Web site sells redwood the old-fashioned way

By Christopher Grover President Cal ifornia Redwood Association

EIOR DECADES. the California

L'Redwood Association has helped builders specify redwood, has provided project plans for do-it-yourselfers, has trained lumber merchants to sell redwood products, and has made connections between buyers and sellers.

0n a typical day, over

1,400 people visit the CRA Web site.

When it came to developing a Web site for the redwood industry, we knew exactly what it needed to do. It needed to be an extension of everything we are doing over the telephone, in our product literature and in our advertising.

In January 1997, CRA acquired the Internet domain name www.calredwood.org and began promoting redwood products over the Internet. From day one, there were separate areas on CRA's Web site for homeowners, builders and merchants. There was also an area that discussed the redwood forests and explained how the redwood forests are regrown after harvest and how the mills protect wildlife and waterways.

On a typical day during the summer of 2000, over 1,400 people visited the Web site and spent an average of 10 minutes at the site. Some of them were visiting for the first time and others were returning, often refer- ring to a specific page that they had previously bookmarked.

Nearly 100 visitors each day were interested in CRA literature. They downloaded Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files with information on decks, fences or technical data sheets. Over 28 publications are available, including project plans, picture idea booklets and technical data sheets. These files can be viewed on screen or printed out. Redwood merchants with f ax/ modems in their computers sometimes use these files to fax CRA literature to their customers in response to technical questions.

Hundreds of visitors each day were interested in CRA's plans for projects such as benches, a picnic table, gazebos, decks and fences. They visited pages where they could read and print step-by-step instructions for these projects. Detailed plans with dimension callouts are available along with 3-d models that can be turned and viewed from any angle.

About 50 visitors each day were looking for a source for redwood, and they visited the redwood locator. These people found local sources by selecting a state and city. Other people were looking for specific products from playground equipment to redwood seedlinss and used CRA's directory of specialty products. Each day, many people had specific questions about redwood properties, redwood grades and redwood applications. They looked at the Frequently Asked Questions ("FAQs") pages, where they learned why redwood is the best choice for decks, fences and many other projects. They found answers to questions about redwood grades, finishing options, fasteners and environmental issues. Those whose questions weren't of the "frequently asked" variety sent emails to CRA, and their questions were answered by CRA's technical staff.

For four years now, our Web site has served as a natural extension of all the old-fashioned activities of the association.

For about the cost of developing and printing a new piece of product literature, calredwood.org is helping homeowners, builders and merchants. And, best of all, it's still doing it when we turn out the lights and go home at night.