Reactivation Campaign
A targeted marketing sequence aimed at bringing back lapsed or inactive customers.
Definition
A reactivation campaign is a coordinated marketing sequence (usually multiple postcards, calls, and/or emails) designed to re-engage customers who have stopped doing business with you. The audience is typically defined by a lapsed window: no purchase, visit, or interaction in the last 6, 12, or 24 months.
Why it matters
Reactivating a lapsed customer is significantly cheaper than acquiring a new one. The customer already knows your brand, has used your service, and (in most cases) had a satisfactory experience. Reactivation campaigns turn dormant database records back into active revenue with minimal acquisition cost. How much a returning customer is worth mailing for is a customer lifetime value question.
Example
A pest-control company identifies 1,200 customers who haven't booked a treatment in 18+ months. A 3-wave reactivation sequence on PostKnock Pro ($0.91/card × 3 × 1,200 = $3,276) brings back 60 customers (5% response) at an average annual value of $400: $24,000 in recovered annual revenue.
Related terms
- Recall Postcard: A postcard sent to existing customers or patients who are overdue for a routine appoint...
- Win-Back Campaign: A targeted sequence aimed at customers who explicitly stopped doing business: canceled...
- Multi-Wave Campaign: A coordinated direct mail sequence that sends multiple postcards (waves) spaced over se...
- House List: A mailing list of your existing or past customers, built and owned by your business.
Related on PostKnock: See reactivation and recall run end to end in the worked case studies, grouped by trade and by the job the mailing does. Two trade versions: optometry reactivation postcards and dental recall cards.
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