Business was booming in the Delaware Valley. Then it was not.

Before the chaos brought on by Coronavirus, it had been predicted, based on estimates from the National Retail Federation, Philadelphia area consumers would spend 4.1% more in 2020 than they did in 2019. When the Governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey shut down their states, however, the expectations of growth for many small business owners were replaced with fights for survival.

As the states prepares to reopen, Philadelphia area small businesses will learn that turning the lights back on and hanging out the welcome sign might not be enough to bring even the most loyal customers back.

Some customers will not return because of personal safety concerns. Other customers may have discovered alternative sources to purchase goods and services.

More likely, though, customers will not come back because a business has lost a valued parcel of real estate: the position at the top of a customer's mind. This is the place where purchase decisions are made.

There is a way to regain top-of-mind status. First, though, it's important to understand why a business can be forgotten so quickly. 

The number one job of a radio commercial is  not  to sell products for the sponsoring Delaware Valley small business owner. 

The number one job is not to build store traffic or to create top of mind of awareness.

The number one job of a radio commercial is not to build brand or deliver ROI.

The number one job of every commercial on Philadelphia radio is to be heard. Period. When a commercial is heard, then all the rest will follow. But being heard is not easy.

At the exact second a radio commercial begins, 11,000,000 other pieces of information are all wrestling for the listener's attention.  Sadly, a consumer's brain is only capable of dealing with about 50 bits of that information at a time.

If you are a local business owner who would like to secure a larger share of the $100-billion Delaware Valley consumers will spend this year, then what you say first in your radio commercial is crucial to winning the battle for a consumer's ear.

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 Delaware Valley small business owner who wants to grab a share of the area's $101-billion retail market.

Advertising on Philadelphia 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.

Delaware Valley consumers will spend $98 billion on goods and services over the next year. To claim a significant portion of those expenditures, small business owners need to be at the top of customers' minds when it comes time to buy.

The first radio station in Philadelphia signed on the air 1922.  Since then, thousands of business owners have known, intuitively, that advertising on the medium was a potent way to be remembered when a purchase was imminent. 

As a matter of fact, some of the first Philadelphia radio stations were owned by the Delaware Valley's largest retailers including Gimbel's, and Wanamaker's, 

Today, area business owners no longer need to base their advertising plans on intuition.  Now, there is proof that advertising on Philadelphia radio creates the top of mind awareness necessary to drive sales.