Ask any Las Vegas 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 Clark County 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, 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.

Las Vegas small businesses that sell products or services to pet owners should sit up and take notice.  Local consumers will spend $465,000,000 this year on behalf of Fido and Fluffy. This amount has increased 323% since 1994, with no sign of letting up.

According to the American Pet Products Association, here's how local spending on furry companions breaks down:

• Food: $190,897,000
• Supplies/OTC Medicine: $102,432,000
• Vet Care: $116,400,000
• Live Pet Purchases: $13,968000
• Other Services: $41,904,000

The biggest month for sales of pet-related products and services in Las Vegas is, by far, December. That is when 10.5% of all annual spending happens in this category.

Las Vegas small business owners have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services since 1941.  That's when the Laura Belle and her husband Maxwell Kelch put the first successful local radio station, KENO on the air.

Today, there are 35 radio stations that serve Clark County. Each provides a unique blend of music, information, and entertainment.  Some stations focus on politics or sports. Some play country music. Some play the hits. Some play classic rock. Some are on the AM dial. Some are on FM.

When KENO began broadcasting, there were no TV stations in Las Vegas. Those would come 13 years later. Also, there was no social media, YouTube, Sirius/XM, Pandora, Spotify, or smartphones. Each of those would be products of a new Millenium.

With an overabundance of advertising options now available to small business owners, does advertising on Las Vegas radio still make sense?  Here are five facts that serve to answer that question.

Advertising is critical to the success of every Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas 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.

This year, Las Vegas area consumers will spend $6.3 billion in local restaurants and drinking establishments. There are thousands of local restaurants from Pahrump to Mesquite  hungry for a bite of that cash.

Unfortunately, many of the restaurants that are here today will be gone tomorrow. According to FSR, an industry trade magazine, 60% of restaurants fail within their first year. Eighty percent never make it to their fifth anniversary.

CBI Insights studies why small business owners, such as local restaurants, fail.  Reason number eight is poor marketing and advertising.  Good food and friendly service are not enough to make a cash register ring.

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 radio has become, by far, the advertising medium with the largest reach among Las Vegas consumers.