If you were one of the 3,543,709 consumers who tuned-in to a Boston radio station last week, then chances are you heard at least one commercial from GEICO, Progressive, or Liberty Mutual. That's because insurance is big business in New England.

Each year, Boston area consumers spend $6.9-billion to insure their homes and cars. That's almost $1500 for every area adult.

There is good news and bad news for the 8800 local insurance agents who are competing to earn a substantial share of the home and auto premiums consumers are paying.

According to Nielsen, 236,000 policyholders in the Boston area are planning to switch insurance providers during the next 12 months.

There are many ways for New England small business owners to advertise. Options include newspapers, magazines, television, social media, and streaming media.

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 Boston radio.

"Advertising on Boston radio really helped to push our company into profitability for the first time. It was the tipping point for us," says Chad Langley, CEO of Teststripz. 

Teststripz was founded in 2011 by Chad. The company operates an online marketplace where people who suffer from diabetes can purchase low-cost supplies from others who have an oversupply. This includes test strips and meters.

"If we hadn't started advertising on the radio when we did," adds Chad's brother Chris the company's CTO, "we would probably be out of business right now.

So, how can a New England small business owner choose the best Boston radio stations to advertise on?

Consumers in the Boston area spent a record $6.1 billion on home improvements in 2019. This level of spending is projected to drop modestly next year, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

“Declining home sales and home-building activity coupled with slower gains in permitting for improvement projects will put the brakes on remodeling growth,” says Chris Herbert, the center’s managing director.

“However, if falling mortgage interest rates continue to incentivize home sales, refinancing, and ultimately remodeling activity, the slowdown may soften some.”

If New England small businesses that sell home improvement products and services would like to continue to grow despite the softening market, then advertising will be required.

Low unemployment, a boom in housing starts, and confident consumers are propelling robust sales for New England furniture stores.

In 2019, local consumers in the Boston area spent $2.1 billion on furniture and home furnishing. This number is expected to grow.

Based on estimates developed by Furniture Today’s Strategic Insights team and Easy Analytic Software Inc. (EASI), the total furniture and bedding market is projected to expand by more than 22% by 2024.

If a New England small business owner who sells furniture, furnishings, or home decor would like to grab a larger share of this expanding market, then advertising is necessary.  By almost every key metric, advertising on local radio is a sound marketing investment.

Is advertising on the radio just a day job for New England small business owners?  

Thousands of local companies depend on radio advertising to market their goods and services. But, most of these business owners choose to buy commercials only between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm.  Is this a good idea? Maybe not. Here are the facts.

Last week, for instance, 3,543,709 adult consumers tuned-in to their favorite Boston radio stations. This is significantly higher than the number that tuned-in to a local TV station, read a local newspaper, logged-on to social media sites like Facebook, or streamed audio from Pandora and Spotify.

But radio listeners do not roll-up their ears just because the sunsets. According to Nielsen, 57.1% of Boston area consumers who listen to the radio during daylight hours, also tune in at night.

Advertising on Boston radio stations is the best way for small business owners to reach the lucrative mother-market in New England. 

Boston area consumers will spend $110.9 billion over the next 12 months. Forbes magazine reports that its these moms who control 85% of all household purchases. Locally,  there are more than 691,000 mothers with children under the age of 18 at home.

New England small business owners need to pay special attention to these mothers and their wallets. Here's why:

• 45,956 moms are planning to buy a new house this year
• 56,942 moms are planning to go back to school this year
• 72,691 moms will buy a smartphone this year
• 79,617 moms will hire a plumber this year
• 80,232 moms are planning to purchase a car this year
• 81,770 will use a financial planner this year
• 85,744 moms will buy furniture or mattresses this year
• 168,261 will use a tax preparation service this year
• 186,926 moms are planning a major home improvement this year
• 582,488 moms will buy a restaurant meal this month

It's a fact. Unless a consumer remembers your business when it comes time to buy, then it is likely they will purchase from someone else. Staying top of mind, therefore, is critical for every Boston area  small business owner who wants to grab a share of the area's $100.9-billion retail market.

Advertising on Boston radio provides New England business owners with the most affordable way to move to the top of customers' minds. But, before discussing how to get remembered, we must understand why consumers forget.

Every second, all of us are exposed to 11,000,000 pieces of data. A consumer's brain, however, is only capable of dealing with about 50 pieces of this data at a time. So, if my calculus is correct, a consumer forgets approximately 10,999,950 things every second.

New England area small business owners need employees...desperately.

According to a report from the National Federation of Independent Business, 26% of small business owners say finding qualified workers is their number one problem. 

The report goes on to say that 88% of small business owners looking to hire new employees are finding there are no qualified candidates.

The historically low unemployment figures in the Boston area appears to be the root cause of local hiring woes. The metro area jobless rate stands at 2.1%. There are just not enough qualified workers to go around.

Most small business owners have exhausted the traditional methods of recruitment. These include online job board posts, newspaper ads, referral bonuses, and help wanted signs. All to no avail.

To successfully attract the qualified applicants they yearn for, local small business owners need to command the attention of 'passive' job seekers. The number one source for these candidates is Boston radio.

Suppose a Boston small business owner woke up one morning and found a 100-year-old machine in the basement of their store. She soon discovered that every time a dime was put into the machine, one dollar came out.  Imagine, now, how profitable that business would become.

Good news: such a contraption exists,  and every business owner probably has one in their cars, in their stores, in their homes, even on their phones. It's called the radio.

Over the past few years, Nielsen has conducted more than 20 studies to determine what type of return-on-investment (ROI) a business owner  can expect from radio advertising.  Although the results varied by industry, the average company generated $100 in sales for every $10 invested. Turning dimes into dollars.

Advertising is critical to the success of every New England 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 Boston 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.