When a Tampa Bay small business owner advertises on a local radio station, the first words determine if consumers will pay attention. The article "Be Heard: The #1 Job of Commercials on Tampa Radio" discusses this topic in-depth.
When it comes time to buy, however, getting in the final word can be equally important. Advertising on Tampa radio is often the last voice a customer hears before making a purchase in-store or online.
Being the last voice serves as a potent reminder to consumers that a business or product exists. Especially since our brains make things very easy to forget. Science says it's so.
Hermann Ebbinghaus was a German psychologist who, during the 19th century, who pioneered the experimental study of memory. He is most famous for the discovery of the "Forgetting Curve". This curve demonstrates how rapidly the ability to recall information erodes over time.
The Ebbinghaus Curve indicates that unless people make a concerted effort to remember, the ability to recall information drops by 40% after just 20 minutes. At the end of one day, recall drops to only about 25%. Quickly after that, recall diminishes into oblivion.
What all this science suggests is that to be remembered by potential customers, it is critical that local business owners advertise consistently. According to many marketers, advertising on Tampa radio allows small businesses to do that affordably and effectively.
Cars put most consumers in proximity to Tampa Bay retailers. A study by Edison Research reveals that 82% of people in cars prefer listening to the radio. This is significantly greater than all other available audio sources.
A study by USA Touchpoints, a cross-platform measurement company, studied the time-lapse between audio media use and time of purchase. Radio was, by far, used most often within one half-hour of purchase. Based on the Ebbinghaus Curve, this 30 minutes provides small business owners with the greatest likelihood of being remembered.
Radio's ability to drive traffic is not just limited to Tampa Bay brick-and-mortar locations. Radio has proven to generate website visits as well. This is crucial because 90% of consumers depend on the internet for some portion of their buying decisions.
According to research by Sequent Partners, radio advertising created a 29% increase in online search activity for the product categories and brands that were involved in the study.
The study measured the website visitation increases generated by 2100 local radio ads across six different product categories. The results were definitive. Radio drove listeners to the web for more information.
The study first looked at the typical number of Google searches that typically occur for the subject product category and brands. This information creates a baseline of pre-radio expectations.
Next, search activity was measured for the times when radio advertising occurred for the subject categories and brands. The results were overlaid on the baseline.
The green bars above indicate the days and time radio advertising aired. The green peaks highlight the incremental search that is attributable to radio advertising.
Most importantly, radio proved to be successful for every brand involved in the study.
- Automotive Brand: +7%
- E-Commerce Brand: +9%
- Wireless Communication: +18%
- Auto Aftermarket Retailer: +65%
- Insurance: +73%
- Jewelry: +370%
Consumers Buy From Companies Advertising On Tampa Radio
Ana Delicias Bakery in Tampa is not just a small business. It's a tiny, family-owned business with big ambitions. Advertising on local radio is helping the business raise the dough to grow.
"Radio advertising is not an expense for us, It is an investment," says Paula Tavarez who co-owns the bakery with her cousin Ana Lizardo. "That investment has paid off."
In June of 2018, the cousins opened their store on Sheldon Road in Tampa. The bakery features a wide range of pastries that appealed first to the area's Hispanic community. This includes the bakery's signature Dominican cake, a vanilla-based layer cake with guava filling.
After being in business for five months, Ana Delicias Bakery ran its first radio commercial.
"We saw results within a few days," says Ms. Tavarez.
"We began seeing a lot of new customers," adds Ms. Lizardo. "We would ask them how they learned about our bakery and they would tell us that they heard about it on the radio."
Tampa radio's ability to reach well beyond the local community proved to be a benefit for the bakery as well. "We started to see customers from Brandon and St. Petersburg," says Ms. Lizardo. "People were driving from 35 minutes away to buy our cakes."
"Our cash register is the true measurement of how well advertising on Tampa radio works," says Ms. Tavarez. "When we advertise, we bring in more customers."
Pizza Chain Uses Radio To Reach Hungry Drivers
For the past 33 years, advertising on Tampa radio has helped Hungry Howie's grow from just 20 locations in the Tampa Bay area to 210 throughout the state.
"Radio provides us the affordable frequency we need to hit hungry consumers over the head enough times for our message to sink in," says Barry Devine, who has been handling Hungry Howie's marketing since the first store opened in Tampa. "We want to be top of people's mind when they are driving home from work and don't feel like cooking."
To reach people before dinner time, Hungry Howie's dominates afternoon drive time on Tampa Bay radio 52 weeks a year.
"Eighty percent of our advertising runs weekdays between 3pm and 8pm" says Sandra Harley, Devine Advertising's media planner and buyer. "To build our frequency, we depend on commercials that are 15-seconds or shorter plus traffic report sponsorships."
"Everything we do needs to build frequency of message for Hungry Howie's," she continues. "My success equation for media buying is simple," she says. "What you say, times the number of times you say it."
Mr. Devine adds, "The first couple of times someone hears the Hungry Howie's message on Tampa radio, it's like planting seeds. Adding frequency is like watering the seeds to make them grow. We can only buy that type of frequency on radio."
More Advertising Advice For Tampa Bay Small Business Owners
- How Newspaper Advertising In Tampa Bay Stacks-Up Against Radio
- How Social Media Advertising Compares To Tampa Radio
- The Best Length For A Commercial On Tampa Bay Radio
- The Value Of Reaching Tampa Bay Consumers In Their Cars
- ROI: How Tampa Bay Small Business Owners Make Dollars From Dimes
