Good firewood classified ads - how do you get customers attention

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woodbooga

woodbooga

cords of mystic memory
Joined
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STLfirewood made a good point in another thread about the value of good versus bad ads as being important in picking up new customers. Especially if you're not looking to sell at some ridiculously low price and are competing with undercutters (excuse the pun).

What workds for you all in writing a good classified?

Any other advertising methods you guys use? Craigslist, word of mouth, fliers, signs? Anyone go digital and create a web site or do e-mail blasts?
 
woodbooga said:
STLfirewood made a good point in another thread about the value of good versus bad ads as being important in picking up new customers. Especially if you're not looking to sell at some ridiculously low price and are competing with undercutters (excuse the pun).

What workds for you all in writing a good classified?

Any other advertising methods you guys use? Craigslist, word of mouth, fliers, signs? Anyone go digital and create a web site or do e-mail blasts?
Click to expand...
I would think by creating a web site would be the best I know if Iam looking for something I google it first.
I know of a big Firewood dealer in my area has a really good web sight. Don't know if I can post it rules and all? But your looking at $580.00 not a typo for a cord of pine! Must cost lot's to run a web site lol.
I do not sell Firewood Myself only cut for myself and give some away to friends. But again if I was looking for wood I would check the net first I found a local arborist that way, that gives wood away if you come and pick it up.
 
Free stacking by women in g-string swim suites only $580 cord! Call now, it is going fast….
 
For the most part, I don't sell, but I do look at local ads--mostly CL and local newspaper.

The ads I like provide enough info to give me more confidence that I'm going to get a fair deal. They provide a definition of a cord and talk about price options for pickup, delivery, dumped, stacked, species mix, etc. It's all spelled out in advance.
 
I watch the local newspaper ads here and one thing that stood out was a guy accepting credit card payments for firewood. People are creatures of habit, they may need firewood and not have the cash available so they just put it on their credit card. The biggest complaints I hear about swiping cards are the fees involved for the seller each time someone pays that way.
 
Wood Doctor said:
Sheila Firewood, stacked, 38-34-36. Free delivery. $200
Call today at ILU-VYOU.
:biggrinbounce2:
Click to expand...

Nice. You'd have to adjust the measurements a bit if the load was laden with some nice big ash. Maybe 36-32-40?

I know I swore off ash puns, but that one was like a slow-moving meatball dangling over home plate
 
Edited. Lousy place for a typo. As you can see, my mind was on the wrong dimension. :dizzy: I actually saw a classified ad like this awhile back in one of the rags around here. How on earth it got published I will never know.

Seriously, though, "cut, split, and delivered" are typical eye catchers, along with "seasoned dry, mixed hardwood".

I also recommend selling by the "mounded-up pickup load" rather than by the cord. Nobody seems to know what a cord is. Always deliver a little more than your customer expects. It's worth it in the long run.
 
I was thinking about getting some refrigerator magnets made up. I'm going by the name-Mike The Firewood Guy. Fortunately I have a web hosting company so I went ahead and registered the domain name www.MikeTheFirewoodGuy.com. Credit card services and web hosting are actually my main business in real life so I kinda have it easy to set all that up. I might not accept checks and cards though. I like cash, for all the obvious reasons.
 
BuddhaKat said:
I was thinking about getting some refrigerator magnets made up. I'm going by the name-Mike The Firewood Guy. Fortunately I have a web hosting company so I went ahead and registered the domain name www.MikeTheFirewoodGuy.com. Credit card services and web hosting are actually my main business in real life so I kinda have it easy to set all that up. I might not accept checks and cards though. I like cash, for all the obvious reasons.
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Offer a 5% cash discount as opposed to a check. $100 a truckload if paid with a check and $95 if paid with greenbacks upon delivery. I predict you may never receive a check.
 
I put an ad on Craigs list last season that cleaned out everything I had (only 6 cords at te time) It went over some people's heads, but one woman saw it and said she laughed so hard she decided she had to buy from me.

"FIREWOOD-- When you see my prices, you'll get wood."
 
MJR said:
Free stacking by women in g-string swim suites only $580 cord! Call now, it is going fast….
Click to expand...

Bikini Lawn Care:

<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z0ICJ7E3CUs&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z0ICJ7E3CUs&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>
 
Ductape said:
I actually like Avalancher's plan.
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See what happens when you take the weekend off and go cut wood?Folks just jump right in and start talking about you!LOL
If you know my plan, fill me in.I dont even know what my plan is.

Okay, here is my buiness hints.

Get fridge magnets and cards made up, they are cheap and have always worked for me.

Get Quickbooks pro and set up an account.You can accept all major credit cards, and the fee is simple.3 percent of the sale, and it drives in the customers in droves around the holidays.You take the card number before you make the delivery and run the card number.You are paid before you even load, eliminating the folks who order and then are conveniently have wood delivered by some clown who gets there before you do.I was plagued two years ago by folks who would call several guys, and pay the first one who arrived.Not any more.

Get ballpoint pens made up and hand em out every chance you can.I pay 40 bucks for 2000 of em, and well worth the cash.Every time you write a check at the counter, give the gal a pen, and leave one on the counter as well.I cant tell you how many times I have had a call start out with, "Hey, I found your pen at the store, and I need some firewood."

Get t shirts and ball caps made up.Dont hand em out, wear em.I pay 4 bucks for caps, and 6 bucks for t shirts.Give shirts to friends and family only.

Advertise "free kindling" on your sign on your truck.My daughters job is to gather all the little sticks and cut em up when taking down a tree, I bundle em and hand em out when delivering wood.Folks like getting anything for free, and will remember you.

Talk firewood whereever you go."Man,its cold today, but the wife had the house up to 80 when I left.Yep, I sell firewood, here is my card.Free kindling with every load delivered, twice as much if you come pick it up.
 

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