This pattern of double-digit declines began in the middle of last year. July fell 13%, August fell 12%, September fell 14%, October fell 11%, November fell 12%, and December fell 14%.
For those Fayetteville business owners who have been utilizing TV advertising to market their goods and services, there is a powerful alternative.
Radio listening in Fayetteville, by far, has the most extensive reach among Fayetteville consumers of any advertising medium, according to Nielsen.
The dominance of Fayetteville radio is strong among all demographics including the 18-49 years old who are fleeing live television.
Advertising on Fayetteville radio is preferred by many business owners and marketing professionals who depend on local media to market their goods and services.
Joe Quigg began advertising on Fayetteville radio shortly after buying Ed’s Tire and Auto service from the original owner, Ed Melvin.
“Ed, who served as my mentor for the first few years, had been huge into yellow pages and newspaper advertising,” says Mr. Quigg. “He feared that if we quit advertising four days a week in the newspaper, then the world would end.
“I knew, though, that advertising on Fayetteville radio was right for us,” continues Mr. Quigg. “When I was in corporate sales, I was spending a lot of time in the car. My radio was always on. So, I knew it could reach the customers of Ed’s Tire.”
As his advertising strategy began to show positive results, Mr. Quigg stopped newspaper advertising altogether and started adding more Fayetteville radio stations into his mix.
“Every week that goes by,” says Mr. Quigg, “five or six customers tell me they came in because they heard us on the radio.”
“When it comes to spending money, I am very conservative,” continues Mr. Quigg. “I don’t like spending money I don’t have to. Our sales have grown every year since I have owned the business. Radio has been a big spend for us, but it has also been a big part of our growth. I wouldn’t be willing to do without it.”
Carolyn and Tony Barbour are the owners of Budget Rooter, a Fayetteville based small business with a long list of commercial, residential, and industrial customers. “I can testify,” says Ms. Barbour, “our radio advertising has created lifetime customers for our company.
Mr. Barbour started Budget Rooter in 1998 as a part-time job. He worked nights and weekends out of the back of his Geo Storm. By 2000, word of mouth helped expand the business to a point where he could make it his full-time pursuit.
By 2002, Budget Rooter hired a second plumber to keep up with customer demand. This is also when Ms. Barbour quit her job as a nurse to take on the mounting administrative duties of the firm. This included advertising and marketing.
In 2007, the economy took a downturn and many of Budget Rooter’s competitors began to fail. Not wishing to succumb to the same fate, the Barbours decided to expand their advertising efforts.
“We thought about using TV,” remembers Ms. Barbour, “but when we started asking other Fayetteville small business owners what type of advertising worked best for them, they all said radio.”
So, in 2007 the first Budget Rooter radio campaigns started airing on 2 Fayetteville radio stations. These commercials featured the company’s now iconic slogan, “Don’t flush your budget on high repair bills.”
“For the first several months, our radio helped us keep our nose above water,” says Ms. Barbour. “I promise you, it was advertising on Fayetteville radio that kept us afloat.
As Ms. Barbour tells it, after being on radio consistently for nine months, the business started to take off. “In the deepest part of the downturn,” she recalls, “we were growing.”
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.”
The strength of Fayetteville radio is best summed up by James Grafstrom, General manager of the Crown Complex, who has been investing in advertising on Fayetteville since 2013.
“Although the media landscape has changed, no matter how you look at it,” he says, “radio is still in the forefront. People are in their cars every day whether they are going to work or coming home. During that time, they are listening to Fayetteville radio. They might be listening to a rock station; a pop station; a rap station; a talk station; or a county station. But the bottom line is they are listening.”
“They might not have a chance to look at the newspaper that day, or check Facebook,” Mr. Grafstrom continues, “but because they are captive in their cars, we can reach them with our message, even if it just for 15 or 30 seconds. I see this as a real value to keep The Crown Complex top-of-mind in our community.”
Mr. Grafstrom’s approach to marketing the Crown Complex has proven effective. “With the help of Fayetteville radio and our other media partners,” he says, “We have been able to achieve our goals and objectives.”