It is not a gimmick. Many Tampa Bay business owners qualify for free local advertising on Tampa radio. They pay nothing out-of-pocket.  Zero. Zilch. Zip. Bupkis. Free.

Henry Ford understood that the continual investment in advertising was necessary for a business to be successful. “Stopping advertising to save money," he said, "is like stopping your watch to save time.”

Sometimes, though, when daily expenses challenge their cash flow, Tampa area small business owners must prioritize spending. Many times, unfortunately, Mr. Ford’s advice is ignored and buying commercials on Tampa Bay radio will move down the list behind making payroll, maintaining delivery vehicles, and replenishing stock. A lot of times advertising doesn’t make a list at all.

Some Tampa Bay business owners have discovered that their radio advertising doesn’t have to be sacrificed at all when belts need to be tightened. It turns out there’s a deep pool of “free money” that can be dipped into for the singular purpose of advertising. These funds are called cooperative funds, or co-op for short.

Jon Polizzi has owned Electric Today, LLC in Tampa with his dad and brother since 2004. The company provides residential electrical and air conditioning repairs to customers in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Manatee counties.

In late 2017, Electric Today began advertising on Tampa Bay radio. The results have been spectacular.

"Last year," says Mr. Polizzi, "our business grew 67%.  The only thing we did differently was to add radio advertising into our marketing mix. I attribute most of our growth to what we have done on the radio."

If you were one of the 2,193,604 consumers who tuned-in to a Tampa Bay radio station this week, then you probably know real estate agents Andrew and Angela Duncan.  The "Duncan Duo", as they refer to themselves, have been advertising successfully on local radio since 2009.

"When we first started advertising on Tampa radio, our growth trajectory really took off," says Mr. Duncan.  "We had been selling 100 homes a year. But when we invested in radio advertising, our sales began growing by 50% every year."

"Remember," he continues, "this was during the downturn. Most other real estate agents were struggling.  Angela and I credit our advertising on Tampa Bay radio with 100% of our growth during that time."