Hitting your wood-handling and tree-care customers with effective marketing campaigns can mean the difference between a cautious consumer and an engaged purchaser. Knowing the buying and market trends will help you to develop a thorough and successful plan for marketing. Timing it right furthers the success of your marketing efforts.
Don’t forget to also push parts sales and maintenance in your marketing efforts as well. You can do this right around the same time as pre-peak advertising. Remind customers that they will want their wood handling products in working order when they need them.
Marketing suitable for your region
A strong focus on marketing can help grow chainsaw and other wood handling equipment sales. Marketing throughout the year with an increased push at peak seasons brings the best results.
Spring and fall make up the two peak chainsaw seasons. Spring cleanup and fall preparation are what boost sales. It is best to do your most aggressive chainsaw marketing in the early spring and early fall before the seasons start. Other wood-handling products like chippers and brushcutters require aggressive marketing right in-line with chainsaws.
Seasons vary by region and so do equipment needs. Knowing what your market requires is indispensable. The fall season means trimming, felling trees and cutting firewood. Throughout the spring, hurricane season can also be a high-demand period for chainsaws in certain areas. However, hitting the chainsaw market should be considered year round.
Effort throughout the year can keep sales going outside those peak spring and fall months. The weather in southern states doesn’t change as much as in the northern states. With no real peaks in the seasons, southern customers should be marketed to aggressively year-round.
Homeowner and commercial customers
Both homeowners and commercial users should be considered when marketing wood-handling products. While the bulk of sales are made to commercial customers, homeowners have shown an increased interest in the products, especially chainsaws.
STIHL INC. has seen a growth in sales of “homeowner” models. “STIHL has always appealed to the professional, whether it is a logger, landscaper or some other professional,” says Douglas Yeates of STIHL Inc. “However, as our brand awareness increases, more and more homeowners are beginning to purchase STIHL products. This trend is expected to continue.”
Commercial and consumer cutters are looking for some similar features that add up to a durable and easy-to-use product. Whether in the yard or on the jobsite, the chainsaw should offer quality results and be comfortable to handle for extended periods. The primary feature homeowners are seeking is an easy-to-start chainsaw that starts every time. When they only use the equipment a few times a year, it is important that it is reliable.
Products like chippers and stump cutters are larger, and not necessarily needed or attainable for all customer segments. The typical customers for those products are do-it-yourself large property owners, contractors and municipalities.
Not many homeowner customers would purchase the equipment, but are far more likely to rent it or hire a contractor to help. If they are a very large property owner, they may want equipment on-hand for upkeep.
To succeed in marketing your chainsaw and wood-handling products, you need to know your target market and when to hit them with your marketing efforts. Taking the time to know them and their needs will help you to push the product segment.
