WISCONSIN-BASED LAND CLEARING COMPANY
CASE STUDY: A Full Year of Forestry Mulching Ads
Real results, real mistakes, and what actually worked for a Wisconsin-based forestry mulching business
Context
The Setup (+ the wins)
January 2025 - January 2026
This is a Wisconsin-based land clearing company. They do forestry mulching only, no grading, no demo, no side services.
The goal wasn’t complicated: scale enough to support a second full-time operator and dependably keep their guys busy.
That required one thing above all else: predictable, high-quality leads. No sporadic schedules or floods of cheap tire kicker leads.
What follows is a full 12-month breakdown of what actually happened, including:
- what worked,
- what we refined,
- and why certain decisions mattered.
Hear from our guy himself…
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564
Total leads
$500K
Revenue from ads
$34K
Ad spend
14.8x ROAS
Meaning, for every $1 spent on ads across the entire year, they made 14.8 back. A whopping return.
This was our second year working with this business, and we hit growth goals for 2025, and we're mapping out plans for year 3.
THE BACKGROUND
Our Journey: Growth & Goals
Tracking our progress and setting ambitious targets for continued success.
Year 1: Foundation (2024)
- Total Revenue: $278,000
- Leads Generated: 251
- Ad Spend: $13,739
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): 20.23x
Successfully built initial market presence and refined lead generation strategies.
Year 2: Expansion (2025)
- Total Revenue: $590,000
- Leads Generated: 564
- Ad Spend: $33,723
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): 14.8x
Achieved significant revenue growth, enabling the addition of a second full-time operator.
Year 3: Optimization & Scale (2026 Goals)
- Total Revenue: $1,000,000
- Projected Leads Needed: ~1,000
- Ad Spend: $70,000
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Maintain 13x-15x
Targeting continued scaling through refined ad strategies and operational efficiency.
The Numbers That Matter
14.8× ROAS
$33,721 invested in ads, just over $500k back in their business. That's one hell of a trade.
This wasn’t luck. It came from bringing in the right kind of leads, and the business having fast follow up, effective bidding strategies, and leaving a trail of happy customers.
$67.98 Average CPL
Knowing a single job can land anywhere from $2k to $10k, this is an extremely profitable cost per lead.
At these costs, ads became a smart, dependable way to stay booked solid.
40% Close Rate
Nearly half of inbound leads turned into booked jobs.That doesn’t happen by accident.
A 40% close rate is what you get when leads are quality and you follow up, show up, and price the work like a professional.
Quarterly Lead Flow Analysis
Looking at the lead flow across each quarter reflects the business owners spending across the seasons, intentionally managing lead flow across winter, bringing in new employees, etc. We work closely with our clients to help them achieve their goals across the year.
For every $1 spent on ads across the entire year, they made 14.8 back.
Key Learning #1
Biggest Breakthrough: Niche Is King
Broad "land clearing" ads worked fine. But performance jumped when we got specific in the ads. Stuff like…
- Property line clearing
- Access paths and trails
- Invasive species removal
The more specific the job type, the more decisive the lead.
People didn't need to be sold — they already knew why they were reaching out.
They had a problem, recognized it, and wanted it fixed.
Getting specific in your marketing about LOCAL PAIN POINTS is essential.
Speaking of invasive buckthorn…
Key Learning #2
Invasive Species Creates Built-In Urgency
In Wisconsin, buckthorn is a real headache for acreage owners. It spreads fast, chokes out native plants, and landowners know they need to deal with it. In fact, buckthorn drives them CRAZY.
Ads that named the problem directly — "buckthorn removal" — did three things:
01
Attracted high-intent buyers
These were people with acreage who already understood the problem
02
Filtered out tire-kickers
If you don't have buckthorn, you don't click. Simple as that.
03
Produced consistent mulching jobs
Work that fit the operation and kept crews busy
Every region has its own version of this. Find the local problem with urgency already baked in, and your ads will work harder.
The Impact of Predictable Marketing For This Business Owner in 2025…
Predictable Pipeline
He knew where the next jobs were coming from, every single month. No more feast-or-famine cycles or scrambling for work.
Peace of Mind
When you're not worried about finding the next customer, you can focus on running the business — training crews, maintaining equipment, improving operations.
Growth Confidence
He bought a new machine and hired multiple employees because he had consistent work to justify it. Ads became a growth system, not just a lead source.
The real wins weren't just financial. They were operational — the ability to plan, invest, and grow without gambling.
Ads as a Forestry Mulching "Growth System"
Our Responsibility
- Bringing in consistent, high-quality leads
- Testing and refining ad messaging that fits their local service area
- Identifying what works in the local market - and doing more of what works
Business Owner's Responsibility
- Prompt follow-up on every lead
- Accurate bidding and quoting
- Strong customer service
- Actually closing the work
That 40% close rate? It's not guaranteed. It's the result of competent operations paired with good marketing. We bring the leads. You bring the execution. Both matter.
This year we brought in an expert bidding/sales consultant to work with this business owner, and the results show.
Why This Case Study Matters
Anyone can run ads. Real results come from understanding local landowner psychology, identifying problems with built-in urgency, and connecting marketing decisions to machines, crews, and real-world capacity.
This wasn't about tricks or hacks. It was about thinking clearly, testing intelligently, and building a system that supported predictable growth and a solid ROI.
That's how ads become a growth system, not just a lead source. And that's the difference between spending money and investing it.
Interested to work with us?
Book a 15 minute call with Holly and we'll see if our system might be a good fit for you.