Lawn care spring reactivation
Your 300 mowing customers from last year haven’t decided who’s cutting this year. In late February they will, and it’ll be whoever asks first. Here are the three texts, when to send them in Texas, and the one line that turns a cancel into a pause.
How do you get last year’s lawn customers back?
Text them before they think about it. Three texts, two weeks apart, starting mid-February in Texas: a renewal with a specific price and start date, a reason to reply now (route slots filling), and a last call. A clean list of 300 last-year customers with consent on file typically renews 50–70% from the texts alone, and the recurring value of each at $1,500–$3,000 a year makes it the highest-return afternoon of the season. Project customers (hardscape, sod, drainage) get a different text with a spring slot.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Send window (Texas) | Mid-February for DFW, Austin and San Antonio; early February for Houston; late February for the Panhandle |
| Texts per campaign | 3, two weeks apart |
| Typical renewal from a consented list | 50–70% of last year’s recurring customers |
| Recurring mowing value | $50–$80 a visit; $1,500–$3,000 a year |
| Project ticket (2026) | about $1,500 |
| Messaging cost for 300 contacts × 3 texts | under $10 |
What do the three texts say?
Text 1 (mid-February): the renewal
“Hi Ben, it’s Carlos at Bluebonnet Landscapes. We cut your lawn last year. Want the same weekly service starting the week of 2 March? Same crew, $55 a visit. Reply YES and you’re on the route. Reply STOP to opt out.”
Text 2 (two weeks later): the reason
“Ben, Carlos again. Routes in Round Rock are about 80% full for spring. If you want Tuesday mornings again, reply YES this week and I’ll hold it.”
Text 3 (two weeks later): the last call
“Last one from me, Ben. We start the week of 2 March. Reply YES to keep your spot, or a day that suits, and we’ll take it from there. Thanks for having us last year either way.”
Project customers
“Hi Dana, Carlos at Bluebonnet. We did your back patio last year. Spring project slots are open from mid-March; if the front yard or drainage is on the list this year, reply and I’ll come by for a quote.”
The pause line (for cancels)
“Totally understand. Want me to pause rather than cancel? Reply PAUSE and I’ll check in June with no obligation.” Half of spring cancels are budget timing; a pause keeps the customer.
Price-rise version
If you’re raising prices, say it in text 1: “$55, up from $50 last year, fuel and crew.” Customers accept a stated rise far more than a surprise invoice.
What should the results look like?
| Step | Typical result | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | 92–97% | Cleaned numbers; A2P registration done |
| Replied YES after text 1 | 35–50% | A named sender, the same crew and day, a price in the text |
| Replied YES after texts 2–3 | Another 15–20% | The route-filling reason |
| Pause instead of cancel | Half of would-be cancels | Offering it before they ask |
| Opt-outs | 1–3% | Normal; remove same day |
Three hundred customers at 60% renewal is 180 routes locked in before the first new-customer quote call arrives in March, which is also the week the phone starts ringing with people whose last company never texted.
Is it legal to text last year’s customers?
- Consent on file. A renewal text sells a service, so it’s marketing: under the TCPA you need prior express written consent for automated marketing texts, and in Texas SB 140 treats marketing texts as telephone solicitations; the November 2025 settlement confirmed consent-based programmes are exempt from state registration. A checkbox on last year’s sign-up form, a signed service agreement or a text reply saying yes all count. Keep the record.
- No consent? Call or email, and collect text consent on this year’s form.
- Hours: 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Saturday, noon–9 p.m. Sunday.
- Opt-out in every text, honoured same day.
- Your real number, A2P registered, with the business name in the text.
Detail on the Texas texting rules page.
How do you run it without doing it by hand?
Export last year’s customers from Jobber, Yardbook, Aspire or LMN with the consent field, service day and price; import to the CRM tagged recurring or project; load the three texts as a workflow with 14-day waits that stops on any reply. YES replies create the recurring job and a confirmation text; PAUSE replies tag for a June check-in; questions go to the office. In GoHighLevel it’s one workflow and an afternoon, and next February it’s a button.
Texas timing
Grass starts growing earlier in Texas than the national calendars assume: Houston lawns need cutting by late February, DFW and Austin by early March, so the campaign runs two to four weeks before the national “spring” advice. Water-restriction questions (Austin Water, SAWS, North Texas Municipal Water District) start with the first warm week; give the AI or the office a link to each city’s current stage rather than an answer that goes stale. The Austin and San Antonio pages have the local notes.
Questions owners ask
When exactly should I send the first text in Texas?
Mid-February for most of the state; early February in Houston. Before the first warm weekend, not after.
What renewal rate is good?
50–70% of last year’s recurring customers from the texts. Under 40% usually means the list wasn’t cleaned or the sender wasn’t a person.
Should I include the price?
Yes. A stated price, even a higher one, gets more YES replies than “same great service.”
What if I’m raising prices?
Say it in text 1 with the reason. Surprises on the first invoice cost more customers than the rise does.
Can I text customers who never agreed to texts?
Not for marketing. Call or email them and collect consent on this year’s form.
How do I handle cancels?
Offer a pause before they ask. Half take it.
What about one-off customers (a cleanup, a sod job)?
Project text with a spring slot. They convert lower but the ticket is bigger.
Email or text?
Text for the three touches; email the same offer to the non-repliers after text 2.
Can an AI handle the replies?
Yes: YES books the route, PAUSE tags, questions go to a person.
Does this work for pool service and pest control?
Same campaign, same timing logic: pool opening in April, pest contracts in March.
Next pages
Sources
- Nixon Peabody on Texas SB 140, 10 Dec 2025: nixonpeabody.com
- Foundry CRO, “Home Services Marketing Benchmarks 2026” (landscaping ticket): foundrycro.com
Want the spring campaign sent before the first warm weekend?
Thirty minutes on Central Time. We check consent, clean the list, write the three texts in your words with your price, and wire the YES replies to your route.