Philadelphia radio stations. Here's why.

Delaware Valley small businesses that sell products or services to pet owners should sit up and take notice.  Local consumers will spend $1.2 billion this year on behalf of Fido and Fluffy. This amount has increased 323% since 1994, with no sign of letting up.

According to the American Pet Products Association, here's how local spending on furry companions breaks down:

• Food: $477,474,000
• Supplies/OTC Medicine: $256,205,000
• Vet Care: $291,143,000
• Live Pet Purchases: $22,062,000
• Other Services: $34,937,000

The biggest month for sales of pet-related products and services in the Delaware Valley is, by far, December. That is when 10.5% of all annual spending happens in this category.

The first radio stations in the Delaware Valley went on-the-air in 1922.  Eighty-two 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 Philadelphia area small business owners began to experiment with advertising.

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

Advertising is critical to the success of every Delaware Valley small business owner.  One of the most powerful elements of any advertising campaign is how many people it reaches.

Nielsen, the world's largest consumer insights company, found that advertising reach has a more significant effect on sales than branding, recency, and context.

There are many ways a local business owner can advertise. This includes traditional media like Philadelphia radio, local TV, and newspaper. It also includes online advertising options such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pandora.

They type of customer an individual business needs to reach depends on the goods and services the company sells. For instance, a daycare operator might want to reach households with young children. On the other hand, a real estate agent could be looking for consumers in the market to purchase a new home.