Purchasing data

There are thousands of data suppliers for direct mail in the UK. We can source data for you from one of our approved partners knowing that there are strict quality guarantees in place. Our minimum order value is £500. If your order is likely to be small you may wish to source your own data and let us carry out the printing and mailing.

Going it alone

Some companies sell great data and some sell pure rubbish. There is a hand book called “Lists and Data Sources” available from most major library’s or can be purchased from Ladson House Publishers Ltd, 8a New Road, Mepal, Cambs. CB6 2AP. Tel: 0845 0941305 Fax: 01353 774039 Email: info@ladsonhouse.com. This is a good starting point.

Some key questions to ask your data supplier and why.

You need to know that the data you buy is legal, up-to-date and targeted. Here are our key questions you should be asking your data supplier.

General data questions

1. How often is the data updated? Business data can decay at up to 40% a year, leading to a decline in response rates and deterioration in the cost–effectiveness of your campaign. Get a sample of say 100 records and call a few of them to see if they are valid contacts at the company or address.

2. How is it updated? Different methods can be used for updating data which do not always equate to the best solution for direct marketing purposes. For example, relying on downloads from the latest set of Companies House data will only provide information on registered businesses and will not give details of non-limited/sole traders.

3. Are you registered with the Data Protection Act 1998? All list owners in the UK must go through the process of registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office and must collect data both fairly and lawfully.

4. Deliverability guarantees can be a good measure of the confidence of the data supplier in the currency of their data and provides reassurance to you. This is where the data supplier will credit you for the returned mail that you receive.

5. Have the recipients agreed to their details being passed to third party organisations for direct marketing purposes — essential for non–corporates?

6. Are the addresses at registered or trading sites? Registered addresses are very often not the same as the trading address. Send your mailing piece to the former and you could end up with a lot of wasted costs.

7. Is the decision-maker based at the address supplied? Not all data suppliers can provide the names of decision makers at the site from which they operate. Again, make sure costs are not lost through using the wrong data. If telemarketing after or before a mailing

8. Are telephone numbers suppressed against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and Corporate Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and how regularly does suppression take place? Prospect a business or individual by telephone that's on the TPS or CTPS register and you could end up with a £5000 fine.