Standby generator postcards that reach owners before the next long outage.

Playbook

What makes a generator postcard work

A standby generator is a considered purchase, usually $10,000 or more installed, and most owners think about it only when the power is out. A postcard's job isn't to close that sale. It's to make your company the name the owner remembers when they're ready, and to give the ones who are already leaning toward it an easy first step.

Lead with their experience, not your equipment. 'How long did the power stay off last time?' works because every owner in an outage-prone area has an answer. Asking a question they can answer does more than listing kilowatts. Name what they'd keep running, like the sump pump, the fridge, the AC, or the home office, since that's the benefit they're actually buying.

Choose the audience with care. Filter owner-occupied homes by value, and focus on the streets you know have repeated outages, especially neighborhoods with mature trees over overhead lines, homes at the end of long distribution lines, and coastal zips. Your own service records are the best guide. Spur can't show you an outage map per address, but your customers' zip codes and your own experience can get you close.

Make the offer simple. A free in-home sizing answers the questions that stop people from moving forward: how big, where it goes, what fuel, how loud, and how much. Promise a single price that includes the permit and the gas connection. Owners are nervous about hidden costs, and a clear scope gives you an advantage over installers who quote only the equipment.

Be factual about what the system does and how it works. A standby unit with an automatic transfer switch typically restores power within seconds. Owners can be skeptical about marketing, so keep claims specific and modest, and don't use fear to sell. The recent data helps on its own: the Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. customers averaged about 11 hours of interruptions in 2024, the most in a decade, largely due to major hurricanes.

Mail before the season, not after the storm. Waitlists after a big event can run for months, so a card that goes out in the spring gives owners a chance to act while you still have install dates. A second card to non-scanners a few weeks later is usually a better use of budget than sending a larger first drop.