The chaos created in North Carolina by the onset of Coronavirus has been a disruptive force among consumers. 

Work routines, buying habits, family life, and media consumption have all been palpably affected. These are all factors that need to be considered by small business owners who continue to advertise their goods and services during the crisis.

Before the current chaos, advertising on Charlotte radio, by any metric, was the best way a local small business could advertise.

For instance, pre-Coronavirus, 1.8 million adult consumers tuned-in to a Charlotte radio station every week. This is significantly more than watched local TV, read a newspaper, accessed social media, or streamed audio from sites like Pandora and Spotify.

New research released from Nielsen indicates that amidst the current crisis, listening to local radio remains little changed. This is great news for those Charlotte small business owners who are depending on advertising for their long-term survival.

Suppose a Charlotte small business owner woke up one morning and found a 100-year-old machine in the basement of her store. She soon discovered that every time a dime was put into the machine, one dollar came out.  Imagine, now, how profitable that business would become.

Good news: such a contraption exists,  and every business owner probably has one in their car, in their store, in their home, even on their phone. It's called Charlotte radio.

Over the past few years, Nielsen has conducted more than 20 studies to determine what type of return-on-investment (ROI) a business owner  can expect from radio advertising.  Although the results varied by industry, the average company generated $100 in sales for every $10 invested. Turning dimes into dollars.

In 'normal' times, Charlotte consumers would be expected to rack up $49.6 billion in annual retail sales. Of course, since the onset of the Coronavirus crisis, nothing has been normal.

But as Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates, explained to members of the Charlotte area small business community via teleconference, consumers are still spending. This, it turns out, is normal.

Mr. Borrell shared research from Ibis that demonstrates during every type of crisis, including depressions, recessions, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and, now, pandemics, consumers still spend.

The business literature contains an abundance of examples of how continuing to market and advertise during an economic crisis can help a company survive and emerge from the episode even stronger than before.

Charlotte small business owners who do continue to advertise and market, however, should consider modifying their pre-crisis strategy.

In a typical week, 1.8 million adult consumers tune-in to Charlotte radio stations.  But, since the onset of the Coronavirus, the weeks have not been typical.

Before social-distancing and work-from-home orders, 1.2 million Charlotte-area consumers would drive to-and-from work each day. More than 90% of these commuters could be reached by radio.  

Charlotte small business owners who depend on radio advertising to market their goods and services, therefore, might be concerned that the disruption in commuting patterns could depress the amount of time consumers spend with local radio.

According to market research, however, radio listening remains an important part of the daily life of consumers. Even amid the current chaos.

Charlotte small business owners are fighting the coronavirus battles on multiple fronts.  Their first objective is to keep their families and employees safe. Then, of course, there are the concerns of keeping their businesses healthy enough to survive current disruptions.

The business literature has an abundance of case studies showing how survival is often connected to a thoughtful communications and marketing strategy during challenging times.  

Business owners need to let North Carolina consumers know if they are still open. If their hours have changed. Or if they are providing alternative shopping methods (e.g., delivery, curbside pick-up).

Most importantly, it is imperative consumers know that a business will still be there for them when the crisis is over.

For those owners who are depending on communication to preserve their business, the best option may be to advertise on Charlotte radio.

Charlotte retailers spend a considerable amount of time and money marketing their small businesses on social media.  Is this effort paying off?

Each month, according to Nielsen, 1.5 million Charlotte area adults use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This equates to 72% of consumers.  This reach is rather anemic compared to Charlotte radio and TV, which attracts considerably more users in a single week than these social media platforms do over 30 days.

Among local millennials, the monthly reach of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is eclipsed by the weekly reach of Charlotte radio.

The number of consumers reached by an advertising campaign, according to Nielsen, is the media consideration that has the most significant effect on increasing sales. 

The top concern of every Charlotte small business owner is the health and safety of their families and employees.  Local information and breaking news regarding the Coronavirus is available by clicking here.

Of course, a secondary concern is tending to the health of their business amid an overabundance of social and financial disruptions. 

There is one prescription that helped many Charlotte area businesses survive the Great Depression of 1929, the economic crash of 2009, and every recession in between.  The Rx for keeping a business healthy during chaotic times is to continue advertising.

The best example of how advertising can fend off tough times was shared by The New Yorker magazine financial columnist James Surowiecki.

Seven years ago, the first Bisonte Pizza Co. location fired-up its ovens.

"Advertising on Charlotte radio really accelerated our growth," says Jim DaPolito. He and his older brother Steven are the owners and co-founders of the small business.

"Injust three years, with the help of our radio commercials, we had already achieved our year five sales goals."

The brothers were convinced to move to North Carolina from their native Buffalo, New York, by Steven's son, who had moved to Charlotte in 2007.

My son believed that someone could do very well down here serving up Buffalo-style pizza and wings," says Steven. "So, when he told me my first grandchild was on the way, I decided to quit my job in the automotive business in New York and move to Charlotte to open a restaurant."

Fortunately, Jim, who had 38 years in the food business, including running the largest pizza restaurant in the country, decided to make the move with his brother.

There are 1.3 million consumers in Charlotte who own their own home. 

According to Zillow, more than 60% of homeowners carry a mortgage. A record number of owners are considering refinancing  now, which means millions of dollars in fees for local lenders and brokers are up for grabs.

Why the sudden urgency for Charlotte homeowners to refinance their mortgages?

According to The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (aka, Freddie Mac), "The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit a record 3.29% this week, the lowest level in its nearly 50-year history."

"Meanwhile, mortgage applications increased 10 percent last week from one year ago and show no signs of slowing down. Given these strong indicators in rates and sales, as well as recent increases in new construction, it’s clear the housing market continues to be a positive force for the broader economy."

If a consumer Googles 'refinance my mortgage in Charlotte', more than 8.1 million results come back, So, to set themselves apart, lenders and brokers will need to advertise.  By, any key metric, advertising on local radio is the best way to reach area homeowners.

Charlotte consumers spent more than $49 billion with retailers last year. The National Retail Federation forecasts 4.1% more will be spent this year.

Who are the shoppers that will be spending all this money?

According to Nielsen, 47.8% of retail dollars are spent by Charlotte area consumers over the age of 50. This may surprise many small business owners because older consumers comprise only 36.6% of the area's adult population.

These older consumers account for the largest share of spending in almost every retail category. This includes furniture, cars, pet supplies, fast food, and electronics.

To earn a share of these massive dollars spent by these older consumers requires Charlotte small business owners to advertise.

Retailers in the Charlotte area rang-up $49,607,009,000 in retail sales last year, according to Nielsen. But wait. It's about to get better.

The National Retail Federation forecasts that in 2020, sales will increase by as much as 4.1%. This will create another $2.1 billion for local small business owners.  

“The economy is growing at a more modest pace, but the underlying economic fundamentals remain in place and are positive,” stated NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz. “Consumers remain upbeat and have the confidence to spend, and the steady wage growth that has come with the strong job market is fueling their spending. The state of the consumer is very healthy.

To claim a fair share of this enlarged pool of spending will require Charlotte small business owners to advertise.

“Think you have a great product?” asks the U.S. Small Business Administration. “Unfortunately, no one’s going to know about it unless you advertise.”  

There is alarming news for small business owners who advertise on Charlotte television stations: broadcast TV viewers are disappearing at a rapid pace.

Nielsen reports that halfway through the first quarter of this year, the number of people using television has dropped 7.5%. This compares to -6.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019, and -7.0% a year ago,

"If the trend holds, it would represent the largest quarterly decline for TV viewership in our data set," explains UBS analyst John C. Hodulikadding. "Trends have worsened across most age demos with persons 25-34 now falling -17% vs. low double-digit declines throughout 2019. The persons 55+ demo continues to trend down -2%, similar to 2019 (the first year of declining ratings for the demo)."

Radio listenership, on the other hand, has remained quite stable, according to Nielsen. Since 1970, the medium has reached more than 9-in-10 consumers every week.

How quickly the millennials have grown up.

According to Nielsen, 51% of all Charlotte area parents with children under the age of 18 are millennials.  

From the time their kids are born until they reach they are 17, these young parents will spend, on average, $233,000 per child. This does not include the cost of college.

Currently, there are 566,078 children under the age of 18 living in the Charlotte metro area. That makes the local parenting economy worth upwards of $131 billion. These dollars are being spent, among other things, on diapers, daycare, transportation, toys, education, electronics, clothing, and health care.

For North Carolina small business owners interested in competing for a substantial portion of this multi-billion dollar pool of parental cash, they must advertise to millennial moms and dads. By almost any measurement, advertising on Charlotte radio is the best way to reach this audience.

"In the 24 years I have owned my business, I never advertised," says Andy Huneycutt, founder of Indian Trail based Huneycutt Mechanical Services. "But last year I realized my company was standing still. So, we started advertising on Charlotte radio."

"I did a lot of research," he says, "and I found out that the most successful local companies were investing 8-10% of their gross sales back into advertising. They would do this consistently every year. The more money they made, the more they would advertise."

"As I was growing closer to retirement, I had to ask myself if I could really afford to invest that kind of money into advertising," he says.  "Then, I looked at the commitment my son made to take over the business in a few years and realized I couldn't afford not to advertise."

As Valentine's Day sales begin to dwindle, that's when Charlotte small business owners start thinking about Mom.

Mother's Day, which happens on the second Sunday of May, is second only to Christmas in terms of holiday spending. Last year, Charlotte area consumers spent more than $213-million celebrating the women in their lives. That number is expected to grow again in 2020.

To claim a significant share of this Mother's Day cash, local retailers and restaurants will need to advertise.  By almost every key metric, advertising on Charlotte radio is the best choice.

Like all small business owners, Charlotte area law firms need to bring in new customers to survive.  Unlike brick-and-mortar stores, the first contact many attorneys have with potential clients is on the telephone.

"Every day we advertise on Charlotte radio," says attorney Chris Hall of the city's Emory Law Firm, "we receive 10-12 calls from listeners seeking representation."

"We can track each of these calls back to our radio commercials," he says. "Around 25% of these callers will become paying clients. This is a very high rate of return for the money we are spending."

In the Charlotte area, there are almost 7000 practicing lawyers who compete to represent the 216,000 households who will seek legal representation this year. In all, these services will generate more than $540,000,000 in attorney fees.

To earn a fair share of this billing, area attorneys need to advertise.  As Mr. Hall has learned, by most metrics, radio advertising is a powerful way to reach potential clients.

Over 500,000 consumers in the Charlotte are now own a smart speaker. Ownership of these devices, including Amazon Echo and Google Home, has grown five-fold since the beginning of 2017.

According to Adobe Analytics, significantly  more consumers are asking Siri and Alexa to play music than any other activity.

Many North Carolina small business owners depend on local radio to advertise their goods and service. So, how does the use of smart speakers as an audio device affect their radio advertising's ability to reach local consumers? The answer is: none at all.

If you were one of the 1,827,300 consumers who tuned-in to a Charlotte 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 North Carolina.

Each year, Charlotte area consumers spend $3.8-billion to insure their homes and cars. That's almost $1500 for every area adult.

There is good news and bad news for the 4900 local insurance agents who are competing to earn a substantial share of the home and auto premiums consumers are paying.

According to Nielsen, 236,000 policyholders in the Charlotte area are planning to switch insurance providers during the next 12 months.

There are many ways for Charlotte small business owners to advertise. Options include newspapers, magazines, television, social media, and streaming media.

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 Charlotte radio.

"At least 40% of our new customers come because of our advertising on Charlotte radio," says Deb Filkins, co-owner of Cougar Run Winery in Concord, NC. "Eighty percent of these first-time customers will become repeat customers."

Ms. Filkins and her husband Tom, who produces all the wine, opened Cougar Run in December 2012 with an inventory of 1500 bottles. The retail store is located in a historic Coca-Cola bottling plant on the city's Church Street.

"Since we started advertising on the radio, almost half of our business comes from outside the Concord area, much of it from Charlotte." says Ms. Filkins. "We now sell more than 9000 bottles of wine every year.  Our monthly sales have grown from $100 a month when we opened to almost $14,000 today."

So, how can a local small business owner choose the best Charlotte radio stations to advertise on?

"I can prove that advertising on Charlotte radio works because I have seen firsthand what happens when we don't use it," says Bradley Byrd, General Manager of Queen Park Social in the city's South End.

Queen Park Social opened in March of 2017. The venue encompasses 22,000 square-feet of fun-and-games including eight bowling lanes, shuffleboard, ping-pong, vintage board games, a restaurant, and bar. 

"In our first year, we heavily advertised our Halloween event for an entire month on Charlotte radio stations. We sold the event out," says Mr. Byrd.  "The following year, we used only social media to promote the event. We ended up selling 800 fewer tickets."

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

In 2019, local consumers spent $1.2 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 Charlotte area 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.

"At least 40% of our new customers come because of our advertising on Charlotte radio," says Deb Filkins, co-owner of Cougar Run Winery in Concord, NC. "Eighty percent of these first-time customers will become repeat customers."

Ms. Filkins and her husband Tom, who produces all the wine, opened Cougar Run in December 2012 with an inventory of 1500 bottles. The retail store is located in a historic Coca-Cola bottling plant on the city's Church Street

"During our first full month in business, we rang up $100 in sales. Tom and I were ecstatic," says Ms. Filkins.

The winery began to grow modestly drawing customers primarily from the Concord area.

There is probably not a week that goes by when the 1,827,300 listeners to Charlotte radio don't hear about Sona Dermatology & MedSpa. The company's advertising runs nearly every day.

"We will probably never stop using radio advertising in Charlotte," says Meigan Alexander, Director of Marketing for the company. "Radio has been a part of the company's identity since the beginning."

Sona was founded as a single location MedSpa in 1977 by Byron Ashbridge. "In the beginning," says Ms. Alexander, "most of what we did was laser hair removal."

Today, Sona has 20 offices across the country including one in Charlotte, Huntersville, and Ballantyne. In addition to hair removal, the company now offers CoolSculpting, Botox, skin rejuvenation, and MiraDry. 

Although Sona had been advertising successfully on radio for two decades, it became even more critical three years ago.

Charlotte consumers are expected to spend $49.6 billion at retail this year, according to Nielsen. This means that every household, on average, will be paying out $45,800.

To capture a larger share of these dollars, local small business owners need to know the answer to two questions.

The first question is, where is this enormous amount of cash being spent?  The list below details the answer.

Charlotte small business owners need employees...desperately.

According to a report from the National Federation of Independent Business, 26% of small business owners say finding qualified workers is their number one problem. 

The report goes on to say that 88% of small business owners looking to hire new employees are finding there are no qualified candidates.

The historically low unemployment figures in the Charlotte area appears to be the root cause of local hiring woes. The metro area's jobless rate stands at 3.2%. There are just not enough qualified workers to go around.

Most small business owners have exhausted the traditional methods of recruitment. These include online job board posts, newspaper ads, referral bonuses, and help wanted signs. All to no avail.

To successfully attract the qualified applicants they yearn for, local small business owners need to command the attention of 'passive' job seekers. The number one source for these candidates is Charlotte radio.

Advertising is critical to the success of every North Carolina small business owner.  One of the most powerful elements of any advertising campaign is how many people it reaches.

Nielsen, the world's largest consumer insights company, found that advertising reach has a more significant effect on sales than branding, recency, and context.

There are many ways a local business owner can advertise. This includes traditional media like Charlotte radio, local TV, and newspaper. It also includes online advertising options such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pandora.

They type of customer an individual business needs to reach depends on the goods and services the company sells. For instance, a daycare operator might want to reach households with young children. On the other hand, a real estate agent could be looking for consumers in the market to purchase a new home.

You've done the research. You now know that by every measure, radio advertising is the most effective way for your Charlotte small business to market its goods and services.

You have learned, for instance, 1,827,300 adult consumers regularly tune-in to their favorite Charlotte radio stations.  This is more than watch local TV, read a newspaper, sign-in to social media, or log-in to streaming audio services like Pandora and Spotify.

You've also learned that, on average, adults spend almost two hours per day listening to local radio.

If you dug deep enough, then you know radio advertising delivers, on average, a $10 lift in sales for every $1 invested. This is a remarkable return for any local small business owner.

What you may not have figured out, however, is what is the best time of day to advertise on Charlotte radio?

Two things are remarkable about voting day in 1920.  It was the first time, ever, women could participate in the selection of the U.S. President. It was also the first time live election results were broadcast on the radio. Not to mention, it was also the first radio broadcast, ever.

The voters' choice that night was between Warren G. Harding  and James M. Cox.  Both men had derived their political power as successful newspaper publishers.  It is quite ironic, then, that one of these men would reach the highest office in the land on the same night that the nascent radio broadcasting business began its takedown of the newspaper industry.

Nowhere is this takedown more apparent than locally, where Charlotte radio has become, by far, the advertising medium with the largest reach among local consumers.

It is not a gimmick. Many North Carolina business owners qualify for free local advertising on Charlotte radio. They pay nothing. 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,  small business owners must prioritize spending.

When that happens, unfortunately, Mr. Ford’s advice is ignored and buying commercials on Charlotte radio will move down the list behind making payroll, maintaining delivery vehicles, and replenishing stock.

Many times advertising doesn’t make a list at all.

Some Charlotte 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.

If you don't have time to read this entire article, then I will tell you right now. The best way to advertise in Charlotte is on local radio.

A vital 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 Charlotte area are expected to spend at least $50 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."

It's time to set some misguided North Carolina small business owners straight: When we say everybody listens to Charlotte radio stations, we mean everybody.  Generations X, Y, and Z. Also, Boomers, and, yes, the millennial generation.

You know...millennials. Those are the "kids" who came of age at the turn of the millennium (which is, debatably, either 2000 or 2001).  This means 18-34-year-olds. 

In the greater Charlotte area, 628,000  millennials make-up 29% of the adult population and will deliver $16.5 billion to local cash registers.

But here's the thing about millennials that many local small business owners get wrong: millennials listen to the radio.  Almost all of them...85.6% of them, to be exact.

For Charlotte area 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, 1.3 million Charlotte consumers will be participating in the holiday this year. This is 20% fewer than ten years ago.

There is good news, however, for Charlotte  area business owners. Although there are will be fewer customers, local Valentine's Day spending is expected to grow to $215-million. This is 28% higher than a decade ago.

So, how does a local 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 Charlotte radio.