If you don't have time to read this entire article, then I will tell you right now. The best way to advertise in Clark County is on Las Vegas 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 valley are are expected to spend at least $39 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."
The bottom line: It is difficult for a consumer in Nevada to purchase a product or service from any local company they never heard of.
There are many ways for small business owners to advertise. Options include local newspapers, local magazines, local television, and online. 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 Las Vegas radio stations.
1. Reach
The first “R” is Reach. According to a study by Nielsen, after the actual content of the commercial message itself, reach is the most potent advertising element that can drive sales. Reach is more important than brand, recency, or even context. Las Vegas radio provides local business owners with the biggest reach among consumers.
Last week, 1,502,898 adult consumers tuned to their favorite Las Vegas radio stations. This is significantly more than watched local TV stations; read a local newspaper; logged-on to a streaming audio site like Pandora and Spotify.
Local radio reaches everyone. Unlike other local media, which tends to skew towards older audiences, Las Vegas radio reaches consumers of all ages. This includes members of Generation X, Y, and Z; Millennials, and Boomers. Everybody.
Percentage of Valley Consumers By Age Who Listen To Las Vegas Radio
2. Recall
The second “R” affecting advertising success is Recall. To be effective, advertising must be remembered by the consumer when it comes time to choose which Nevada business owners to patronize.
Local Ad Recall, a research company that measures the effectiveness of advertising, found that brand recall was five times higher for companies that advertised on radio versus the companies that did not. Consequently, local small business owners who advertise on radio have a much better chance of being recalled and, therefore, frequented by prospective customers than companies that do not advertise on radio.
Consumer insight company, Nielsen found similar results. Across several different business categories, on average, radio advertising improved recall by 82%. The businesses measured were a health and beauty company; an information technologies company; an auto aftermarket retailer; a motorcycle company; and a mobile app company.
3. Return
The third “R” of advertising success is return-on-investment. ROI is a measurement of revenue growth that a Clark County business owner can expect for each $1 invested in advertising. According to Advertising Age Magazine, when executed correctly, radio advertising can deliver a greater ROI for a local business than investing in TV, digital, or social media ads.
Over the past few years, Nielsen has conducted more than 20 studies to determine how much ROI a business owner could expect when advertising on radio. In every case, radio’s ROI was, in the words of Advertising Age, “Eye-popping.”
The most recent ROI study released by Nielsen is no exception. According to Westwood One, the company that commissioned this latest study, a radio campaign for a men’s personal-care brand produced $11.96 in sales-lift for every $1.00 invested in radio advertising.
Overall, according to Nielsen, among all of the studies conducted, radio ads produce a very impressive 10x return-on-investment.
Media expert Doug Schoen wrote in Forbes Magazine of radio’s ability to deliver the “3-Rs” of advertising.
“The implications of results like these are profound for the communications and advertising industries,” Mr. Schoen said, “and as a marketing professional with over 35 years of experience, I found this data nothing short of fascinating. It’s quite clear that we should all be paying more attention to radio, its reach and potential to help our businesses. It’s doing the job with expert efficiency.”
More Advertising Advice For Las Vegas Small Business Owners
With more than 180 service bays at 10 locations, Ted Wiens Complete Auto Care has been serving Las Vegas area consumers for more than 70 years
So, how does family-owned small business compete with the major chains?
"We primarily advertise on Las Vegas radio stations to keep our brand strong," says Jennifer Wiens, the company's brand manager. "We are all about the Ted Wiens name. People may not need tires or service tomorrow or the next day, but when they do, we need them to think of us."
"One of the big marketing challenges we face is differentiating our selves from the 11 Firestone Tire Service Centers the opened in Las Vegas of over the past six years," says Ms. Wiens.
Ted Wiens Complete Auto Care has been a Firestone dealer since 1948 when Mr. Wiens, Sr. started selling them out of his Texaco filling station.
"For 70 years, our stores have been thought of as the place to buy Firestone tires. We have had some customers pull into a Firestone Center and think they are at Ted Wiens."
To clear up the confusion and keep the company name top of mind, Ted Wiens Complete Auto Care has been advertising on Las Vegas radio stations three to four weeks every month continually for the past eight years.
"Customers tell us all the time they heard about us on the radio. Most of the time they were in their cars when they heard our commercials."
Anecdotal evidence from customers is one way Ms. Wiens knows her investment in radio advertising works. She also uses sophisticated attribution technology to measure radio advertising's effect on her website traffic.
"We notice a sharp increase in website visits within 8 minutes of when our radio commercials run on Las Vegas radio," she says. "This was especially pronounced when we moved from advertising on three radio stations to five."
Ms. Wiens believes any small business can benefit from advertising on Las Vegas radio stations. "It's important that once you start, you do it consistently to maintain your brand awareness," she says.
More Advertising Advice For Las Vegas Business Owners
- Business Owners Recruit Blue Collar Workers on Las Vegas Radio
- How To Advertise To Las Vegas Moms
- Turning Listeners Into Customers With Advertising On Las Vegas Radio
- Pro Tips For Small Business: Advertising on Las Vegas Radio Stations
- Why Advertising On Las Vegas Radio Is More Effective Than TV
