Reactivation Campaigns

Your most overlooked list

Your clinic already holds a valuable list: people who enquired but did not book, and patients who have not been back for a while. A well-run reactivation campaign invites them back. Done carelessly, it can annoy people and break data protection and marketing rules.

This guide explains how to do it properly, whether you run an aesthetics, skin, private GP, physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, hair or eye clinic.

1. Start with who you are allowed to contact

Under UK GDPR you need a lawful basis to use someone’s details. For marketing by email or text, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) add further rules. In broad terms:

• Consent: people who clearly agreed to hear from you by that channel can be contacted, as long as their consent is recorded and still current.
• Soft opt-in: PECR allows some email and text marketing to existing customers about similar services, if you collected their details during a sale or negotiations for a sale, gave them a simple chance to opt out at the time, and offer an opt-out in every message. Whether a past enquiry counts as “negotiations” depends on the circumstances, so be cautious and read the ICO guidance on electronic mail marketing.
• Phone calls: marketing calls have their own rules, including screening against the Telephone Preference Service unless the person has specifically agreed to calls from you. See the ICO guidance on telephone marketing.
• Service messages, such as appointment reminders or recall for clinical care, are treated differently from promotional messages. Do not dress up a promotion as a service message.

Information about someone’s health is special category data under UK GDPR and needs extra care. Read the ICO guidance on special category data. If you cannot show why you are allowed to contact someone by a particular channel, leave them out.

2. Clean and segment your list

• Remove anyone who has opted out, asked not to be contacted or complained about contact.
• Remove duplicates, out-of-date details and anyone you know has moved away.
• Separate past enquiries from lapsed patients, as they need different messages.
• Group past enquiries by the treatment or service they asked about, such as skin consultations, a course of physiotherapy, hair restoration or orthotics.
• Group lapsed patients by how long it has been since their last visit, or since a review was due.
• Note the channel each person agreed to, and only use that channel.

3. Write and approve your messages first

Every message should be checked and approved by the clinic before it is sent. Good reactivation messages are short, personal and useful.

• Say clearly who you are and why you are getting in touch.
• Refer to what they were interested in, without sharing sensitive health details in the message itself. Texts and emails can be seen by other people.
• Offer one clear next step, such as booking a consultation.
• Include a simple way to opt out in every marketing message, and make sure it works.
• Avoid pressure, false urgency or anything that could make someone feel uncomfortable about their appearance or health.

4. Keep offers within the rules

Offers can help, but healthcare marketing must stay honest and professional. Your messages must follow the advertising rules in the CAP Code, enforced by the ASA, and the rules of your own professional or regulatory body. The table below shows where to start.

• Make sure any offer is genuine, clearly explained and includes the key conditions.
• Do not promise results or imply a treatment suits everyone. Suitability is decided at a clinical assessment.
• Only make claims about what a treatment can do if you hold evidence to back them up.
• If you offer prescription-only medicines, such as anti-wrinkle injections, do not promote them to the public, by name or by implication. Promote a consultation instead. See the CAP guidance on advertising prescription-only injectables and the MHRA Blue Guide.
• Do not use time pressure that is not real.

5. Honour opt-outs straight away

• Process every opt-out promptly, whichever channel it comes through.
• Keep a suppression list so people who opted out are never re-added by mistake.
• Make sure your team knows how to record an opt-out received by phone or at the desk.

6. Plan the campaign

• Choose one segment and one clear goal, for example consultations for a single treatment or service.
• Send the first approved message by the agreed channel.
• Follow up once or twice with helpful, approved messages, leaving a sensible gap.
• Have your team ready to reply quickly and book appointments as responses arrive.
• Stop contacting anyone who books, declines or opts out.

7. Measure bookings, not just clicks

• Messages sent, by segment.
• Replies and opt-outs.
• Consultations booked and attended.
• Treatments started, where you can link them back to the campaign.
• Any complaints, which should prompt an immediate review.

Your action checklist

Tick off every box before the first message goes out, then keep the list for your next campaign.

• Lawful basis and channel permission confirmed for everyone on the list.
• Telephone Preference Service screening done for any marketing calls, unless specific consent is held.
• Opt-outs, complaints and suppressed contacts removed.
• Duplicates and out-of-date details cleaned out.
• List segmented by treatment or service enquired about, or time since last visit.
• Messages approved by the clinic, with no sensitive health details and a working opt-out.
• Offers genuine and accurate, with no promised results and no prescription-only medicines promoted.
• Messages checked against the CAP Code and your own regulator’s guidance.
• Team briefed and ready to respond and book.
• Suppression list updated as opt-outs arrive.
• Results measured in consultations and bookings, not just clicks.