How to Choose the Right Mailing List Broker or Data Provider

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If you're planning a direct mail, telemarketing, email, or multichannel marketing campaign, one of the most important decisions you'll make is where your prospect data comes from.

Search online for a mailing list and you'll find plenty of companies willing to sell you data. But not all mailing lists are created equal, and choosing a data provider based solely on price can be an expensive mistake.

The right mailing list broker or data provider should do more than sell you names and contact information. They should help you identify the right audience, understand your targeting options, select appropriate data sources, and build a marketing list around the people or businesses you actually want to reach.

So, what should you look for when choosing a mailing list company?

1. Start With the Audience, Not the List

One of the first questions a good list broker should ask is:

Who are you trying to reach?

If a provider immediately tries to sell you a database without understanding your business, product, geography, and ideal customer, that should raise questions.

A mailing list should be built around your marketing objective.

For example, a local home improvement company may want homeowners within a certain radius who meet specific home value, income, age, or length of residence criteria.

An insurance agency may be interested in consumers within particular age ranges, geographic areas, or demographic profiles.

A B2B company may want business owners or executives within specific industries, company sizes, or geographic markets.

The goal shouldn't simply be to buy a mailing list.

The goal should be to build the right audience.

2. Ask Where the Data Comes From

Understanding how marketing data is compiled is important.

Consumer and business databases can be developed from many different sources and methodologies. Some information may be reported directly, while other attributes can be compiled, appended, inferred, or modeled.

Ask your potential data provider questions such as:

• How is the data compiled?
• How frequently is it updated?
• Are certain attributes actual or modeled?
• What data hygiene processes are performed?
• Are there restrictions on how the data can be used?

A reputable list broker should be willing to explain the nature of the data you're considering and avoid making unrealistic claims about what it represents.

3. Look at the Targeting Options

A major advantage of using a professional mailing list broker is access to targeting capabilities.

Depending upon the database, consumer mailing lists may offer selections such as:

Age and Date of Birth · Income · Homeowner Status · Home Value · Marital Status · Presence of Children · Geography · Lifestyle Characteristics · Interests · Phone Availability · Email Availability

For a business mailing list or B2B mailing list, available selections might include:

Industry · SIC Code · NAICS Code · Annual Sales · Employee Size · Job Title · Job Function · Executive Level · Geography

The more clearly you can define your ideal prospect, the better a knowledgeable data provider can help determine which available selections make sense.

But more targeting isn't automatically better. Overselecting can shrink your audience unnecessarily or increase costs without improving results.

A good list broker can help you find the right balance.

4. Don't Automatically Choose the Cheapest Mailing List

Everyone wants a competitive price, but the cheapest marketing list isn't necessarily the best value.

Imagine purchasing 100,000 inexpensive records when only a small portion truly matches your target audience. A more carefully selected list of 25,000 prospects could potentially be much more valuable.

Remember that the cost of bad data isn't limited to what you paid for the list.

If you're sending direct mail, you're also paying for design, printing, processing, and postage.

If you're operating a call center, you're paying for agents, dialing technology, and calling time.

Poor targeting can make all of those expenses less productive.

When comparing mailing list pricing, consider the quality, targeting, source, recency, available fields, licensing terms, and suitability for your campaign, not simply the cost per thousand records.

5. Ask How Often the Database Is Updated

People move. Phone numbers change. Businesses open and close. Executives change jobs.

Marketing databases need ongoing maintenance.

If you're purchasing a consumer mailing list, ask about processes used to maintain mailing addresses and whether appropriate postal hygiene is performed.

If you're purchasing telemarketing data, ask about the age and maintenance of telephone information and what options are available for your intended campaign.

For B2B data, ask how frequently company and contact information is refreshed.

No legitimate data provider should tell you that every record in a database will always be perfect. Data changes constantly.

Instead, look for a provider that can clearly explain its updating and data hygiene procedures.

6. Understand the Difference Between Audience Data and Leads

This is one of the most important distinctions for a list buyer to understand.

A targeted marketing list is not necessarily the same thing as a lead.

Audience data may identify consumers or businesses that match specific characteristics or targeting criteria. Depending upon the database, certain interest or intent indicators may also be available.

That does not automatically mean those individuals requested information about your company, expressed an immediate desire to buy your product, or gave your particular business permission to contact them.

A true inbound or opt in lead is a different product.

Before buying data, ask the provider exactly what the records represent.

If someone describes ordinary audience data as guaranteed buyers, hot leads, or consumers ready to purchase, ask more questions.

7. Make Sure the Data Fits Your Marketing Channel

How are you planning to reach your prospects?

Direct Mail

You'll want accurate postal information and an audience appropriate for your offer.

Telemarketing

You'll need available telephone information and should discuss applicable suppression, compliance, permitted use, and other campaign requirements with your provider and appropriate compliance professionals.

Email

Ask what type of email data is available, how it is sourced, applicable usage restrictions, and whether the product is appropriate for your intended outreach.

Multichannel Marketing

In some cases, marketers may want mailing address, telephone, email, or other available information associated with their target audience so they can develop a coordinated strategy across multiple channels.

Tell your list broker how you intend to use the data before you purchase it.

8. Ask for Counts Before You Buy

A professional mailing list company should be able to research your criteria and tell you approximately how many prospects are available.

This is generally referred to as a list count.

For example, you might request:

Homeowners ages 55 to 75 with household incomes of $75,000 or more within selected ZIP Codes.

Or:

HVAC companies with 5 to 100 employees in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, targeting owners and senior executives.

Running a count allows you to see whether your audience is large enough before committing to a purchase.

It can also help identify situations where your targeting is too broad or too restrictive.

At BestMailingListBroker.com, that's why we encourage marketers to start by building their ideal audience and requesting a free audience count and quote.

9. Look for Experience and Human Guidance

There are plenty of websites where you can select criteria, enter a credit card, and download data.

Sometimes that's exactly what a buyer wants.

But more complicated campaigns can benefit from an experienced list broker who understands audience development.

A knowledgeable broker can ask questions you may not have considered.

• Should you expand the age range?
• Is homeowner status relevant?
• Should you target an entire county or selected ZIP Codes?
• Which job titles should be included in your B2B list?
• Is there a specialty database that better matches your market?
• Are you unnecessarily eliminating potentially valuable prospects?

The value of a good mailing list broker isn't simply access to data. It's knowing which data to use and how to build the audience around your campaign.

10. Ask What Happens After You Purchase the List

Customer service shouldn't end when you receive your data.

Before selecting a provider, ask:

• Who do I contact if I have questions about my order?
• What happens if I discover a potential issue with the data?
• Can you help with future counts or campaigns?
• Can the data be enhanced or processed?
• Can you assist with printing and mailing?
• Can you help me develop additional audiences?

Ideally, your data provider becomes a resource you can work with as your marketing evolves.

What Makes a Good Mailing List Broker?

Ultimately, finding the best mailing list broker isn't about finding the company with the biggest database or the lowest advertised price.

It's about finding a company that understands what you're trying to accomplish.

Look for a provider that:

• Asks questions before recommending data
• Clearly explains what its data represents
• Offers meaningful targeting options
• Provides counts before you purchase
• Explains pricing and usage terms
• Understands different marketing channels
• Doesn't make unrealistic promises
• Provides knowledgeable customer support
• Can help you refine your audience

The best marketing list isn't necessarily the largest list.

It's the list that gives your campaign the best opportunity to reach the right audience.