DATABASE REACTIVATION MASTERCLASS

If you’re a chiropractor looking to boost your bottom line without constantly chasing new patients, this step-by-step tutorial is for you. In this Database Reactivation Masterclass, you’ll learn exactly how to use database reactivation to bring back old, inactive, or no-show patients using proven patient retention strategies.

We’ll show you how to implement patient retention software, set up a powerful database reactivation campaign, and use GHL reactivation workflows inside GoHighLevel to improve your patient retention rate.

Whether you’re new to patient retention in healthcare or ready to optimise your system, this guide will walk you through everything you need to build sustainable growth using automation.

Step 1: Start Here: Set Up Your GoHighLevel Account (Even If You’re Not Techy)

If you’re serious about growing your chiropractic practice, GoHighLevel (GHL) is a must-have. This powerful patient retention software helps you launch your first database reactivation campaign smoothly, all in one place.

Even if you’re not ready to launch anything today, sign up so you can follow along with this training, build foundational skills to understand the system. That way, when it’s time to go live, you’ll already be 10 steps ahead, with a GHL reactivation framework ready to improve your patient retention rate from day one.

Start here:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/go

Important tip: This plan includes everything you need to start automating, retaining patients, and growing sustainably using modern patient retention strategies.

Step 2: Install Your Nurture Campaigns (Chiropractors)

Now that your GoHighLevel account is active, it’s time to install the Database Reactivation (DR) system—one of the most powerful patient retention tools available for chiropractors.

GoHighLevel provides a ready-to-use snapshot that includes campaigns, automations, and templates designed to re-engage old or inactive patients. With this setup, you’re not just launching any campaign—you’re starting a database reactivation campaign built to drive patient retention in healthcare environments like yours.

Want a done-for-you setup customised to your practice and branding?
Message us, and we’ll install, configure and execute the campaign for you—just like Robb Bailey’s Database Reactivation method that inspired this automation playbook.

Two Things to Know Before You Launch Campaigns

While the reactivation engine stays the same across industries, two chiropractic-specific factors affect how we customise it for maximum patient retention:

Appointment Type:

For chiropractors, the typical appointment is in-person (walk-in) at your clinic, not home visits or phone calls.
We’ll walk you through how to set that up properly in GHL so all your reminders and confirmation flows match your real-world operations.

Your Offer:

Different niches use different hooks. For chiros, your offer might be:

• A free consultation
  
• A discounted first adjustment
  
• A wellness checkup or spinal screening
  

Don’t worry—we’ll talk through how to craft your offer and plug it into the campaign in a later step. These offers directly support your clinic’s patient retention strategies.

What to Do Now:

• Go into your GoHighLevel dashboard
  
• Click on the “Snapshots” section
  
• Choose the Database Reactivation snapshot
  
• Select your appointment type: Walk-In
  
• Click “Install” and activate the campaign
  

Once installed, you’ll have a fully built-out database reactivation campaign ready to re-engage cold leads, old patients, and no-shows—automatically improving your patient retention rate.

Step 3: Set Up Your Chiropractic Sub-Location in GoHighLevel

This step is essential to launching your campaigns and automated patient retention strategies inside GoHighLevel.

If You Already Have a Sub-Location:

• Go to Agency View inside your GHL account
  
• Click on the Accounts tab
  
• Search for your chiropractic clinic name
  
• Click into your subaccount
  
• Apply the snapshot (the one we just sent you—likely named something like “Chiro DR Campaign” or “Chiropractic Automation Starter”)
  

That’s it—you’re good to go and ready to run GHL reactivation campaigns like a pro.

If You Don’t Have a Sub-Location Yet:

Follow these quick steps to set it up:

• Go to Agency View → Accounts → Add Account
  
• Choose “Build with Imported Snapshots”
  
• Find the snapshot we provided (e.g., “Chiro Database Reactivation”)
  

Fill in your business details:

• Use your actual info where available (clinic name, website, etc.)
  
• Use placeholder or dummy data if needed—just make a note to come back and update it later in your sub-location settings
  

Finish These Essential Setup Steps:

Once the account is created:

• Go to Settings → Phone Numbers
  Add a local number that matches your area code. This is the number of patients who will receive texts/calls from, so keep it relevant to your region.
  
• Go to Settings → Business Info
  Add a business email. For setup and testing, use an email you control (you’ll want to see test notifications, reminders, and messages to confirm things are working).
  
• Confirm your Timezone
  Go to the Company Settings tab and make sure your time zone matches that of your clinic location.
  This is a critical step to make sure appointment reminders go out at the right time and align with your patient retention strategies effectively.
  
• Enable Calendar Tracking
  Go to Opportunities → Additional Info
  Check the box for “Calendar Event” to make sure booked appointments get properly tracked in your pipeline. This ensures your patient retention software syncs appointment flow with your database reactivation campaign.

Step 4: Register for A2P Messaging (So You Can Start Texting Patients the Right Way)

If you’re planning to use GoHighLevel to send appointment reminders, follow-ups, or reactivation texts, you’ll need to register your chiropractic clinic for A2P 10DLC messaging. It’s a quick one-time step that lets your messages reach patients reliably and legally.

This applies to both U.S. and Canadian clinics and ensures your texts don’t get flagged as spam. And beyond just reactivation, A2P registration unlocks powerful features like missed call text-back, review requests, no-show reminders, and more, so your clinic can stay connected without chasing patients manually.

Why This Matters

• In the U.S., all businesses must register A2P campaigns to use SMS for marketing or appointment communication (since 2023).
  
• In Canada, similar regulations are rolling out, and carriers are beginning to flag unregistered sender IDs.
  
• Properly registering boosts your message deliverability and protects you from sudden SMS shutdowns.
  

How to Register for A2P Messaging in GoHighLevel

1. Inside your sub-location, go to:
   Settings > Phone Numbers > Trust Center > A2P Brand and Campaign Registration
   
2. Under “Does this business have an EIN?” (U.S.) or Business Number (BN) (Canada), select Yes if the chiropractic business has one.
   
   • Most clinics do. If you’re not sure, check their website or documents.
     
3. Click Next after reviewing the fees (registration is generally under $20 USD one-time, with a small monthly campaign fee).
   
4. Fill out the business name exactly as it appears on the clinic’s website.
   
   • The email domain should match the clinic’s URL.
     
   • For example, if the website is www.alignspine.ca, the email should also be like info@alignspine.ca.
     
5. Fill in the business industry. If “Chiropractic” isn’t listed, choose Healthcare Services or the closest available option.
   
6. Enter the full clinic address and authorised representative contact details.
   
   • This should be someone who works at the clinic (a doctor, office manager, or owner), not you, unless you legally represent the business.
     

Set Up Your Messaging Campaign

After submitting brand details, GoHighLevel will prompt you to complete the Campaign Use Case section.

Use the following recommended settings (tested and approved):

• Campaign Use Case: Low Volume Mixed
  
• Use Case Description:
  “Appointment notifications, reminders, follow-up, and texting back voice calls”
  
• Sample Message 1
  Hi John, thanks for your interest in Align Chiropractic! The next step is to schedule your first visit. We’re open Mon-Fri 9 am–6 pm. Reply with a time that works! To stop texts, reply STOP – Dr. Amanda
  
• Sample Message 2
  Hey John, this is Dr. Amanda from Align Chiropractic. Just letting you know we’ve extended our hours to include Saturday mornings. Interested in booking a quick adjustment? Reply STOP to opt out.
  

Note: Replace business name, doctor name, and times with real clinic details.

• Check both boxes:
  
  • The message will include an embedded link
    
  • The messages will include phone numbers
    

Consent and Opt-In Details

• How do users consent to receive texts?
  Patients fill out a form on our website that says:
  “100% secure. We value your privacy. By submitting this form, you consent to receive occasional texts and emails from [clinic name]. You can opt out any time.”
  
• Opt-In Keyword:
  START
  
• Opt-In Message:
  You have successfully been re-subscribed to messages from Align Chiropractic. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Msg & Data Rates May Apply.
  

Final Step: Submit Your Registration

Once submitted, you’ll typically be approved within a few days. 

Need help registering for A2P? Message us and we’ll walk you through it or set it up for your clinic directly.

Step 5: Upload Your Patient Database into GoHighLevel

Now that your subaccount is ready and SMS registration is underway, it’s time to import your patient database into GoHighLevel.

This is a crucial step—your reactivation campaign can’t run without contacts to send messages to.

Whether your list is from your EHR, front desk spreadsheet, or a past email tool, it needs to be cleaned and formatted before uploading.

Step-by-Step: How to Clean and Upload Your Database

1. Open your contact list in Excel or Google Sheets
   
   • If you’ve exported from another system, make sure the file includes at least these four columns:
     
     • First Name
       
     • Last Name
       
     • Phone
       
     • Email
       
2. Clean your list
   
   • Remove duplicates
     
   • Make sure phone numbers are properly formatted (10-digit format with no extra characters)
     

Add headers to the top row:

First Name | Last Name | Phone | Email

3. Once cleaned, save or download the file as a .csv format
   

Uploading Into GoHighLevel

1. Go into your GHL sub-location
   
2. Navigate to Contacts → Smart Lists
   
3. Click the Bulk Upload icon (top right)
   
4. Choose the .csv file you just saved
   
5. Follow the prompts to map your columns correctly:
   
   • Make sure “First Name” matches First Name, “Phone” matches Phone, and so on
     
   • You can skip any extra fields like Address or Notes if you’re not using them now
     
6. When prompted about duplicate strategy, leave the default setting (usually “Update existing contacts”)
   
7. Add a tag called “dr” (short for Database Reactivation) to every contact in this upload
   
   • This tag will help you track results and segment this group later
     
   • You’ll be able to see how many rebook, respond, or unsubscribe just from this batch
     

That’s it. Your patient list is now inside your system, properly tagged and ready to receive reactivation messages.

If you run multiple campaigns (like reviews, wellness plans, or workshop invites), this kind of segmentation will save you time and give you accurate reporting.

Step 6: Craft or Customise Your Offer (No Need to Reinvent the Wheel)

At this stage, your system is nearly ready to go. Now it’s time to decide on the offer you want to use in your reactivation or nurture campaign.

If you’re sticking with a proven chiropractic offer (like a discounted consultation or free posture screening), great—you won’t need to change much. But if you’re planning to test a new or customised offer, you’ll need to edit a few key parts of the campaign inside GoHighLevel.

Where to Update Your Offer in GHL

The most important places to update your offer messaging are:

1. The “DR Offer” message (this is the first message sent to inactive or cold leads)
   
2. The first message in the “Lead Nurturing” workflow
   

These two messages are where you introduce your offer, hook interest, and drive response. The rest of the messages in the campaign are typically offer-neutral and don’t need to be changed unless you have a very specific workflow in mind.

Pro tip: If you’re new to GoHighLevel, it’s best not to edit the entire sequence. Focus only on those two key messages—this keeps things simple and prevents errors that could break the campaign.

Popular Chiropractic Offers That Work

If you’re unsure what offer to use, here are a few that are working well in U.S. and Canadian chiropractic clinics:

• $29 New Patient Exam + Adjustment
  
• Free Spinal/Posture Screening
  
• Limited-Time Wellness Check for Returning Patients
  
• Family Plan: Get Adjusted Together, Save More
  
• Bring a Friend, Get a Free Adjustment Credit
  

These offers create urgency, lower risk, and appeal to both new and inactive patients.

Step 7: Set Up Your Appointment Calendar (So Patients Can Book With Ease)

Before your system can book appointments automatically, you need to select and configure what kind of appointments your clinic offers.

Chiropractors = Walk-In Appointments

In GoHighLevel, there are three types of appointments you can set up:

1. Walk-In – For in-person visits where the lead comes to your office
   
   • This is what most chiropractors should use
     
   • Also used by massage therapists, med spas, gyms, and float clinics
     
2. Home Visit – For businesses that go to the patient’s location
   
   • Think HVAC, landscaping, cleaning, etc.
     
   • Not common for chiropractic clinics
     
3. Phone Call – For Zoom or phone consultations
   
   • Mostly used by consultants or virtual service providers
     
   • Optional if your clinic does telehealth
     

For 99% of chiropractic clinics, choose “Walk-In.” This reflects the in-person, clinic-based nature of your care.

How to Update Calendar Settings

To adjust your calendar for booking, follow these steps:

1. Go to Calendars in your GHL subaccount
   
2. Click the three dots next to your Sales Opportunity Calendar
   
3. Click Edit
   

You’ll be taken through a few setup tabs. Here’s what to do:

• Skip the first tab (Team & Event Setup)
  
• Click on the Availability tab
  

Now, input the actual parameters of your clinic’s booking capacity:

• Slot Duration – How long is each appointment? (e.g., 15, 30, or 60 mins)
  
• Slot Interval – How often can a new appointment be booked?
  
  • 15-minute intervals recommended for flexibility
    
• Buffer Between Appointments – Block extra time after each appointment? (Useful if you want time between patients for cleaning, notes, etc.)
  
• Appointments Per Slot – Set to 1 unless you want group or class bookings
  
• Appointments Per Day – Optional cap to control clinic flow
  

Then set your:

• Office Hours – What days and times are you accepting appointments?
  
  • Turn off the days your clinic is closed
    
  • Add multiple time blocks per day if needed (e.g., 9–12, 2–6)
    

When done, click Save.

Skip the “Confirmation Page” section—this isn’t necessary for Database Reactivation.

Bonus: Reinforce Availability in Your Campaign Messages

Want to increase the number of people who actually book after receiving your texts?

Include your appointment windows in the first Lead Nurturing message. The more direct and clear your availability is, the better the response.

Example text:

“Hey John, Dr. Amanda has openings Mon–Thurs, 9–1 and 3–6. What time works best for you?”

Even better: attach a visual schedule image.

This builds clarity and trust, and makes the text feel more personal.

You can create one in under 5 minutes using Google Drawings or Canva.

After customising, download the image as a .PNG or .JPG and attach it to the first message in your Lead Nurturing workflow.

Why It Matters for Chiropractors

When patients see your availability, they’re far more likely to respond with a time—and less likely to ghost the conversation.

It also sets the tone for a helpful, appointment-focused conversation instead of a random sales chat.

Step 8: Turn On the Magic: Launch Your Drip Campaign

Now that your patient list is uploaded, your calendar is set, and your offer is ready, it’s time to launch your Database Reactivation (DR) campaign.

This step is where GoHighLevel starts doing the heavy lifting: reaching out to old, cold, or inactive patients and nudging them to rebook.

Here’s How to Launch the DR Campaign

1. Go to Contacts inside your subaccount
   
2. Filter your list using the tag “dr” (you added this when you uploaded your CSV)
   
3. Click the checkbox at the top of the list
   
4. Then click “Select all [number] records” to include your full reactivation list
   
5. Click the robot icon (top-right menu) — this activates the campaign trigger
   
6. Click “OK, Proceed”
   
7. In the next screen:
   
   • Choose the workflow called “DR Offer”
     
   • Select “Add in drip mode”
     
   • In the description field, add a basic note like:
     “Chiropractic DR Campaign – June 2025”
     

Recommended Drip Settings for Chiropractors

To make sure your messages are sent gradually and avoid carrier flags:

• Start Time: Choose a time when patients are awake and likely to check their phones
  
  • Recommended: Start at 10:30 AM
    
• Batch Quantity: 10
  
  • This means 10 patients will be added at a time
    
• Repeat After: 3
  
• Change the unit from days to minutes
  
  • This sends 10 messages every 3 minutes
    
• Send On Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
  
  • Avoid Mondays and weekends—mid-week has the highest response rates
    
• Process Between Hours (optional):
  
  • Start: 10:30 AM
    
  • End: 11:00 AM
    
  • This keeps your outreach compact and focused each day
    

Click “Add to Campaign / Workflow” — and you’re done.

Why This Works for Chiropractic Clinics

You’re not blasting your entire list at once. Instead, you’re drip-feeding messages in small batches, which keeps your deliverability high and your replies manageable.

You can view your live DR batch by going to Contacts > Bulk Actions.

Pro Tips for Chiropractors Running DR

• Ideal Send Window:
  Stick to 10:30–11:00 AM, Tuesday–Thursday, for best response rates
  
• Batch Strategy:
  
  • Avoid dumping 100+ messages all at once
    
  • Instead, send 10 every 3 minutes over a 30-minute window
    
  • This spacing feels more organic and avoids getting flagged as spam
    
• Adjusting for Your List Size:
  
  • Small, warm list (under 500 contacts): Send 5 per batch, cap at 50 per day
    
  • Large, old list (5,000–10,000+ contacts): You can increase to 10 per minute and expand send days
    
  • Never send more than 500 messages per day from one number

Step 9: Stay on Top: Manage Replies, Opt-Outs, and Appointment Outcomes

As your Database Reactivation campaign runs and patients start responding, some will book, some may decline, and a few will ask to opt out. This step ensures you’re managing those responses correctly and keeping your system clean and compliant.

How to Handle Opt-Outs (DND)

If a patient replies asking not to be contacted again (e.g. “Stop,” “Unsubscribe,” “Not interested”):

1. Open their Contact Profile
   
2. Toggle the “DND” (Do Not Disturb) setting to on
   
   • This stops all future SMS, email, and call communications
     
3. Hit Save
   
4. Mark the conversation as Read
   
5. Move on to the next conversation
   

This process takes 10 seconds and helps protect your business from deliverability issues, carrier complaints, or negative patient sentiment.

Track Your Appointment Outcomes

Every appointment that gets booked through GoHighLevel should be marked with one of three outcomes:

• Won – The patient showed up and completed the visit
  
• Lost – The patient cancelled or declined
  
• No Show – The patient didn’t show up without notice
  

Why this matters:
Marking appointment outcomes gives you valuable reporting data in GHL. Over time, you’ll be able to see:

• Which campaigns are actually bringing in patients
  
• Your show-up rate
  
• How many people are ghosting appointments
  
• Where improvements can be made in your follow-up process
  

Best Practices for Chiropractors

• Mark outcomes immediately after the appointment or 15 minutes after a no-show
  
• Train your front desk or associate staff to help track this daily
  
• Make it a habit—accuracy here leads to better decisions, better automation, and better results

Step 10: Keep Getting Better: Optimize for Even Bigger Results

If you’ve followed every step up to this point, congratulations — your GoHighLevel system is now fully set up to re-engage inactive patients, fill empty slots, and generate steady, trackable results on autopilot.

That means:

• Your calendar is connected
  
• Your database is uploaded and segmented
  
• Your offer is live and targeted
  
• Your drip campaign is running smoothly
  
• You’re tracking opt-outs and appointment outcomes like a pro
  

This is a major milestone for your clinic. Most chiropractors never take the time to set this up properly, but you did. And that puts you ahead of the curve.

What Happens Now?

1. Monitor your replies daily
   
   • Use the GHL inbox or mobile app to follow up with warm leads as they respond
     
   • A quick reply can double your booking rate
     
2. Track your results weekly
   
   • Check your Opportunities and Conversion stats
     
   • Look for patterns: who’s booking, who’s ghosting, what’s working
     
3. Plan for the next reactivation round
   
   • Reactivate again every 4–6 weeks
     
   • Tweak your offer or message slightly each time
     
   • Consider building separate campaigns for different patient types (wellness, acute, lapsed)

Optimising Your Chiropractic Reactivation Campaign

Once your Database Reactivation (DR) campaign is running, the next step is optimisation—refining your message, your offer, and your system to maximise results.

The best part? You don’t have to guess. You can pause your drip campaign, evaluate performance, and make small tweaks that create big improvements.

How to Pause and Review

If you want to stop the campaign temporarily to review results:

1. Go to Contacts > Bulk Actions
   
2. Find your active DR campaign
   
3. Click the pause button next to your drip schedule
   

This lets you analyse a small segment of your list before continuing, giving you time to make changes without affecting the entire database.

What You Should Optimise

5 key areas affect DR performance:

• Deliverability
  
• Verbiage (Offer)
  
• Verbiage (Tone & Appointment Setting)
  
• The Offer Itself
  
• List Quality
  

Let’s break each one down.

1. Deliverability

Deliverability determines whether your messages are actually reaching your patients.

Key Tips:

• Never activate more than 500 contacts per day
  
• Use drip scheduling (e.g., 10 every 3 minutes) instead of bulk sends
  
• Avoid spammy keywords (search online for “SMS spam trigger words”)
  
• Use a clean, local area code number—if you’re getting zero replies, your number might be flagged
  

If you’re experiencing deliverability issues:

• Release the phone number in GHL and get a new one
  
• Adjust your pacing and message content
  
• Reach out to support if needed
  

2. Verbiage (Offer Message)

This is the actual message you’re sending—it needs to be simple, direct, and focused on the offer.

Rules for writing effective DR messages:

• Keep it under 320 characters
  
• Avoid fluff—let the offer do the work
  
• Limit punctuation: one question mark, one exclamation point max (commas are fine)
  
• Use run-on sentences—they feel more conversational
  
• End with a clear yes/no question
  Example: “We’re offering a free posture check this week for past patients, would you like one?”
  

3. Verbiage (Setting Tone)

Lean into the voice of “Ashley”—your fictional front desk rep.

Ashley’s personality:

• Friendly, casual, and a bit bubbly
  
• Works remotely and focuses only on booking appointments
  
• Doesn’t answer complex questions, but always redirects kindly
  

Example Responses:

• “Great question! I’m not sure, but if we get you on the schedul,e I’ll make sure Dr. Patel can help you out. What time works best?”
  
• “Oops! That follow-up wasn’t supposed to send—my bad. Want me to pencil you in for Tuesday or Thursday?”
  

Rules:

• Don’t overcomplicate it with too many questions
  
• Always book first, qualify later
  
• Minimise friction—every extra step reduces your conversion rate
  

4. Offer Quality

Better offer = better results.

There’s no way around this. If people aren’t replying, and your deliverability is solid, the most likely issue is the offer itself.

Try testing:

• New patient offers:
  “$29 Adjustment + Consult This Week Only”
  
• Reactivation promos:
  “Free 5-Min Spinal Screening for Past Patients”
  
• Seasonal hooks:
  “Spring Reset Appointments – Limited Spots”
  

Even a small tweak in offer language can change your results dramatically.

5. List Quality

This is the single biggest factor affecting results—and the hardest to change.

A weak list = weak response, no matter how strong your offer is.

What makes a list high quality?

• Organic leads (from your website, referrals, or in-office forms)
  
• Leads who have visited your clinic before
  
• Patients seen in the last 6–18 months
  
• Warm audiences (they’ve interacted with you recently)
  

What lowers list quality:

• Old or cold data from 3+ years ago
  
• Purchased or scraped lists
  
• Patients who never actually booked or showed up
  

Final Word on Optimisation

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Test one element at a time:

• If you’re not getting replies, test your message or deliverability
  
• If replies are coming but no one is booking, tweak the tone or offer
  
• If people are replying but saying “not interested,” your offer likely needs to improve
  

Run small batches. Watch what happens. Then optimise from there.

Reminder: DR campaigns are not just about sales. They’re about reconnecting, rebuilding trust, and opening the door for rebooking patients who already know, like, and trust you.

Let the system do its job—but always be ready to make it better.