Landscaping direct mail in San Marcos:
a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan

San Elijo Hills (92078)

A planned community built mostly in the 2000s and 2010s, with larger family homes, backyards made for entertaining and many slopes. The HOA takes care of the common areas, but each owner takes care of their own yard, and many would rather pay someone to do it.

• Monthly maintenance plans. Streets of similar homes close together are ideal for building a tight route.
• Backyard projects: patios, outdoor lighting, water-wise designs and planting that has outgrown its space after 15 or 20 years.
• Fire-safe yards and slope care. The homes along the open space and hillsides need the area next to the house kept clear, and slopes need regular clean-up.

Lake San Marcos (92078)

Built around the lake from the 1960s on, Lake San Marcos has many long-time owners, retirees and older yards. Many still have the thirsty front lawns of their time, and plenty of owners no longer want to do the yard work themselves.

• Turf replacement. A card about replacing the lawn with water-wise plants, with the rebate from the SoCal WaterSmart program, fits these yards well.
• Reliable monthly maintenance with a set monthly price.
• A clear, friendly card. Large type, a phone number that's easy to read, and "licensed and insured".

Lake San Marcos also has many condos, where the association hires the landscaper. Pick routes with mostly houses, or use a list to reach the condo associations directly.

Twin Oaks Valley and Coronado Hills (92069)

North and east of the city center, Twin Oaks Valley and the hills around it have larger lots, custom homes, some horse properties and a lot of natural brush. These are the biggest yards in the city, and the most work to keep up.

• 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.
• Tree trimming, hauling and large clean-ups.
• Irrigation and drip systems for big lots, where a water bill gets expensive quickly.

Central San Marcos and Richland (92069)

The older heart of the city, around Mission Road, San Marcos Boulevard and the Richland neighborhood, has many houses from the 1960s through the 80s with smaller front and back yards, mixed with apartments and newer infill.

• Flat-price mowing and clean-ups. A clear price like a $125 spring clean-up works well here.
• Front yard makeovers and turf replacement for older lawns.
• Pick the house streets. Where apartments sit next to houses, choose the routes with the most houses, or use a homeowner list.

Discovery Hills and the Cal State area (92078)

Around Cal State San Marcos and Discovery Hills there are 1980s and 90s houses next to apartments, student housing and rentals. Many households here rent, and renters rarely hire a landscaper, so mail this area with a homeowner list rather than whole routes. Owners of 30- to 40-year-old houses are good prospects for a yard refresh, new irrigation and drought-tolerant redesigns. The apartment and condo communities themselves are commercial prospects: reach their managers with a business list.

A first San Marcos mailing plan

1. Build routes where you already work. Mail an 8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcard to the routes around your current customers, with a maintenance plan offer and "we already take care of homes on your street". Pick the routes in our EDDM® route planner for 92069 or 92078.
2. Turf replacement to the older lawns. Mail Lake San Marcos and the older house streets of central San Marcos in late winter and spring, with the rebate on the card.
3. Fire-safe clean-ups to the hills. Mail Twin Oaks Valley, Coronado Hills and the hillside streets of San Elijo Hills in spring, before fire season.
4. New movers every month. San Marcos keeps growing, and a new owner often doesn't have a gardener yet. 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 San Marcos?

Which one is better depends on the neighborhood. In San Elijo Hills, Twin Oaks Valley and the house streets of Lake San Marcos, most homes are owner-occupied houses with yards, and EDDM® reaches nearly the same people for less. Around Cal State San Marcos and the busier corridors, where there are many apartments and rentals, a homeowner list wastes fewer cards. 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 San Marcos postcard

• Say you're local. "Serving San Marcos, San Elijo Hills and Lake San Marcos" tells people you can get there and keep a regular schedule.
• Before and after photos of San Marcos yards you have done. Real local work beats stock photos.
• 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.

Get a quote for your San Marcos 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.