Much of that reputation comes from radio being tough to track. On one hand, radio does work. Businesses do notice an increase in sales when they add radio to mix. However, radio doesn't test well. In surveys and other tracking methods, radio tends to be one with dismal scores.

A good friend of mine, who's also a marketing consultant but before that she sold radio for many years, has a theory about that. She says radio works on a subconscious or unconscious level. People remember ad, but not that they heard it on radio. So, they tend to credit a different medium for ad, like yellow pages. Yellow pages gets a boost while radio drops a few points.

Regardless, radio should not be ignored because it does work. And many marketing consultants will probably tell you radio is an excellent medium to reach a local market.

However, I feel there are possibilities beyond merely reaching local customers.

Internet radio shows are starting to take off in a big way. That means advertising and sponsorship opportunities are also taking off. In addition, "offline" methods have been shown to be pretty effective at driving traffic online. If increasing Web traffic is your goal, using traditional media outlets to increase traffic should be a part of your mix.

If people already know you (which they might in your local market) they're more likely to be loyal. And they're more likely to send other customers to your site. Depending on costs of radio in your community, radio may be a very affordable way to get a good viral campaign going. (A viral campaign is what happens when other people pass around your business' e-mails to their friends and family, or send them to your Web site.)

Below are some other positive reasons to use radio:

* Affordable -- when you compare spot to spot, radio tends to be one of least expensive media out there. However, one spot ain't going to do it. To reach your target market, you need to purchase several spots. That's why radio can also turn into one of more expensive media. However, there are ways to keep your costs in line yet still reap benefits of radio -- for instance, buying less spots but running them all in one or two weeks, so your customers are more likely to hear your message.

* Psychological, if you voice commercials yourself -- hearing your voice makes people feel like they "know" you. (Hence popularity of audio on Web sites. In fact, marketing gurus claim just by adding audio to a site substantially increases how many people buy.)

People tend to buy from people and businesses they know and trust. Hearing your voice helps them feel as if they know you. These psychological aspects may be another reason to consider running a few radio ads in your local market even if you have an Internet business.

* Speed -- you can get your spot up and running in no time.

Well lets just look at impact that Howard Stern himself has made on world of radio, he is undeniably one of most popular figures in world of all media not just radio. He has made his mark on media as being pioneer of what they have dubbed “Shock Jock”, but before that was popular he was one of only radio personalities that had vision and more importantly had heart, for lack of a better word, to make his own path and not follow herd.

He created a revolution of sorts in world of radio spawning a new breed of Disc Jockey in all of major radio markets. Stern has overcome adversity and has been pinned to cross more times than not. He has commanded loyalty from his audience and from his team, this has helped him conquer any market that he was allowed to enter.