“We began advertising on Fayetteville radio in 2000, a year after we opened,” remembers co-owner, Amie Crouter. “We had just expanded into water mitigation a few months earlier. I had just set up an account with Mohawk, one of the largest manufacturers of floor coverings in the world. And, we had just sold our first flooring job even before we had hired an installer.”
After 18 years, Cape Fear Flooring still advertises on Fayetteville radio. “Radio advertising has really driven our growth from the beginning,” says Ms. Crouter. “We have always asked new customers how they found out about us. Overwhelmingly, we are told they heard our radio commercials.”
“Since we started advertising on the radio, we’ve never stopped,” she says. “Advertising on Fayetteville radio has provided an excellent return-on-investment for us.”
Nielsen, a research company that analyzes media and consumer buying habits confirms Ms. Crouter’s observation. The company has conducted more that 20 studies over the past few years which measured radio advertising’s return-on-investment ROI) across multiple product categories.
On average, these studies found radio advertisers experienced a $10 lift in sales for each $1 invested.
Ms. Crouter offers three reasons why radio has been so successful for her Fayetteville small business. The first is the constant repetition of the musical jingle she uses in all of her commercials. The second is the way she weaves her company’s name into community focused, radio station events. Third is the company’s constant on-air presence
Ten years ago, Ms. Crouter asked Any Pow of Digital Wave recording studios in Fayetteville to produce a jingle for Cape Fear Flooring. “Although we have freshened up the music in it a few times over the years,” she says, “the message has remained the same. The words ‘together we make it home’ are always how the jingle ends.”
“The car I drive has a Cape Fear Flooring logo on it.” says Ms. Crouter. “When people see me in it, they always sing our jingle…word for word. Clearly, our radio commercials are working like they are supposed to.”
“What I find even more valuable than our commercials are our sponsorships of radio station events, especially those that help local children or the military,” explains Ms. Crouter. “When our business supports these efforts,” she adds, “it really cements our relationship with the community.”
The final pillar of Cape Fear Flooring’s radio advertising success is continuity. For the past 18 years, they have always had commercials or sponsorships on the air. The primary benefit for this tactic is to overcome a challenge experienced by many Fayetteville small business owners: the transient nature of the area’s population.
“About one-third of Cumberland county residents are part of the military community. As a result, people are always moving in-and-out of the area,” Ms. Crouter explains. “Sixty-percent of our customers come from the military, so we need to be constantly re-introducing ourselves to the new arrivals.”
“For instance,” she explains, “In most places across the county, the flooring business is slower in the summertime. People are on vacation. They are spending their money on other things.”
“But, not here,” says Ms. Crouter. “July and August is when the military moves. If they are upgrading their housing or moving off post, it’s always during these months. That’s when they are in the market for new flooring. So, for us, that is an especially important for us to be advertising on the radio.”
Based on 18 years of successful radio advertising experience, Ms. Crouter has the following advice for other Fayetteville small business owners.
“If you’re business is going to advertise on Fayetteville radio, then you just can’t do it once. That won’t work. If you have commercials on consistently and stick to it, then you will get results.”