How a Midwest Home Services Company Achieved 1,439% ROI by Reaching New Movers First

New homeowners need an HVAC company, a plumber, and an electrician, and they have not chosen one yet. This Midwest home services company used Darwill's automated direct mail trigger program to be the first name through the door, turning a $6,382 budget into $98,267 in revenue across 11,000 new households.

The Challenge:

Reaching new homeowners before a competitor does

Every week, hundreds of families move into new homes in your service areas. They are unpacking boxes, learning which faucets drip, and figuring out who to call when something breaks. They have no existing vendor relationships and no loyalty to any local company yet. The window to reach them first is narrow and closes quickly.

This Midwest home services company knew new movers were their highest-potential audience. What they needed was a system that could identify those households automatically, deliver a personalized mail piece within days of move-in, and run without requiring manual effort from their team each week.

Why New Movers?

The highest-intent audience in home services

New movers are the highest-intent, lowest-friction audience in home services marketing. Research consistently shows that households spend significantly more on home services in their first 12 months after moving than established homeowners. They are making first-time decisions about HVAC maintenance, plumbing inspections, pest control, and landscaping. Once those decisions are made, they tend to stick.

A homeowner who books their first post-move furnace inspection with your company is far more likely to become a recurring customer than someone who found you through a general ad.

Most competitors are focused on digital advertising and broad market awareness. Very few are landing in a new mover's mailbox within days of move-in, by name, with an offer that's actually relevant to them. That gap is where automated direct mail wins.

The Darwill Solution:

A set-it-and-forget-it trigger program

Darwill's new mover trigger program connects fresh mover data with automated direct mail production and delivery. No manual steps required.

• Step 1 - Identify new movers: Darwill's data platform flags new residents within days of move-in, not weeks.
• Step 2 - Trigger a personalized mail piece: A direct mail piece is sent with the recipient's name and new address. The tone is a genuine neighborhood welcome, not a generic flyer.
• Step 3 - Drive action with a time-sensitive offer: For example, a free maintenance inspection offer gives homeowners a reason to call now and a reason to keep the mailer.
• Step 4 - Capture leads without lifting a finger: After setup, the program runs on its own. New households are mailed on a regular cadence as they move in. The client focuses on scheduling installs and servicing customers while Darwill keeps bringing in new leads.

Results:

$98,267 in revenue from a $6,382 investment

Over the course of the campaign, Darwill mailed 11,000 new mover households. The results:

That $24.93 per booked lead is well below the $40 to $100+ range typical for home services lead generation. The reason is audience quality: new movers are actively making vendor decisions, which means less convincing required.

Who This Program is Built For:

Direct mail marketing for home services companies

Is this the right channel for your business? Automated new mover direct mail works best for home services companies that:

• Serve a defined geographic territory such as a city, metro area, or service radius
• Offer services new homeowners commonly need: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pest control, landscaping, or security
• Want to grow with long-term recurring customers, not one-time jobs
• Are currently relying on digital advertising and want a less saturated channel
• Do not have the bandwidth to manage ongoing direct mail campaigns in-house

Frequently Asked Questions:

Common questions about new mover direct mail

How quickly do new movers receive a mail piece after moving in?
Darwill's data is refreshed weekly, and the trigger program is designed to reach new movers within days of their move being recorded. Speed is the point: the earlier you reach a new mover, the less likely a competitor has already made contact.

What does the mail piece look like?
Campaigns typically include a 2 touch approach – a postcard sent on month 1 and a follow-up letter sent in month 2. Each piece is personalized with the recipient's name and address, uses a welcome-to-the-neighborhood message tone, and includes a specific offer. Darwill's creative team works with you to develop messaging that fits your services.

Can Darwill run digital campaigns alongside this program?
Yes and many clients let Darwill manage both. New mover trigger mail reaches households before they have searched for your service online, so pairing it with paid search and social creates a full-funnel approach from day one.

What is the minimum budget to get started?
Campaign budgets vary based on your service area size and mailing frequency. Darwill can model estimated reach and projected ROI for your specific market before you commit.

How is performance tracked?
Clients using ServiceTitan have access to matchback response reporting and closed-revenue attribution — tied directly to mailed households, as shown in this case study. 

Get Started

Ready to reach new movers before your competition does?

Darwill works with home services companies across the country to build automated new mover programs that run continuously, require no ongoing management, and consistently deliver measurable ROI. Let us show you what this looks like for your market.