Planning
How often should you mail the same neighborhood, and when?
One postcard introduces you. Repeat mailings are what get you remembered. Here is the schedule we recommend and how to time it.
The short version
- Mail the same homes at least once a month, twice if the budget allows
- Fewer homes more often beats more homes once
- Order about two weeks before you want the phone to ring
Most people do not need a roofer, a plumber or a landscaper on the day your card arrives. They need one later, when something leaks or the lawn gets away from them. The goal of repeat mailing is simple: be the name they have seen most recently when that day comes.
How often
Our recommendation is to reach the same homes at least once a month, and twice a month if your budget allows.
One card is an introduction. The second and third are what people remember.
If the budget is fixed, the choice is between reach and repetition. We would rather see you mail 1,000 homes three times than 3,000 homes once. The cost is about the same, and the 1,000 homes will know your name.
How to set it up
Mail the Neighbors
Under How many times, choose Twice or 3 times. The mailings go out three weeks apart, and repeat mailings count toward the 200-postcard minimum. Come back and reorder to keep the schedule going.
EDDM
Choose your routes, then add the schedule you want in the campaign notes at checkout.
Your own list
Reorder the same list with a new card whenever the season or the offer changes.
Change the offer, keep the look
Each card in a series should look like it came from the same company: same logo, same colors, same phone number in the same place. Change the headline and the offer. A neighbor who ignored a free inspection in March may call about a fall tune-up.
Count back from the day you want calls
| Step | Time to allow |
|---|---|
| Proof | We email a PDF proof within one business day of receiving your artwork |
| Printing | 2 business days after you approve the proof |
| Delivery | Local delivery usually lands within a week of the drop |
Add it up and a mailing reaches homes roughly two weeks after you place the order. Approve your proof by 11 am Eastern and production starts the same day.
When to mail, by trade
These are common busy seasons. Use your own calendar if it differs.
| Trade | Good times to be in the mailbox |
|---|---|
| Heating | Late summer and early fall, before the first cold snap |
| Air conditioning | Early spring, before the first hot week |
| Roofing | Spring and early fall, and after any major storm |
| Lawn and landscaping | Late winter for spring contracts, late summer for fall cleanups |
| Plumbing | All year, with a push before freezing weather |
| Painting and remodeling | Late winter, when people plan spring projects |