By April 15th next year, 885,929 residents in the Las Vegas area 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, Clark County small business owners who specialize in tax preparation services lose customers to the do-it-yourself options.  This year, 412,00 local consumers will spend $79,600,000 with tax professionals. But, based on the average cost of services, more than $91,000,000 will stay in the wallets of the DIY crowd.

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

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

Advertising is critical to the growth and ultimate success of a Las Vegas small business. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends that mature businesses should budget 7-8% of its annual income for advertising the company's goods and services. 

Businesses that are in an early growth phase, however, should plan on investing 10-12%.  Start-up companies that may not yet be familiar to their target consumers should consider investing even a larger percentage.

Deloitte, the world's largest business consulting firm, recommends that "radio advertising should be a big part of the mix for those buying advertising."

Las Vegas shoppers are expected to spend $5 billion this holiday season.  This will be approximately 4% higher than last year. These estimates are based on forecasts by the National Retail Federation and Deloitte.

To claim a fair share of the Christmas cash, local small business owners will need to battle some giant competitors. Advertising on Las Vegas radio stations may be the perfect weapon to ensure success.

According to information published in the retail trade magazine Chain Store Age, as of right now, here is where consumers are planning to shop...

Las Vegas consumers are expected to spend $45.6 billion at retail this year, according to Nielsen. This means that every household, on average, will be paying out $55,451.

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.

Some Clark County small business owners believe that local consumers have ditched their favorite Las Vegas radio stations in favor of music beamed to their cars from space. Is this true? 

The short answer is no. Here are the facts.

There are 1.6 registered vehicles in the Las Vegas area.  Nearly 44% of these cars and trucks are equipped to receive satellite radio from Sirius/XM. To use the service, however, drivers must pay between $10.99 and $20.99 per month.

According to Nielsen,  though, satellite radio has had no effect on the number of people who tune-in to Las Vegas radio stations each week.  For that matter, neither has Pandora, a streaming audio service that is also owned by Sirius/XM.

Last week, for instance, nearly 90% of all adult consumers tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station. Only 17.2%, however, listened to Sirius/XM, which is the only remaining satellite service. 

Is advertising on the radio just a day job for Las Vegas small business owners?  

Thousands of local companies depend on radio advertising to market their goods and services. But, many of these business owners choose to buy commercials only between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm.  Is this a good idea? Maybe not.  Here are the facts.

Last week, for instance, 1,502,898 adult consumers tuned-in to their favorite Las Vegas radio stations. This is significantly higher than the number that tuned-in to a local TV station, read a local newspaper, logged-on to social media sites like Facebook, or streamed audio from Pandora and Spotify.

OMG! Did you just call the 1.5 million adult consumers who tuned-in to a Las Vegas station last week a 'nobody'?

If you did make that mistake, then you wouldn't be the first Las Vegas small business owner or media professional to do so. Even, Doug Schoen used to share that opinion. He came clean, however, in a Forbes article.

"You wouldn't know it from all the media coverage focused on streaming video and streaming music," writes Mr. Schoen, "but recent Nielsen data shows 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."

This is true in Las Vegas, as well, where radio listeners far outnumber the people who watch local TV; read local newspapers; or stream audio sites like Pandora and Spotify; or log-on to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.

It's the cycle of American business. During this country's history there have been more recessions than presidents, 47 vs. 45.  Unfortunately, some economists believe number 48 could start any day now.  

The textbook definition of a recession is a period of declining economic performance across an entire economy, frequently measured as two consecutive quarters. In other words: it's a time when most Las Vegas small business owners sell fewer of their goods and services.

There is one thing a recession is not.  It is not a time for local business owners to stop advertising.

One of the great marketing minds of all time, Henry Ford, once said, "The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time."

There are many examples of companies that have proven Mr. Ford's observation to be accurate. The bowl of cereal you had this morning could be one example.

When a Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas Radio" discusses this topic in-depth.

When it comes time to buy, however, getting in the final word can be equally important.  Advertising on Las Vegas 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.

Every vote counts.  Many times the difference between winning an election and losing is a handful of ballots. This is true in races for almost every elected office, referendum, and issue on the national, statewide, and local level.

To win a modern election requires advertising. Successful advertising requires reach. In Las Vegas, the most potent way to reach voters is on local radio.

Last week, for instance, 88% of all registered voters in Clark County tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station.  This is significantly more than were reached by local TV, local newspaper, or the major social media site like Facebook and Instagram.