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If you’re a recruitment business owner listening to this in late 2025, you’re probably thinking about finishing the year strong and setting yourself up for a brilliant 2026.
Here’s the thing – the recruitment market is more competitive than ever, and standing out requires more than just being good at what you do.
Today, I’m going to share four practical marketing strategies you can implement right now – before the year ends to create more demand for your services. These aren’t complex, expensive campaigns. They’re simple, actionable steps that can make a real difference to your pipeline.
Step One: Analyse Your Client Source Map
Let’s start with the most important exercise you can do right now, it will take less than an hour.
I want you to grab a spreadsheet or even a piece of paper and list every client you’ve won in the past 12 months.
Next to each name, write down exactly how they found you.
Was it a referral?
LinkedIn?
Your website?
A networking event?
Cold Outreach?
Be honest. According to McKinsey, 87% of companies are experiencing skills gaps in key areas this year, which means there’s massive demand for good recruitment services. The question is: How are your best clients finding you?
When most recruitment business owners do this exercise, I see that 60-70% of their business comes from just one or two sources. Maybe it’s all referrals from existing clients, or perhaps it’s all from cold outreach.
Once you’ve mapped this out, ask yourself: “How can I do more of what’s already working?”
If LinkedIn brings in business, are you consistent with your activity there?
The mistake most people make is trying to be everywhere at once. Instead, double down on what’s already working. If 40% of your clients came from referrals this year, your goal should be to make that 60% next year by getting better at asking for and facilitating introductions.
Here’s your action step: by the end of this week, identify your top two client sources and create a plan to increase activity in those areas by 50% over the next 60 days.
Step 2: Reconnect With Your Database
Now, let’s talk about the goldmine under your nose – your existing database.
Think about it. Your company spends millions of dollars attracting candidates through job boards, paid ads, events and sourcing efforts. All of those candidates end up in your talent database, yet most companies consistently fail to engage and nurture talent in their community. The same applies to your client database.
When did you last properly connect with everyone in your database? I’m talking about proper, value-driven outreach not just a “checking in” message.
Here’s what I want you to do over the next few months.
First, the email campaign. Create a simple email sequence – just three emails sent over two weeks. The subject line could be something like “Quick thought before year-end” or “Planning for 2026 hiring?”
Email one should provide value – maybe share a trend you’re seeing in your sector or offer a free resource like a salary guide or market update. Email two could be a case study of a recent successful placement. Email three is your soft call-to-action – perhaps inviting them to a coffee in the new year to discuss their hiring plans.
Did you know 70% of top candidates are passive job seekers who don’t respond to traditional job ads? Your database is full of these people, and the same principle applies to clients.
Now, LinkedIn. Go through your LinkedIn connections and identify the key connections you want as your clients. Spend 15 minutes a day engaging with their posts. Like, comment meaningfully, and share their content. Don’t pitch anything, just be genuinely interested in their business.
After a week of this engagement, you can start reaching out with personalised messages. LinkedIn messages can achieve response rates around 10%, roughly double the 5% typical of cold emails. Reference something specific from their recent posts or company news.
Here’s a template that works: “Hi [Name], I saw your post about [specific topic] it resonated with what we’re seeing in the market, too. I would love to catch up properly before the end of the year to share some insights on [their sector/challenge]. Are you free for a quick virtual coffee?”
Step 3: Create A Consistent Cold Outreach Strategy
Right, let’s talk about cold outreach, specifically on LinkedIn, because that’s where your potential clients spend their time.
The biggest mistake I see recruitment business owners make is being sporadic with their outreach. They’ll do a big push for a week, get busy with current clients, then do nothing for a month. That doesn’t work.
Instead, I want you to commit to what I call the “Rule of Five” – five new, targeted outreach messages every single working day. That’s just 25 a week, but it compounds quickly.
Here’s your systematic approach:
Step 1: Build your target list. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or even a basic LinkedIn search to find decision-makers in companies that fit your ideal client profile.
Step 2: Research before you reach out. Check their recent posts, company news, and mutual connections. Personalisation is Key: Generic messages are the fastest way to get ignored. Examine your prospect’s profile, recent posts, or company news. Find something unique to comment on or relate to.
Step 3: Your message structure. Keep it under 100 words. Open with something specific about them or their company. Mention a mutual connection if you have one. Share one piece of value or insight. End with a soft question about their hiring challenges or an offer to share a relevant case study.
Here’s an example: “Hi Sarah, I noticed you’ve recently expanded your Leeds office, congratulations! We’ve helped several fintech companies navigate similar growth phases, particularly finding senior developers in competitive markets.
I’m curious: What’s your biggest hiring challenge right now? I’m happy to share some insights on what’s working for similar companies.”
Step 4: The follow-up sequence. Follow-Up: Don’t be afraid to follow up, but do it smartly. Each follow-up should add value—share a relevant article, comment on their recent post, or offer new insight related to their business. If they don’t respond to your first message, wait a week, then send a follow-up that adds new value.
Step 4: Post More and Make More Offers
Finally, let’s talk about visibility and making offers. Employee engagement has reached concerning lows, and the same applies to how often recruitment business owners are putting themselves out there.
Posting consistently: You should be posting on LinkedIn daily. Not about how busy you are or how much you love recruitment – that’s not valuable to your audience. Instead, share insights about the market, trends you’re seeing, advice for hiring managers, or case studies of successful placements.
Here’s the formula: Problem + Insight + Action. For example: “Seeing a lot of companies struggle to attract senior developers right now (Problem). The key isn’t just salary, it’s flexibility and growth opportunities (Insight). Try highlighting your learning budget and remote work options in job descriptions (Action).”
Thought leadership content, such as white papers, industry reports, and expert articles, positions brands as trusted authorities and builds credibility. You’re building your reputation as someone who understands the market.
Making offers: Here’s the big one – when did you last make a specific offer to your network? I don’t mean “give me a call if you need anything.” I mean a specific, time-bound, valuable offer.
Before the year ends, make at least three specific offers to your network:
- “Free 30-minute strategy session on your 2026 hiring plans”
- “Complimentary salary benchmarking report for your sector”
- “Quick audit of your job descriptions to improve response rates”
Put these offers in your posts, emails, and LinkedIn messages. The most successful B2B content marketers take a strategic approach, aligning content with business objectives and measuring performance to demonstrate ROI.
Make it easy for people to say yes. Give them a clear next step – book a call, reply to your email, or download a resource.
The key is specificity and value. “Let me know if you need help with hiring” is vague and forgettable. “Free review of your recruitment process to identify bottlenecks” is specific and valuable.
The recruitment market is challenging, but that creates an opportunity for those who market consistently and strategically. While your competitors wait for the phone to ring, you’ll be out there building relationships and creating demand for your services.
Don’t try to do everything at once. Pick one strategy from today’s episode and commit to it for the next four weeks. Small, consistent actions compound into significant results.
Thanks,
Denise
How We Can Help
Ready to implement these four end-of-year marketing strategies? We help recruitment business owners analyse their client sources, reactivate databases, build cold outreach systems, and create consistent visibility.
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Finish 2025 strong and set yourself up for a brilliant 2026.
