A $1.20 postcard that lands a $12k moving job? It's not magic—it's math.
Response rates from direct mail are 9X higher than response rates from email, according to the Association of National Advertisers. That's nothing to sniff at. And at the rate Google's ad prices are increasing (up 28% in the last five years 🤯), you need low-cost, high-return campaigns in your quiver.
The secret to making direct mail a faithful marketing channel? Knowing how to turn a piece of card stock into something irresistible.
Master this profitable lead source to win extra bookings, while your competitors play all their chips at the ad table.
6 moving company mailers that get the job done
From fridge-worthy designs to offers that drive action, these postcard examples will help you land serious bookings.
1. Newly listed properties
With direct mail, timing is everything. Successful movers reach homeowners right when they list their property of go under contract—not weeks later when they're already book with someone else.
Here's the catch, though: you can't just scrape this data from real estate sites (their APIs are locked down tighter than a premium storage unit). Whether you use a service like USA Home Listings or delegate to an assistant, you need fresh data with no more than a 24-hour lag time.
💡 Try these tips:
- Look at your most profitable moves to find patterns in zip codes, home sizes, and price points
- Focus on both new listings and "pending" or "under contract" properties (these folks are moving sooner)
- Only market to homeowners you can actually service profitably—if million-dollar homes aren't your ideal customer, don't waste the postage
Moving letter example from usahomelistings.com.
2. Luxury neighborhoods
If you're a premium mover, you know where your customers live: historic homes, luxury condos, golf course communities... Folks in these areas will appreciate your white-glove moving services.
That doesn't mean you should blast postcards to every rich zip code in the state. These markets are highly competitive. Your postcard might be one in a stack of 50.
💡 Be strategic:
- Research neighborhood demographics and average home values
- Highlight premium services you offer like piano moving, art handling, or climate-controlled storage
- Plan your campaigns for spring and summer when most luxury moves happen
- Partner with luxury real estate agents
- Track which neighborhoods deliver the highest-value bookings
Moving postcard template from mycreativeshop.com.
3. Special offer
While your stunning reputation and five-star reviews can sell jobs while you sleep, sometimes folks need an extra nudge to pick up the phone.
Before you go slashing prices, remember: you're in business to make money, not move 10,000 pounds of furniture for free. Never take a loss to win a job. Instead, offer extras. Feel-good freebies. And make sure your offer has an expiration date.
"If we want to run a special, I like to consider a value add. For a long distance move, maybe that's a free box kit. But I don't want to say I'm going to discount my rates—because the service that we're going to provide isn't going to be discounted."
-Chris Sweet, Swamp Rabbit Moving
💡 Try offering these value-adds:
- Free wardrobe boxes
- Free home cleaning
- Free furniture assembly
- Free box pickup
- 1 month of free storage
Moving postcard design from postcardmaniacom.
4. Moving + storage deals
When customers need moving and storage, they're dealing with some serious logistics. A well-designed postcard showing how you take care of everything can erase their stress.
The trick is to keep the design clean and the pricing clear. Think "bronze/silver/gold" or "basic/premium/deluxe" packages that bundle moving services with different storage durations.
💡Include these elements:
- Clear package names and what's included in each tier
- Pricing or starting-from rates for each option
- Any combo discounts for booking both services
- Storage facility features (climate control, security, etc.)
- "Book by [date]" seasonal specials
- Simple visual icons to represent different services
Moving postcard design from graphicreserve.com.
5. Moving tips
This type of mailer does double duty—it provides genuine value to customers while making you look like the friendly expert. Instead of another sales pitch, you're offering practical advice that might actually earn a spot on the fridge.
Include your branding and contact info, but this postcard's #1 job is to be helpful, not sell.
💡 Feature tips like these:
- Label boxes on multiple sides
- Keep essential items in a clear plastic bin
- Pack plates vertically with padding between each one
- Pack electronics in their original boxes or use anti-static bubble wrap
- Use garbage bags to cover clothes around their hangers
Moving checklist template from canva.com.
6. "Why choose us"
What makes your service special? Put that front and center. But here's the catch: you can't just list generic claims like "professional" and "reliable." You need specific differentiators that make you stand out.
The best "Why Choose Us" postcards combine tangible proof points (like "15,000+ successful moves") with emotional benefits ("Peace of mind from start to finish"). Remember, you're not just selling a service—you're selling confidence and trust.
💡Include these elements:
- Years in business and # of successful moves
- Awards, reviews, and your star rating on Google and Yelp
- Specialized equipment or unique services you offer
- Your service guarantee or brand promise
- Photos of your clean, branded trucks and uniformed crew
- A clear value proposition (what makes you different)
- Multiple ways to contact you (phone, email, website)
Moving services flyer from canva.com.
How to make your postcards perform?
Want your postcards to drive bookings instead of becoming expensive confetti? Use these tips to make your direct mail campaigns perform at their best.
| Do | Don't |
| ✔️ Send postcards to newly-listed homes daily (weekly if you're just getting started) | ❌ Forget to send to "pending" and "under contract" properties, too |
| ✔️ Use real photos of your trucks and crews | ❌ Use stock photos—they make you look fake |
| ✔️ Include social proof: testimonials, 5-star rating | ❌ Expect customers to take your word for it |
| ✔️ Make your offers limited-time | ❌ Leave offers open-ended |
| ✔️ Grab attention with strong branding and logos | ❌ Blend in with everyone else |
| ✔️ Tell customers exactly what to do next and how to contact | ❌ Bury your calls-to-action in small print |
| ✔️ Use tracking numbers and URLs so you know which bookings came from which direct mail campaigns | ❌ Send anything you can't track |
Returns are sweet when you're smart with marketing
Look at it this way: if you spend $300 on direct mail and get just 6 bookings—at a $2,000 average move value, you're looking at a return of 40X!
That's some serious ROI.
Direct mail might not be your biggest lead source, but it should be a profitable one. If it isn't? Go back to the drawing board. Test new designs. Try different zip codes. Don't spend even a fraction of your budget on marketing that's not delivering at least 4-5X ROI.
With SmartMoving, you don't have to wonder what's working and what isn't. You've got marketing dashboards built right into your moving software, showing you your top leads sources and ROI in real time. Without any exporting or data crunching—you have the intel you need to stop gambling and start winning.
