If you were one of the 2,193,604 consumers who tuned-in to a Tampa radio station last week, then chances are you heard at least one commercial from GEICO, Progressive, or Liberty Mutual. That's because insurance is big business in Tampa.

Each year, Tampa Bay consumers spend $4.4 billion to insure their homes and cars. That's almost $1500 for every area adult.

There is good news and bad news for the 5600 local insurance agents who are competing to earn a substantial share of the home and auto premiums consumers are paying.

According to Nielsen, 258,000 policyholders in Tampa Bay are planning to switch insurance providers during the next 12 months.

Low unemployment, a boom in housing starts, and confident consumers are propelling robust sales for Tampa Bay furniture stores.

In 2019, local consumers in the Tampa area spent $1.3 billion on furniture and home furnishing. This number is expected to grow.

Based on estimates developed by Furniture Today’s Strategic Insights team and Easy Analytic Software Inc. (EASI), the total furniture and bedding market is projected to expand by more than 22% by 2024.

If a Tampa Bay small business owner who sells furniture, furnishings, or home decor would like to grab a larger share of this expanding market, then advertising is necessary.  By almost every key metric, advertising on local radio is a sound marketing investment.

Small business owners have been advertising on Tampa radio since the first station, WDAE, went on the air in 1922.  By almost every metric, the medium remains the best way to successfully market goods and services to local consumers.

Before  Tampa Bay businesses finalize their marketing plans for this year, here are five facts they should know about radio advertising.

For Tampa Bay business owners who depend on Valentine's Day to spike first-quarter sales, this year could be a battle as the decline in celebrants is expected to continue.

Based on estimates from the National Retail Federation, 1.5 million Tampa Bay consumers will be participating in the holiday this year. This is 20% fewer than ten years ago.

There is good news, however, for Tampa area business owners. Although there are will be fewer customers, local Valentine's Day spending is expected to grow to $248-million. This is 28% higher than a decade ago.

So, how does a Tampa Bay retailer or restaurant win the battle for the hearts and wallets of romantic consumers?  Advertising is a necessary weapon to win this war.

No weapon is as potent as advertising on Tampa radio.

The buying power of Black consumers in Tampa Bay is now $9.2 billion. Over the past 19 years, according to Nielsen, the pace of spending by African Americans has grown 28% faster than by White consumers.

If a Tampa area small business owner would like to earn a larger share of this spending, the best place to start is with advertising.

"For African American consumers, advertising of all types is an important touchpoint in their shopping journey," says a recent study by Nielsen. "African American consumers are more likely than the total population to agree that advertising provides them with meaningful information about the product use of other consumers."

"African Americans are avid media consumers, across multiple media channels, which gives advertisers ample opportunities to connect with them."

The best advertising medium, though, for small business owners to reach Tampa Bay's African American consumers is local radio.

Attention Tampa Bay small business owners. The five busiest shopping days of the year are imminent.

Based on data from the National Retail Federation, more than 1.9 million Tampa Bay 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 650,000 adult, Tampa Bay consumers belong to a fitness club. These memberships bring in close to $1.1 billion in sales to local gym owners.

January is critical for the small business owners that operate gyms in the Tampa 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 $125.8 million local consumers  will spend on gym memberships in January, requires fitness center owners to advertise. The best way to do this is on Tampa radio. Here's why.

Ask any Tampa Bay small business owner how to measure the success of an advertising campaign. The answer will almost always 'sales.'

According to Nielsen research, the media-element of a campaign that has the most significant effect on sales is reach. This is the number of different people exposed to the advertiser's message.

There are more ways than ever to advertise. But, which of those options has the largest reach among Tampa Bay consumers?

Doug Schoen, an advertising professional with 35 years of experience, writes in Forbes: "You wouldn’t know it from all the media coverage focused on streaming video and streaming music, but radio actually has the most reach among American media consumers. 93% of adults listen to the radio each week as compared to 87% who watch TV, a substantive difference."

By April 15th next year, 1.2 million residents of Tampa Bay 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, Tampa Bay small business owners who specialize in tax preparation services lose customers to the do-it-yourself options.  This year, 589,000 local consumers will spend $113,000,000 with professionals. But, based on the average cost of services, more than $129,000,000 will stay in the wallets of the DIY crowd.

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

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

The first Baby Boomers were born in Tampa Bay during 1946, and they kept coming until 1964.  Today, this generation represents 21.8% of the population.

According to Visa, however, when it comes to the ability to buy goods and services from local business owners, people 50 and older are responsible for 56% of all retail spending.  In Tampa Bay, that equates to $33-billion.

Forecasts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate the spending power of the Baby Boomer generation will remain dominant through at least 2025. This is fueled, in part, by the Boomers' continued participation in the labor force.