Standing Out in 2026: Re-engaging Your Database скачать в хорошем качестве

Standing Out in 2026: Re-engaging Your Database

Today, we are continuing our Standing Out in 2026 series. If you have been following along, you will know we started with mindset, then last week we talked about being more active and more visible. This week, we are talking about something that could be the fastest way to generate business this year, and yet it is one of the most neglected areas we see in recruitment businesses. We are talking about your database. Your past clients. Your old contacts. The people sitting in your CRM and your LinkedIn connections who already know who you are. Here is the thing: most recruitment business owners are so focused on finding new leads that they completely ignore the warm relationships they have already built. And that is like leaving money on the table. So today, we are going to talk about why your database is a goldmine, why it gets neglected, and how to re-engage those contacts in a way that feels natural, not awkward. So, let’s get into it. The Hidden Goldmine Let us start with a question. How many contacts do you have across your CRM and your LinkedIn connections right now? We are talking about past clients, placed candidates, people you have spoken to over the years, connections you have made at events, and all those LinkedIn connections you have built up over time. For most recruitment business owners, that number is in the hundreds, often thousands. Some of you listening right now have 5,000, 10,000, or even more LinkedIn connections alone. And yet, when we ask how many of those people have heard from you in the last three months, the answer is usually… not many. Here is why this matters so much. Database re-engagement is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available to you. These people already know who you are. They have worked with you, or at least had a conversation with you. They accepted your LinkedIn connection request. They do not need to be convinced that you are legitimate. The trust-building work has already been done. Email marketing has one of the highest returns on investment of any marketing channel, and the reason is simple: your list is an owned asset. You are not paying for ads. You are not fighting an algorithm. You are simply staying in touch with people who have already raised their hands and said, “I am interested in what you do.” One of our clients did exactly this. He focused on re-engaging his database with insight-focused emails, and within three months of sending his first campaign, he had secured £120,000 in new roles with a client he had not spoken to in ages. That is not a typo. £120,000 from people who were already in his database, just waiting to hear from him. The Awareness Cascade Let us talk about why these contacts are so much more valuable than cold leads. Think about the journey someone goes through before they decide to work with a recruiter. At the top, you have people who do not know you exist. They are completely cold. They have never heard your name, never seen your content, never had a conversation with you. Then you have people who are aware of you. They have seen your name around. Maybe they follow you on LinkedIn. Perhaps they met you at an event once. They know who you are, but they are not actively thinking about you. Then you have warm people. They have worked with you before or had a proper conversation. They trust you. They are not in buying mode right now. And finally, you have hot people. They have a need right now, and they are ready to pick up the phone. Here is the key insight: the people in your CRM and your LinkedIn connections are already warm. They are much further down that awareness cascade than any cold lead you could find. Which means they are far easier to convert when the time is right. The only thing you need to do is stay front of mind, so that when they do have a hiring need or they are ready to make a career move, you are the name that pops into their head. Why This Gets Neglected So if your database is such a valuable asset, why do so many recruitment business owners neglect it? We see a few patterns here. First, there is the obsession with the new. Something is exciting about finding new leads. It feels like progress. Reaching out to the same people again can feel like you are going backwards. But that is completely the wrong way to think about it. Those existing contacts are not old news. They are warm relationships waiting to be activated. Second, there is a lack of systems. Most recruitment business owners do not have a process for staying in touch with their database and LinkedIn connections at scale. They might reach out to individual contacts when they remember, but there is no consistent rhythm. No automated sequences. No regular touchpoints. And without a system, it just does not happen. Third, and this is a big one, there is the fear of being annoying. People worry that if they email their database or message their LinkedIn conne...