Marketing plan · Imperial Beach

Dental direct mail in Imperial Beach:
a new patient plan for dentists

By Best Direct Mail, San Marcos · Numbers from USPS and the US Census Bureau

Imperial Beach is a small beach town at the far southwest corner of the country, between the ocean, San Diego Bay and the Tijuana River Valley. It has young adults renting near the pier, families in small houses a few blocks inland, Navy families from the bases on the Silver Strand who move every few years, and long-time residents who have watched the town change around them.

The whole city shares one ZIP Code, 91932, and it is small enough that a practice can mail a real share of it. Below we start with the public numbers for Imperial Beach, including how many new movers arrive in an average month, then go neighborhood by neighborhood: who lives there, which services fit and how to mail them. After that come a new movers plan, a year of mailings and what every dental postcard in California should include.

Dental postcard of a smiling family with coupons for $50 off the first visit, free whitening, free x-rays and a free toothbrush — A family welcome card for Imperial Beach households and Navy families. (design DEN-6)

Dental postcard with a smiling couple and offers for a free exam, a $99 cleaning and free x-rays — Free exam, $99 cleaning: a price-first card for the blocks near your office. (design DEN-7)

Dental postcard offering complete care for the whole family, including cosmetic, restorative dentistry and implants — Complete care close to home, from children's checkups to implants. (design DEN-13)

Imperial Beach by ZIP Code

ZIP Code	Homes (routes)	Households with children	Median household income	New movers a month (average)	Residents 65 or older
91932 All of Imperial Beach	10,160 (14)	32%	$85,833	about 90	12%

What the columns tell you:

Households with children: where a family practice, children's checkups and back-to-school cards will do best.
Median household income: higher incomes point to cosmetic work, aligners and implants. Lower incomes point to clear prices, payment plans and the insurance you take.
New movers a month: about how many households move to a new home in the ZIP Code in an average month. This is the size of your monthly new movers mailing.
Residents 65 or older: where implant, denture and consultation cards belong.

These figures cover whole ZIP Codes, and single routes inside them can be quite different. Our EDDM® route planner shows income, age, household size and the share of families with children for every route before you choose.

Homes and carrier routes are from the USPS EDDM® route map. Households with children, income, new movers and residents 65 or older are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates for the ZIP Code area. New movers a month is the number of residents who moved into a different home in the past year, turned into households and divided by 12.

New movers: on average about 90 households move to a new home in these ZIP Codes every month. Many of them will be looking for a new dentist.

What a mailing costs: $2,682 for 5,000 homes with our recommended 8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcard, including printing and postage. See our EDDM® prices for other quantities.

What to mail in each neighborhood

Seacoast Drive and the beachfront (91932)

Along Seacoast Drive, around the pier and on the streets just off the sand, condo buildings, small apartment buildings and beach cottages house many renters, most of them young adults and couples. People move in and out all year, and some units are second homes.

What to offer: a simple new patient price, a cleaning and whitening, and online booking. A light, friendly card fits the beach better than a formal one.
How to mail: new movers every month rather than whole routes. With so many people coming and going, the people who just arrived are the ones looking for a dentist.

Turn that frown upside down! postcard with two smiling young women, a large tooth model and a $69 new patient special for an exam, cleaning and x-rays — Turn that frown upside down: a new patient card for renters near the pier. (design DEN-11)

Central Imperial Beach (91932)

Between the beach and 13th Street, on both sides of Imperial Beach Boulevard and Palm Avenue, most homes are small houses and duplexes from the 1950s and 60s, with apartments along the main streets. Many households are families with children, many rent, and they look closely at cost and at which insurance a practice takes.

What to offer: a clear new patient price, children seen, and the plans you accept, including Medi-Cal Dental if you take it. Saturday hours help. A card in English and Spanish is an option if your office serves Spanish speakers.
How to mail: EDDM® to the routes closest to your office. Nearly every household needs a dentist, renters included, and most will pick one within a few minutes of home.

Dental postcard with a large tooth and a $69 new patient special for an exam, cleaning and x-rays — One clear new patient price for central Imperial Beach. (design DEN-3)

North Imperial Beach, near the bay (91932)

Toward the bay and the start of the Silver Strand, the streets north of Palm Avenue have single-family homes, townhomes and condos near the Bayshore Bikeway. This is the part of town closest to the Navy bases on the Strand, and many military families live here for a tour of a few years.

What to offer: family care for spouses and children, and whether you are in network for the TRICARE Dental Program, which many military families use. Active-duty members usually get their own care on base, so write the card for the rest of the family.
Timing: summer, when many military families arrive with new orders, and back-to-school checkups in July and August.
How to mail: new movers every month catch families as they arrive. Add EDDM® on the routes with the most single-family homes.

Dental postcard with a smiling family, a child at the dentist, $50 off the first visit and free whitening — A family card for military households near the bay. (design DEN-4)

East Imperial Beach (91932)

East of 13th Street, toward the Tijuana River Valley and the Nestor area of San Diego, there are more single-family homes with yards and more owners who live in their homes. Families who have been here for years live next to new owners who bought their first house.

What to offer: one practice for the whole family, from children's cleanings to crowns, with a free exam or new patient special.
How to mail: EDDM®. These are some of the most stable routes in the city, and the best place in Imperial Beach for a steady neighborhood mailing every few months.

A healthy smile starts with healthy teeth postcard with a row of eight smiling faces and offers for a free new patient exam, cleaning and x-rays, a $59 consultation and $199 teeth whitening — A healthy smile for every household: a neighborhood card for east Imperial Beach. (design DEN-1)

South Imperial Beach, near the estuary (91932)

South of Imperial Beach Boulevard, the streets run toward the Tijuana River estuary, with single-family homes, duplexes and condos, some with views over the marsh. Many residents have lived here a long time, and many are retired.

What to offer: implants, dentures and repairs, a free consultation, and whether you accept Medicare Advantage dental plans. Large, easy-to-read type and a phone number people can call.
Timing: September, before the holidays and the year-end benefit rush.
How to mail: a mailing list filtered by age, since older residents are spread across blocks that also hold young renters. EDDM® works on the routes that are mostly owner-occupied houses.

Dental postcard with three generations of a family and coupons for free whitening, $50 off, free x-rays and a free toothbrush — Healthy and strong for life: a card for long-time south Imperial Beach residents. (design DEN-5)

New movers in Imperial Beach: a monthly mailing

Moving is one of the main reasons people choose a new dentist. In Imperial Beach it happens every month, with renters along the beach, Navy families arriving with new orders and first-time buyers on the east side. The table above shows about how many households move to a new home in 91932 in an average month.

Choose the area: the new movers within a few miles of your office, usually all of Imperial Beach plus the nearest parts of Nestor, Palm City and Coronado if they are close.
Mail every month: each card reaches people within their first weeks in a new home, while they are still choosing.
Make it a welcome: "Welcome to Imperial Beach" with your new patient offer, the insurance you take, including TRICARE Dental Program if you are in network, and how to book.

See how many new movers are on file around your office in our mailing list planner, or ask us for a monthly price. We print and mail them for you every month.

We specialize in bright smiles postcard with two smiling patient photos, $50 off the first visit, 25% off the first appointment and a comprehensive exam, cleaning and x-rays — Bright smiles: a monthly welcome card for new Imperial Beach residents. (design DEN-10)

EDDM® or a mailing list in Imperial Beach?

In a city this small, the answer depends on the service more than on the neighborhood:

EDDM® for a general or family practice. Renters need a dentist as much as owners do, so mailing whole routes near your office wastes few cards. Central and east Imperial Beach are the best routes to start with.
A mailing list for implants and dentures. Older residents are spread across the city, so a list filtered by age reaches them without paying for every apartment on the way.
New movers every month, on top of either one. In a town with so many renters and military families, this is often the mailing that brings in the most new patients.

A year of dental mailings in Imperial Beach

When	Who gets it	What the card says
Every month	New movers around your office	Welcome to the neighborhood, with your new patient offer, the insurance you take and your hours
January to February	The neighborhoods closest to your office	New year, new dental benefits: book your cleaning and exam
March to April	Higher-income neighborhoods	Whitening and cosmetic work before spring weddings, graduations and summer photos
July to August	Family neighborhoods	Back-to-school checkups and sealants for kids
September	Neighborhoods with many older residents	Implants, dentures and a free consultation
October to November	Your own patients, then the nearby neighborhoods	Use your dental benefits before they reset on January 1

You don't need every mailing. Most Imperial Beach practices start with the monthly new movers card and one neighborhood mailing, then add the others once they see which brings in patients. Our dental direct mail guide has more offer ideas for each one.

Healthy teeth and gums for the whole family postcard with children holding smile photos and a complimentary exam offer — Healthy teeth for the whole family: a back-to-school or year-end card for Imperial Beach. (design DEN-9)

What every Imperial Beach dental postcard should include

The dentist or practice name, so it is clear who is offering the service. Dental advertising in California must not be false or misleading.
"Specialist" only for real specialists. An orthodontist or oral surgeon can say so. A general dentist who offers implants or aligners should describe the service without suggesting a specialty.
Offers spelled out: what a new patient special includes, who it is for (new patients only, patients without insurance) and when it ends.
No waived co-pays or deductibles as an offer. That can break dental plan contracts and insurance rules.
The plans you accept, including Medi-Cal Dental if you take it. For many families it is the first thing they check.
Where you are in Imperial Beach, with a landmark people know, your hours and whether you see children, evenings or Saturdays.

These are general points, not legal advice. Your dental association or a healthcare attorney can confirm the exact wording of your offer, and we adjust any design to match.

Dental postcard designs

Start from one of our ready-made dental postcards. We add your logo, offer, license number and photos, send you a proof, then print and mail it. Need a custom design, or have your own? Just let us know.

Dental marketing plans in other cities

Imperial Beach at a glance

Homes and mail routes: About 10,200 homes on 14 routes
New movers: About 90 households a month
Best areas: Families: central and east Imperial Beach. Young adults and military families: Seacoast Drive and the north side near the bay. Implants and dentures: south Imperial Beach and long-time residents across the city.
What it costs: $2,682 to mail 5,000 homes by EDDM®
Where to start: A monthly new movers card for all of 91932, plus EDDM® to the routes nearest your office.

Frequently asked questions

How many new movers are there in Imperial Beach each month?

The table above shows about how many households move to a new home in 91932 in an average month, from US Census Bureau estimates. It is a good guide to the size of a monthly new movers mailing. The exact count for the area around your office is in our mailing list planner.

Where should a family dentist mail in Imperial Beach?

Start with the routes closest to your office. Central and east Imperial Beach have many families and are easy to reach by EDDM®. Add new movers every month, since many families arrive with military orders.

Where should I mail implant and denture postcards in Imperial Beach?

South Imperial Beach and the owner-occupied streets on the east side have many long-time residents. Because older adults are spread across the city, a mailing list filtered by age reaches them with fewer wasted cards.

How do I reach Navy families in Imperial Beach?

Mail new movers every month, since military families move in on their own schedule, often in summer. Write the card for spouses and children, and say whether you are in network for the TRICARE Dental Program. Active-duty members usually get their care on base.

Do you serve Imperial Beach?

Yes. Our print shop is in San Marcos, and we print and mail for dental practices across San Diego County, including Imperial Beach. We take EDDM® mailings to the Post Office that delivers your routes.

Get a quote for your Imperial Beach mailing

Tell us which neighborhoods and services you want to focus on. We'll reply with a price for printing and mailing, and the routes or list we recommend.

Dental direct mail in Imperial Beach:a new patient plan for dentists