Marketing plan · Del Mar

Landscaping direct mail in Del Mar:
a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan

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

Del Mar is a small, high-value beach city, and its yards are as different as its streets. There are sandy beach lots where salt air and wind decide what will grow, old gardens with mature trees around the Village, and terraced hillside lots where the slope is half the job.

Its ZIP Code, 92014, also covers Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Terrace, which are part of the City of San Diego and add many more yards to mail. Below is what we'd mail where, starting with the public numbers for 92014.

Del Mar by ZIP Code

ZIP Code	Homes (routes)	Single-family houses	Owner-occupied	Median home value	New movers a month (average)
92014 Del Mar, plus Del Mar Heights and nearby San Diego neighborhoods	6,409 (13)	61%	73%	$2,000,000+	about 54

What the columns tell you:

Single-family houses: the share of homes that are detached houses, most with a yard to care for. The higher it is, the fewer EDDM® cards go to apartments and condos, where the HOA or the landlord hires the landscaper.
Owner-occupied: owners decide on clean-ups, new plants and turf replacement. Renters usually don't.
Median home value: higher values point to design, installation and full-service maintenance. Elsewhere, clear flat prices for mowing and clean-ups work best.

These figures cover whole ZIP Codes, and single routes inside them can be quite different. Our EDDM® route planner shows homes, income and homeownership for every route before you choose.

Homes and carrier routes are from the USPS EDDM® route map. Single-family houses, homeownership and home value are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates for the ZIP Code area. New movers are a US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimate: residents who moved into a different home in the past year, turned into households and divided by 12.

New movers: on average about 50 households move to a new home in these ZIP Codes every month. A new owner often wants to make the yard their own and doesn't have a gardener yet.

What a mailing costs: $2,721 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

The beach and North Beach (92014)

West of Camino del Mar and north toward the river mouth, the beach streets have older cottages and newer custom homes on small lots, many of them second homes and vacation rentals. Yards here are small but seen by everyone, and salt air, wind and sandy soil are hard on most plants.

Coastal planting that survives the salt, with succulents and native plants instead of lawn.
Maintenance for owners who aren't there. A monthly plan that keeps a second home or rental looking cared for between visits.
Hardscape and small-space design: patios, decks and planters that make the most of a narrow lot.

Many owners don't live here, so mail a homeowner list that reaches them at home, not their guests.

Olde Del Mar and the Village (92014)

Around the Village and south along the bluffs, the older streets wind between mature trees and gardens that have grown in over decades. Owners here care about keeping the character of the street, and many homes are being remodeled or rebuilt, which means the yard is redone too.

Design and installation after a remodel or rebuild, with photos of finished gardens.
Careful pruning and tree care for large, mature trees and old hedges.
Garden restoration for older plantings that have outgrown their space.

The Del Mar hillsides (92014)

East of Camino del Mar, the hillside streets have homes from the 1950s through the 70s on large, sloping lots with views. Many yards are terraced, with retaining walls and old irrigation that runs off down the hill.

Slope planting and erosion control, mailed before the winter rains.
Irrigation upgrades: drip systems and smart controllers for big, steep yards where sprinklers waste water.
View-friendly design that keeps plants low where the owners look out at the ocean.

Del Mar Heights (92014)

Just south of the city and east of the freeway, Del Mar Heights is part of San Diego but shares the 92014 ZIP Code. It is mostly 1960s and 70s single-family homes, many owner-occupied, and many still have the front lawns they were built with.

Turf replacement. A card about trading the lawn for water-wise plants, with the rebate from the SoCal WaterSmart program, fits these yards well.
Monthly maintenance plans. Streets of similar homes close together make a tight route.

Most homes here are owner-occupied houses with yards, so EDDM® reaches nearly every household you want for less than a list.

Del Mar Terrace (92014)

Also part of San Diego, Del Mar Terrace sits next to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, with open space and natural brush right behind many of its homes. These yards need regular clean-up, and the homes along the edge need the area next to the house kept clear.

Brush clearance and fire-safe landscaping, mailed in spring before fire season. Homes in high fire hazard areas will also have to follow California's new rules for the 5 feet around the house once they take effect.
Native, fire-resistant planting that fits next to the reserve.

A first Del Mar mailing plan

Turf replacement and maintenance to Del Mar Heights. Mail an 8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcard to the owner-occupied routes, with the rebate on the card. Pick them in our EDDM® route planner for 92014.
Design and coastal planting to the beach and the Village. Mail a 6 × 11 postcard to a homeowner list, so your cards reach the owners of second homes and rentals, wherever they live.
Slopes and fire-safe yards to the hillsides and Del Mar Terrace. Mail slope care in the fall, before the rains, and brush clearance in spring, before fire season.
New movers every month. New Del Mar owners often redo the yard along with the house. A small monthly mailing to new movers reaches them first.

Mail each group at least three times, a few weeks apart. Use a different offer code on each card so you can see which neighborhood and which service brings the calls.

EDDM® or a mailing list in Del Mar?

Which one is better depends on the neighborhood. In Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Terrace, most homes are owner-occupied houses with yards, and EDDM® reaches nearly the same people for less. Near the beach and the Village, where many homes are second homes or vacation rentals, a homeowner list reaches the owners who actually hire the landscaper. Compare the single-family and homeowner numbers in the table above, and tell us the areas you want and we'll recommend the right mix.

What to put on a Del Mar postcard

A high-quality design. In one of the most expensive cities in the county, the card itself says a lot about the quality of your work.
Photos of coastal gardens you have done. Owners near the beach want proof that your plants survive the salt air.
One service and one offer per card, matched to the neighborhood above.
Your C-27 license number if you do installation work, plus "licensed and insured".

For the full list of services, offers and a 12-month calendar, see our landscaping direct mail guide.

Landscaping postcard designs

Start from one of our ready-made landscaping 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.

Landscaping marketing plans in other cities

Del Mar at a glance

Homes and mail routes: About 6,400 homes on 13 routes
New movers: About 50 households a month
Best areas: Turf replacement and maintenance routes: Del Mar Heights. Design and coastal planting: the beach and the Village. Slope care and irrigation: the hillsides. Brush clearance: Del Mar Terrace.
What it costs: $2,721 to mail 5,000 homes by EDDM®
Where to start: EDDM® with a turf replacement or maintenance offer to Del Mar Heights, plus new movers.

Frequently asked questions

How many homes are there to mail in Del Mar?

The table above shows the homes and carrier routes in 92014, straight from the USPS EDDM® route map. That ZIP Code includes Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Terrace as well as the City of Del Mar, so it reaches more yards than the city alone.

Can I reach Del Mar owners who don't live there full time?

Yes. A homeowner list sends your postcard to the owner's mailing address, even when the Del Mar home is a vacation rental or second home. EDDM® only reaches whoever lives at the address, which may be a guest or tenant.

When should a Del Mar landscaper mail?

Late winter and spring for turf replacement and spring clean-ups, spring for brush clearance before fire season, and early fall for planting and slope work before the winter rains.

Do you mail in Del Mar?

Yes. Our print shop is in San Marcos, a short drive inland, so we print your postcards there and take EDDM® mailings to the Post Office that delivers your Del Mar routes.

Get a quote for your Del Mar 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.

Landscaping direct mail in Del Mar:a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan