How to Message Past Customers on Facebook Messenger and Win Back Repeat Sales
Past customers are an online store's most valuable asset. They have bought from you before, they already trust your products, and the next sale is many times easier to close than with a new customer. Yet many stores let past customers quietly drift away, because they don't know how to message past customers without being annoying or getting banned.
This article sums up practical ways to bring past customers back to buy again through Facebook Messenger, with techniques Thai stores can put to work right away.
Why Focus on Past Customers Instead of New Ones
- The cost to close a sale (CAC) with a past customer is 5–7 times lower than with a new one, according to a classic Harvard Business Review study
- Past customers already know your brand, so you don't have to explain your products from scratch
- You don't have to compete with Facebook ad costs that rise every year
- It's easier to build a word-of-mouth flywheel than with new customers
Facebook Messenger Limits You Should Know
Facebook Messenger has anti-spam policies, and marketing messages sent to past customers have a "time window" you need to understand:
- 24-hour window: After a customer messages your Page, you can reply with promotional messages within 24 hours
- Human Agent Permission: For manual replies, the window can be extended to up to 7 days
- Outside this window, you can only use message types that Facebook allows, such as Post-Purchase Update, Account Update, or Confirmed Event Update
BroadTurbo works within the Facebook API's rules, so you can broadcast safely without affecting your Page's standing.
5 Ways to Message Past Customers That Actually Work
1. Label Your Past Customers Clearly
Before you send targeted messages, you need to know who counts as a "past customer" on your Page. Use Messenger's label system to sort them by status:
Bought-ProductAAsked-but-didnt-buyVIPRegular-last-3-months
BroadTurbo's label-based broadcasting lets you pick several labels at once and exclude the labels you don't want to send to.
2. Send Something Valuable Before You Sell
Past customers tend to get annoyed by messages that only "sell." Try alternating between:
- Tips for getting the most out of the product
- Short before/after videos
- Special offers just for past customers (such as a VIP discount)
- Soft-sell news about new products
3. Always Include Images
Messenger messages with images get noticeably higher read rates than text-only messages. With BroadTurbo you can send an image and a message to many customers in one go.
4. Get the Sending Frequency Right
Send too often and customers get annoyed; send too rarely and they forget you. We recommend:
- 1–2 messages per week for a typical store
- Alternating between value messages and promo messages
- Skipping major holidays when customers don't want to be disturbed (such as the morning of New Year's Day)
5. Measure and Improve Every Campaign
Every time you broadcast, check which labels get the most replies and which times get the most reads, then adjust to fit your business. BroadTurbo reports delivery results instantly so you can analyze them.
Message Templates You Can Adapt Right Away
Message to reactivate past customers you haven't heard from in a while
Hi [Name] 🙏 It's been a while since we last chatted! We have [a new product/promotion] just for past customers, today only. If you're interested, just message us back.
Follow-up message for people who asked and then went quiet
Thanks for asking about [product]! Today we have [X%] off for customers who confirm their order today. If you're interested, just reply. Our team is happy to help you choose.
Summary: Past Customers Are Sales You Lose for Free If You Don't Follow Up
The stores growing fastest in an era of expensive ads aren't the ones best at running ads. They're the ones that take the best care of their past customers. Start by labeling clearly, send valuable messages, add images, then measure and improve.
Start your 15-day BroadTurbo free trial to message past customers safely, with unlimited Pages and no extra ad spend.