Marketing plan · North Park

Dental direct mail in North Park:
a new patient plan for dentists

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

North Park is one of San Diego's oldest streetcar neighborhoods, just northeast of Balboa Park, and one of its liveliest. Apartments and condos line 30th Street, University Avenue and Park Boulevard, full of young adults who walk to coffee, restaurants and work. Behind them are blocks of Craftsman bungalows and historic districts, where long-time owners and young families live side by side.

Most households here rent, and many have lived in North Park only a short time, so a large share of residents are still looking for a dentist close to home. Below we start with the public numbers for 92104, including how many new movers arrive in an average month, then go area by area: who lives there, which services fit and how to mail them. After that come a new movers plan, a year of mailings, what it costs and what every dental postcard in California should include.

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 and a new patient offer, for North Park's apartments and new arrivals. (design DEN-10)

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 the blocks within walking distance of your office. (design DEN-3)

Dental postcard offering complete care for the whole family, including cosmetic, restorative dentistry and implants — Complete care, from cleanings to implants, for the mixed blocks behind the main streets. (design DEN-13)

North Park by ZIP Code

ZIP Code	Homes (routes)	Households with children	Median household income	New movers a month (average)	Residents 65 or older
92104 North Park, plus parts of South Park and the University Heights side	22,434 (33)	15%	$94,014	about 276	10%

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 280 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

Apartments and condos along 30th Street, University Avenue and Park Boulevard (92104)

Around the shops and restaurants of 30th Street and University Avenue, and west toward Park Boulevard, North Park has older apartment buildings, condo conversions and newer mixed-use buildings. Most residents are young adults, many choosing a dentist on their own for the first time, and many move every year or two.

What to offer: a simple new patient price, whitening and aligners, online booking and early or evening hours. A card that looks modern and gets to the point works best.
How to mail: new movers every month, plus EDDM® on the routes nearest your office. Young adults pick a dentist they can walk or bike to, so distance matters more than any filter.

Are you selfie-ready? dental postcard with two smiling young women, 25% off the first appointment and $50 off the first visit — Selfie-ready: a whitening and new patient card for the apartments along 30th Street. (design DEN-14)

Burlingame and the historic districts (92104)

Burlingame, between 30th and 32nd Streets above Switzer Canyon, and smaller districts such as Spalding Place and Valle Vista Terrace have carefully kept Craftsman, Spanish and Tudor homes. Owners here tend to be professionals with higher incomes who care about quality and are willing to pay for it.

What to offer: whitening, veneers, aligners and crowns, with a free cosmetic consultation. Before and after photos of your own patients, used with permission, sell these services best.
Timing: March and April, before weddings, graduations and summer photos.
How to mail: a mailing list filtered by household income, or addressed mail to the homes in each district. The routes nearby include many apartments.

Get beautiful healthy teeth you'll love postcard with a smiling woman and offers for a $99 whitening kit, a free water flosser and a $99 exam — Beautiful teeth you'll love: a cosmetic card for Burlingame and the historic districts. (design DEN-8)

Morley Field and the Dryden district (92104)

Along 28th Street and Pershing Avenue near Morley Field and Balboa Park, the Dryden historic district and the streets around it have Craftsman homes from the early 1900s. Many owners have lived here for decades, and some are now retired, next to younger families who bought more recently.

What to offer: implants, crowns and dentures with a free consultation for long-time residents, and gentle care for patients who have put off the dentist. Say whether you accept Medicare Advantage dental plans.
How to mail: EDDM® on the routes that are mostly houses near the park, and a list of older adults where apartments mix in. Check each route in the EDDM® route planner for 92104.

Experience professional dentistry, state-of-the-art technology and gentle care postcard with a collage of dentists at work, $50 off the first visit, 25% off the first appointment and free whitening — Gentle care and modern technology, for long-time owners near Morley Field. (design DEN-12)

Bungalow blocks toward I-805 (92104)

East of 30th Street toward Interstate 805, and south toward Switzer Canyon, smaller bungalows and homes from the 1910s through the 40s mix with duplexes, small apartment buildings and backyard ADUs. Prices are lower than in the historic districts, and this is where more of North Park's young families live.

What to offer: children seen, one practice for the whole family and the plans you accept. Saturday hours help working parents.
Timing: back-to-school checkups in July and August.
How to mail: EDDM® to the routes closest to your office. Owners and renters both need a dentist, so whole routes work here.

Dental postcard with a smiling family, a child at the dentist, $50 off the first visit and free whitening — A back-to-school card for the young families on the blocks toward I-805. (design DEN-4)

The South Park and University Heights edges (92104)

92104 also reaches into parts of South Park, south of Switzer Canyon, and some streets on the University Heights side. Both have older homes like North Park's, many young professionals and couples, and residents who see themselves as part of their own neighborhood.

What to offer: whitening with a cleaning, aligners and a comfortable first visit. Use the neighborhood name people use: a card that says South Park reads as local in South Park.
How to mail: pick routes by neighborhood, not by ZIP Code, so each card fits the streets it lands on.

Don't be selfie-conscious postcard with a woman smiling into a hand mirror, a dentist, free whitening with the next cleaning, 25% off the first appointment and $50 off the first visit — Don't be selfie-conscious: a whitening card for young professionals in South Park. (design DEN-15)

New movers in North Park: a monthly mailing

Moving is one of the main reasons people change dentists, and North Park sees a lot of moves. Renters change apartments, young couples buy their first condo, and people arrive from all over the country for work. The table above shows about how many households move to a new home in 92104 in an average month.

Choose the area: the new movers within a mile or two of your office, usually North Park plus the nearest parts of Hillcrest, University Heights, Normal Heights and City Heights.
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 North Park" with your new patient offer, the insurance you take and a link or QR code to book online.

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.

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 — A $69 new patient special, mailed every month to people who just moved to North Park. (design DEN-11)

EDDM® or a mailing list in North Park?

It depends on how many of the homes on a route could become your patients:

EDDM® for the blocks around your office. North Park is dense, so a few routes cover the people who live within walking distance. Renters need a dentist too, so EDDM® wastes few cards for a general practice.
A mailing list for a narrower service. Cosmetic work and implants fit only some households. A list filtered by income or age reaches them in the historic districts without paying for every apartment in between.
New movers every month, on top of either one. In a neighborhood where people move this often, it is the mailing that keeps working.

A year of dental mailings in North Park

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 North Park 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 North Park card for the year-end benefits reminder. (design DEN-9)

What every North Park 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 North Park, 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

North Park at a glance

Homes and mail routes: About 22,400 homes on 33 routes
New movers: About 280 households a month
Best areas: Young adults: the apartments along 30th Street, University Avenue and Park Boulevard. Cosmetic work: Burlingame, the historic districts and South Park. Families and implants: the bungalow blocks toward I-805 and the streets near Morley Field.
What it costs: $2,682 to mail 5,000 homes by EDDM®
Where to start: A monthly new movers card plus one EDDM® mailing to the blocks around your office.

Frequently asked questions

How many new movers are there in North Park each month?

The table above shows about how many households move to a new home in 92104 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 North Park?

Start with the routes closest to your office, then the bungalow blocks east of 30th Street toward I-805, where more young families live. EDDM® reaches every home on those routes, owners and renters alike.

Where should I mail implant and denture postcards in North Park?

The streets around Morley Field and the historic districts have more long-time owners than the apartment blocks. Use a mailing list filtered by age to reach older adults there without mailing every apartment.

Most people in North Park rent. Is EDDM® still worth it for a dentist?

Yes. Unlike a realtor, a dentist wants renters as patients too, and many of them are new to the neighborhood and looking. EDDM® on the routes near your office plus a monthly new movers card is the usual starting point.

Do you serve North Park?

Yes. Our print shop is in San Marcos, and we print and mail for dental practices across San Diego County, including North Park. We take EDDM® mailings to the Post Offices that deliver your routes.

Get a quote for your North Park 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 North Park:a new patient plan for dentists