The short answer
A solar database reactivation campaign works in five steps: export and clean the list, segment by how the lead left, write a short honest message per segment, send in daily batches small enough to handle the replies, and move everyone who does not respond into ongoing monthly nurture rather than back into a Lost pile.
- 01Clean the list first. One message to somebody who opted out undoes the whole campaign.
- 02Three segments, three first lines. Everything else is identical.
- 03Batch it. Fifty to a hundred a day, because the replies come fast.
- 04The campaign ends by starting a nurture sequence, not by archiving the list.
This is the operational version of how to reactivate old solar leads. The argument is made there; here is how to actually run it, in five steps, over about a fortnight.
Step one: export and clean
Export everybody who enquired and never became a customer. Then remove, carefully, in this order.
- 01Anyone who opted out, on any channel, ever. Check both your CRM flags and your email platform's suppression list; they are frequently out of step.
- 02Anyone with an unresolved complaint. A reactivation message to somebody mid-dispute is the worst possible timing.
- 03Anyone who installed with somebody else, where you know. They get a battery or EV charger campaign instead, which is a different message.
- 04Duplicates, matched on phone number rather than name. Two messages to one person reads as spam.
- 05Anyone deceased, which does appear in old contractor databases and is worth the check.
Step two: how should you segment the list?
| Segment | Who | First line |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted | Received a quote, never proceeded | We quoted you for panels back in [year] and it never went ahead |
| Never reached | Enquired, never made contact | You asked us about solar in [year] and I do not think we ever managed to speak |
| Not yet | Explicitly said the timing was wrong | You told us a while back that the timing was not right for solar |
Three first lines, then the same body and the same closing question. Segmenting further gets you diminishing returns and a much longer afternoon.
Step three: what should the message say?
Short. From a person. Honest about being an old enquiry. Ending in a question that is easy to answer either way.
Hi Sarah, it is Dan from Volt Solar. We quoted you for panels back in 2024 and it never went ahead. No pitch: I am working through old enquiries and wondered whether solar is still something you are considering, or whether I should take you off our list. Either answer is genuinely fine.
- No links in the first text. They read as promotional and can trip carrier filtering. See SMS marketing for solar companies.
- No offer in the first message. A discount makes it a campaign, and the reason this works is that it does not read like one.
- No mention of a deadline. There is not one, and inventing one costs the honesty the message depends on.
- One question, at the end, with the easy exit inside it.
Step four: batch the sending
- 01
Fifty to a hundred a day
Replies arrive within minutes and in volume. A batch larger than you can answer within the hour turns an advantage into a backlog, and a slow reply to somebody who just answered you is worse than not asking.
- 02
Send mid-morning or early evening
Avoid Monday morning and Friday afternoon. Early evening tends to produce the most considered replies.
- 03
Text where you have a mobile and a basis, email otherwise
Text response rates are far higher. Email versions should be plain text from a real person, not a designed template.
- 04
Have somebody on the replies
One named person for the duration of the campaign, not whoever is free. This is a two-week job with a defined start and end.
Step five: handle the replies, then keep going
Expect three kinds of reply, and have an answer ready for each before you send the first batch.
| Reply | What to do |
|---|---|
| Still interested | Treat exactly like a new lead. Call within minutes, qualify properly, book if it fits |
| Not now, but maybe | Ask when, record the date, and actually come back then. Most companies never do |
| Take me off | Remove immediately, confirm politely, and thank them. Your list is now more accurate |
Everybody who did not reply at all moves into the monthly nurture sequence rather than back into a Lost status. That is the step that turns a one-off campaign into an ongoing channel, and it is the one most companies skip. See solar lead nurturing.
Then do not run this again in six months. It works because it is unusual and honest, and repeating it turns it into exactly the campaign it was pretending not to be.
The ongoing version of this, running quietly
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Common questions
- How long does a reactivation campaign take to run?
- About two weeks for a database of several hundred, sending fifty to a hundred a day. The preparation is an afternoon and the replies are the real workload, which is why the batching matters.
- Should I offer a discount in a reactivation campaign?
- No, not in the first message. The reason these work is that they do not read like campaigns. A discount changes the register entirely, and it prices your service down for people who never asked for a discount.
- How often can I run a reactivation campaign?
- Once properly, then let ongoing nurture take over. Repeating it every six months turns an honest message into an obvious campaign and the response rate collapses.
