Let's set the record straight. You can't see the Great Wall of China from the moon. Your fingernails don't keep growing when you're dead. Shaving does not make hair grow back quicker or thicker. Chicken soup will not cure a cold. And a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building cannot kill a pedestrian below.

Don't believe me? Just ask Google.

Like the factoids above, there are also things that many Tampa Bay small business owners think they know about advertising on Tampa radio stations that just aren't true.

Here are the five most common misconceptions that business owners have about Tampa radio followed by the facts.

Some of the bravest people in Tampa Bay are small business owners.  These hearty entrepreneurs invest their passion, their hope, their time, and, of course, their money despite the odds.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), the good news is that 80% of small businesses make it through the first year. After that, though, only about half will make it to their fifth anniversary. Even fewer, 33% will keep their doors open for ten years.

CBInsights performed an analysis to determine the top ten reasons small business owners fail.  I have included the entire list. But, of particular importance, is reason #8, "poor marketing". This subject will be discussed in more detail because this is where advertising on Tampa radio stations can help business owners not to fail.

There are many ways for Tampa Bay small business owners to advertise. Options include local newspapers, local magazines, local  television, and online. But to achieve the “3-Rs” of advertising success, Reach, Recall, and Return, no other medium delivers results as effectively and efficiently as advertising on Tampa radio.

"I didn't think radio advertising would work. I was not a believer," says David Perritt, Regional Operations Manager of Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

Mr. Perritt's opinion changed after he experimented with advertising on Tampa radio stations when the club first opened in January 2017.

"I have been extremely pleased with the results," he says. "The data shows just how successful radio has been working for us. Choosing the right Tampa radio stations was crucial."

How big does a small business need to be before it can afford to advertise on Tampa radio? The owners of Ana Delicias Bakery will be the first to tell you: size does not matter.

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."

There are more than 200,000 small businesses in Tampa Bay.  Each of them is competing for a share of the $54-billion area consumers will spend this year.

To succeed, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) recommends that to succeed, every local business consider advertising. 

Just about every adult in Tampa Bay spent, on average, 15 hours last week listening to the radio.  As a matter of fact, more people tuned-in to their favorite Tampa radio station than watched TV; read a newspaper, or logged-on to Pandora and Spotify.

"Sure," a St. Petersburg small business owner says. "People are still tuning-in to local radio stations, but do they switch stations when my commercial comes on?"

Not to worry. Unlike TV, which makes avoiding commercials a breeze, there is no ad-skipping technology for radio.  As a result, a study by Nielsen reveals that 93% of radio listeners stick around for the ads.

This raises the question: Consumers are not button-pushing during radio commercials, but are they paying attention to the content of the advertising? Research says YES.

Over the next 12 month, Tampa Bay consumers will spend $54 billion on retail products.

Small business owners who want to compete for a share of this cash will need to advertise. As Professor Jef Richards at Michigan State University points out, “Advertising is totally unnecessary…unless you want to make money.”

Bottom line: Tampa consumers will only buy from retailers they know about.

There are many ways small business owners to advertise. This includes local television, newspapers, or streaming media platforms like Pandora and Spotify.

But regardless of what product a retailer sells, advertising on Tampa radio the best option. Radio reaches significantly more consumers in every major retail category than all of the other media choices.

The number one job of a radio commercial is  not  to sell products for the sponsoring Tampa Bay 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 Tampa 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 $54.1 billion Tampa Bay radio listeners will spend this year, then what you say first in your commercial is crucial to winning the battle for a consumer's ear.

If you don't have time to read this entire article, then I will tell you right now. The best way for any Tampa Bay small business owner to advertise is on Tampa radio.

A key function of advertising is to build mental availability, which nudges a consumer toward the purchase of a product or service. It also serves to provide public notice that a product or service exists and is available for purchase.

Consumers in the Tampa Bay area are expected to spend at least $54 billion at retail this year. To claim a greater share of this giant pool of cash requires local business owners of every size to advertise their goods and services. As Professor Jef Richards at Michigan State University points out, “Advertising is totally unnecessary…unless you want to make money."

The bottom line: It is difficult for anyone in Tampa Bay to purchase a product or service from a local business owner if they aren’t aware of it.

There are many ways for local area small business owners to advertise. Options include local newspapers, local magazines, local television, and online. But to achieve the “3-Rs” of advertising success, Reach, Recall, and Return, no other medium delivers results as effectively and efficiently as advertising on Tampa Radio.

There are 252 Metro by T-Mobile stores in the Tampa Bay area. As Manager of Field Marketing for the wireless company, Audra Wolf is responsible for bringing customers into every single location.

"It's all about driving in-store foot traffic," says Ms. Wolf. "Every dime we spend is about getting people through the door and have them make a purchase. We have been very happy with the return-on-investment (ROI) we receive from our promotions on Tampa radio stations.

"We have a number of ways we track sales," she adds, "so we know our radio plan is working for us."

Of all the advertising options available to Tampa Bay small business owners, streaming audio services like Pandora and Spotify are the least effective.  Here's why.

According to Nielsen, after the content of a commercial is considered, the element of an advertising campaign that drives sales the most is reach. In other words, making sure the most people possible are exposed to the advertiser's message is crucial.

When it comes to achieving reach among consumers, Pandora and Spotify rank dead last.  Advertising on Tampa radio stations, actually, can reach 266% more consumers than these two streaming-audio platforms combined.