There's a reason many Fayetteville small business owners target their advertising towards consumers who have completed a four-year college degree. It's because, typically, university graduates earn $29,106 more per year than those with only a high school diploma, according to The Federal Reserve.

There are, according to Nielsen, 65,496 college graduates living in the Fayetteville area. In total, this population generates $5.1 billion in annual take-home pay. To tap into a similar pool of spending power, a marketer would need to reach 113,526 consumers who did not go beyond high school.

The number of people reached by a campaign is, generally, what determines the cost of advertising. So, for a Fayetteville small business owner operating on a tight marketing budget, spending can be kept in check by targeting those consumers with the most money to spend. In this case, college graduates.

Over the next 12 months, Fayetteville area consumers are expected to spend $8.5 billion at retail.  To capture a larger share of this cash, small business owners in Cumberland and Robeson Counties should consider advertising.

The US Small Business Administration recommends that every Fayetteville small business advertise consistently.  “Think you have a great product?” asks the SBA. “Unfortunately, no one’s going to know about it unless you advertise.”  The SBA goes on to say, “Advertising, if done correctly, can do wonders for your product sales, and you know what that means: more revenue and more success for your business."

Local business owners have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services since 1939. This was the year Wall Christian Ewing and Harry Layman put the first local station, WFNC, on the air.

Today, Fayetteville radio, by any key advertising metric, is still the best way for business owners to reach local consumers.

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

Based on data from the National Retail Federation, more than 251,000 Fayetteville 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 81,000 adult, Fayetteville consumers belong to a fitness club. These memberships bring in close to $150 million in sales to local gym owners.

January is critical for the small business owners that operate gyms in the Fayetteville 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 $16.1 million local consumers  will spend on gym memberships in January, requires fitness center owners to advertise. The best way to do this is on Fayetteville radio. Here's why.

Ask any North Carolina 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 Fayetteville 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, 161,148 residents of Fayetteville 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, Fayetteville small business owners who specialize in tax preparation services lose customers to the do-it-yourself options.  This year, 75,519 local consumers will spend $14.5 million with professionals. But, based on the average cost of services, more than $16.6 million will stay in the wallets of the DIY crowd.

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

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

The first Baby Boomers were born in Fayetteville in 1946, and they kept coming until 1964.  Today, this generation represents 22.9% 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 Fayetteville, that equates to $4.8-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.

Advertising is critical to the growth and ultimate success of a Fayetteville 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 who are in their 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."

Fayetteville shoppers are expected to spend $999 million this holiday season.  This is 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 Fayetteville 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...

Fayetteville small businesses that sell products or services to pet owners should sit up and take notice.  Local consumers will spend $99,000,000 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 spending on furry companions breaks down:

• Food: $40,701,242
• Supplies/OTC Medicine: $21,839,691
• Vet Care: $24,817,831
• Live Pet Purchases: $2,978,140
• Other Services: $8,934,419

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

Fayetteville area small business owners have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services since 1939.  That's the year Wall Christian Ewing and Harry Layman put the first local station, WFNC, on the air.

Today, there are 28 radio stations that serve Cumberland and Robeson counties. 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 Mr. Ewing and Mr. Layman began broadcasting, there were no TV stations in North Carolina. Those would come ten 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 Fayetteville radio still make sense?  Here are five facts that serve to answer that question.

Fayetteville area consumers are expected to spend $8.5 billion at retail this year, according to Nielsen. This means that every household, on average, will be spending $48,564.

To capture a larger share of these dollars, small business owners in Clark and Robeson counties 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.

Fayetteville area consumers are expected to spend $999 million on this year's holiday shopping, based on predictions by The National Retail Federation.  This would be a 4% increase over last year.

Deloitte, one of the world's top four accounting firms, forecasts similar growth.

"The projected holiday season growth is, in part, due to the current health of the labor market,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte's U.S. economic forecaster. “Near record-low unemployment rates, coupled with continued monthly job creation, may encourage people to spend more during the holiday season. The economy is still growing, albeit at a slower rate. Additionally, we continue to see consumer confidence elevated, which also helps boost holiday spending."

For most local retailers, holiday spending brings in about 20% of annual sales But, long gone are the days when the bulk of this shopping occurred between Black Friday and Christmas.

Last week, according to Nielsen, 92,639 single, adult women tuned-in to a Fayetteville radio station.  This is 92% of every consumer who fits this description.

Why should Fayetteville small business owners take note of this demographic? A study by investment bank Morgan Stanley finds 41% of working-age women are single. That number is expected to increase to 45% over the next ten years.

The study, called 'Growth of the SHEconomy', indicates that single women outspend the average household in many retail categories. Remarkably, says, Erica Sweeney of MarketingDive, "Women purchase more than half of products traditionally considered 'male' including autos, home improvement products, and consumer electronics."

Sometimes, radio advertising fails. There can be no debate, though, when implemented correctly, advertising on Fayetteville radio works, and works well.

“I can testify,” says Carolyn Barbour, “our radio advertising has created lifetime customers for our company.” 

Ms. Barbour and her husband Tommy own Budget Rooter, a Fayetteville based plumbing company with a long list of commercial, residential, and industrial customers. “We’ve tried other forms of advertising,” continues Ms. Barbour, “but they have all failed us.” 

Since 2007, Budget Rooter has not missed a single month of advertising on Fayetteville radio.  “Our radio ads have been so successful,” says Ms. Barbour. “we have increased the number of stations we run commercials on from two to five.”