Have Websites worked for you???

Fether Hardwoods · April 09, 2011, 09:07:03 PM

I am considering a website and wondering how you guys experience with them has been?
What is your main business, sawmill or finish cabinetry work?
What about lumber sales?
Thank You Nathan Fether

Jeff · April 09, 2011, 11:48:56 PM

Check this topic out.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,37265.0.html

Tom the Sawyer · April 09, 2011, 11:54:37 PM

I built my first website and went on-line in January. I have already had several jobs that resulted from the website and several contacts from persons outside my service area but with questions. It is a pretty simple site and takes less than 1 hour a week maintenance, doesn't really 'need' that but I keep finding things to improve or clarify. It does save time spent sending out price lists or promotional brochures when they get all of that from the site.

I have several different marketing approaches and the internet isn't the best one yet but there are a lot of people out there searching the net. It is early but it appears that the persons who contact me from the website tend to be younger than those that call on ads.

Brucer · April 10, 2011, 01:29:00 AM

Thanks to that web page Jeff built me 2 years ago, I've had several requests for quotes, a couple of sales calls, and one order. The order was for $50,000 worth of timbers

. I just renewed my site for another year ;D.

Cedarman · April 10, 2011, 07:35:33 AM

Most of my business comes from my website. Without it I would be doing something else. Before I had the website most of our production ws for 1 or 2 companies. Now I saw nothing for them. The cost of a good website is next to nothing compared to what it can bring in. Think long and hard about what you call it, how it is designed etc.

Norm · April 10, 2011, 07:54:14 AM

And also have someone like Jeff build it. Nothing turns me off faster than going to one that looks like their 5 year old designed it. Tells me they don't take their business very seriously.

Patty · April 10, 2011, 09:25:33 AM

Like Cedarman, our business would not exist without a good website. Most of our business is generated from it.

Kansas · April 10, 2011, 10:30:32 AM

We don't have a website, but we have had a presence for years on Woodfinder. Got a lot of business from that. I have used pictures on my Facebook to sell a lot of timbers and lumber. The one and only reason we don't have a website is that we are having too many growing pains right now. The items we want to sell on a website we simply don't have in the right quantities and quality to put on there. I even contacted Jeff once about one but didn't follow up because we got hit with a bunch of orders. But this is going to change. When we transition into our new building I expect to have a better control over a lot of things. My goal is to have that website going towards the end of this year. I want to get back to our roots. Retailing a variety of kiln dried hardwoods, and getting information out about trailer decking, mantles, the high margin stuff.

If you need business, get a website and have it professionally done. Norm said it well. Best money you will ever invest.

Busy Beaver Lumber · April 10, 2011, 03:41:24 PM

Our websites generate quite a few sales for us. In particular, the www.busybeaverlumber.com website generated $40,000 in sales, plus a 3 year contract for 15,000 bundles of wood for the next 3 years. It also got us our second state park for firewood two weeks ago and we just shipped 500 bundles of firewood to them yesterday and think they should be good for 5000 to 8000 bundles this year.

timerover51 · April 10, 2011, 05:08:00 PM

Quote from: Busy Beaver Lumber on April 10, 2011, 03:41:24 PM
Our websites generate quite a few sales for us. In particular, the www.busybeaverlumber.com website generated $40,000 in sales, plus a 3 year contract for 15,000 bundles of wood for the next 3 years. It also got us our second state park for firewood two weeks ago and we just shipped 500 bundles of firewood to them yesterday and think they should be good for 5000 to 8000 bundles this year.

That is a nice looking website, very well done.

Fether Hardwoods · April 10, 2011, 06:30:30 PM

Thanks for all the input, what sells best for you guys on the internet, lumber or finished projects?

Busy Beaver Lumber · April 11, 2011, 05:54:53 PM

Timerover51

Thank you for the compliment. Actually it was one of the easiest websites I ever built. I have all of 10 hours invested in it. It was done with a very easy to use program called SiteStudio that my web hosting service provides for free. If you can type, you can make one just as easy.

Fred

kderby · April 11, 2011, 11:13:30 PM

I waited a while to get my Web page but now I have it and love it. It gives me a strong degree of legitimacy. I am no longer just a guy with some equipment. The web page demonstrates my equipment location and work experience. It gives me a place to tell my story to potential customers without taking any of my time.

It is part of my "meet and greet" portfolio. I hand the new person a business card and invite them to look at my web page for additional information.

Several of the other sawyers in the area are not computer literate. I don't care if they like computers or not. I can tell you that I get customers via the internet and they do not.

The web page elevates the education and income level of my clients. Internet savvy customers are often better informed and they have deeper pockets. If a neighbor wants some barn boards I will have them in stock at a breakeven price. I'll make my real money from the specialist, architect, wholesaler, customer who wants the best I can produce and can afford to pay for it. I find them and am well represented when I have my web page tuned up.

Kderby

thecfarm · April 12, 2011, 08:23:12 AM

If someone wanted more business the Internet is a big help. Yes,the fliers,business cards at TSC,feed,hardware stores help. But the person on the computer will be bored or will just do a search because that is how they find most things they want and find you. Some people get out,but don't look around much.I had a guy at work ask me where Winslow was,only 45 minutes away from him.

The younger generations with their phones are always looking on the Internet for something. I don't have a fancy phone like that,but have asked them to look up something for me when I was at work.

GF · April 12, 2011, 08:26:32 AM

My website brings in 85% of my business, right now I am having to explain to the people I am running about 4 weeks behind. I only saw part time and work another full time job. Each day when I get home I have messages that people have left that need something cut up.

GF