Marketing plan · Rancho Bernardo

Landscaping direct mail in Rancho Bernardo:
a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan

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

Rancho Bernardo is part of the City of San Diego, but it sits far up the I-15 with its own ZIP Codes, 92127 and 92128. Most of it was built from the 1960s through the 80s as a planned community of rolling hills, golf courses and canyons, so many yards have big lawns and slopes that are now decades old.

The 2007 Witch Creek Fire burned homes here, and owners along the canyons take fire-safe yards seriously. Below is what we'd mail where, starting with the public numbers for each ZIP Code.

Rancho Bernardo by ZIP Code

ZIP Code	Homes (routes)	Single-family houses	Owner-occupied	Median home value	New movers a month (average)
92127 West Rancho Bernardo, plus 4S Ranch and Del Sur	17,658 (27)	60%	72%	$1,165,100	about 140
92128 Most of Rancho Bernardo, including Oaks North, Seven Oaks and Rancho Bernardo Town and Country	21,666 (38)	52%	65%	$875,400	about 261

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 400 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 golf course streets and Bernardo Heights (92128)

Around the first golf course and Bernardo Heights, the single-family homes from the 1960s and 70s sit on generous lots, many with large front lawns, mature trees and sloped backyards. Most are owner-occupied.

Turf replacement. A card about trading the big front lawn for water-wise plants, with the rebate from the SoCal WaterSmart program, fits these yards well.
Monthly maintenance plans for streets of similar homes close together.
Irrigation upgrades to replace aging sprinklers on lawns and slopes.

Canyon-edge streets (92128)

Many streets back onto canyons and open space, and the Witch Creek Fire showed how fast fire can move through them. Many homes along these edges were rebuilt, and their owners know the value of a cleared, well-kept slope.

Brush clearance and fire-safe landscaping, mailed in spring and again in late summer, before the fall Santa Ana winds. 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.
Slope planting and erosion control with fire-resistant plants.
Yearly clean-up contracts so the work happens on time every season.

Seven Oaks, Oaks North and the 55+ communities (92128)

Rancho Bernardo has some of the largest 55+ communities in the county. Seven Oaks and Oaks North have single-story homes on small lots, where many owners have lived for years and no longer want to do the yard themselves. Some parts are condos, where the association hires the landscaper.

Reliable monthly maintenance with a set monthly price.
Low-care front yards that replace lawn with plants that need little attention.
A clear, friendly card. Large type, a phone number that's easy to read, and "licensed and insured".

Use a homeowner list for the houses, and reach the condo associations directly.

Westwood and the family neighborhoods (92127)

West of the I-15, Westwood was one of Rancho Bernardo's first family neighborhoods, with later tracts filled in around it. These are modest single-family homes with front lawns and backyards, many of them ready for a refresh.

Flat-price mowing and clean-ups, with the price right on the card.
Front yard makeovers and turf replacement for older lawns.

4S Ranch and Del Sur (92127)

The 92127 ZIP Code also takes in 4S Ranch and Del Sur, master-planned HOA neighborhoods built from the late 1990s on. The HOA takes care of the common areas and slopes, but each owner takes care of their own yard, and many would rather pay someone to do it.

Backyard design and installation: patios, outdoor kitchens and lighting for yards that were left plain when the homes were new.
Maintenance routes on streets of similar homes.
Mention HOA approval. "We handle the HOA plan review" removes a common worry.

A first Rancho Bernardo mailing plan

Turf replacement and maintenance to the older streets. Mail an 8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcard to the owner-occupied routes around the golf courses and Bernardo Heights. Pick them in our EDDM® route planner for 92128.
Backyard projects to 4S Ranch, Del Sur and Westwood. Mail an 8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcard to the house routes in our EDDM® route planner for 92127.
Fire-safe clean-ups to the canyon edges. Mail in spring and again in late summer, before the Santa Ana winds.
Monthly maintenance to the 55+ communities. Mail a 6 × 11 postcard to a homeowner list, so you reach house owners and not condos run by an association.

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 Rancho Bernardo?

Which one is better depends on the neighborhood. Most single-family streets are owner-occupied, so EDDM® reaches nearly the same people as a list for less. In the 55+ communities, where some homes are condos, and near the business parks and apartments along the I-15, a homeowner list wastes fewer cards. Compare the single-family and homeowner numbers for each ZIP Code in the table above, and tell us the areas you want and we'll recommend the right mix.

What to put on a Rancho Bernardo postcard

Name the area. "Serving Rancho Bernardo, from Seven Oaks to 4S Ranch" tells people you can keep a regular schedule there.
Before and after photos of local yards, especially lawn conversions and cleared slopes.
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

Rancho Bernardo at a glance

Homes and mail routes: About 39,300 homes on 65 routes
New movers: About 400 households a month
Best areas: Turf replacement and maintenance routes: the golf course streets and Bernardo Heights. Brush clearance and fire-safe yards: the canyon edges. Backyard projects: 4S Ranch and Del Sur. Monthly maintenance: the 55+ communities.
What it costs: $2,721 to mail 5,000 homes by EDDM®
Where to start: EDDM® with a turf replacement or maintenance offer to the older 92128 routes, plus new movers.

Frequently asked questions

How many homes are there to mail in Rancho Bernardo?

The table above shows the homes and carrier routes in 92127 and 92128, straight from the USPS EDDM® route map. Keep in mind that 92127 also covers 4S Ranch and Del Sur, so it reaches more than Rancho Bernardo itself.

When should a Rancho Bernardo landscaper mail fire-safe yard work?

Spring, before fire season, and again in late summer, before the fall Santa Ana winds. The canyon-edge streets respond best when the card arrives while fire is on people's minds.

How do I reach the 55+ communities?

Use a homeowner list for the single-family homes, with large type and a clear phone number on the card. Where homes are condos, the association hires the landscaper, so mail the board or property manager instead.

Do you mail in Rancho Bernardo?

Yes. Our print shop is in San Marcos, just up the road, so we print your postcards there and take EDDM® mailings to the Post Offices that deliver your Rancho Bernardo routes.

Get a quote for your Rancho Bernardo 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 Rancho Bernardo:a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan