How to Buy Accurate B2B Email Data in the UK

Buying B2B email data should be fairly straightforward. You decide which businesses you want to reach, find a supplier who can provide the right contacts, and use that data in your marketing.

However, if you’re looking to buy email lists, it’s worth taking the time to check exactly what you’re getting.

There are plenty of companies selling business email lists in the UK, often with impressive-looking contact numbers and claims about accuracy. But two lists containing the same number of records can be very different in quality. This can have a direct impact on campaign performance and return on investment.

Before investing in a business email data list, there are a few important factors worth considering.

1. Find out where the data actually comes from

This is probably the most important question to ask any data supplier.

Some companies build and maintain their own databases. Others purchase data from third parties, combine several databases or act as resellers.

There’s nothing automatically wrong with buying data from a reseller, but it’s worth understanding who originally collected the information and who’s responsible for maintaining it.

For example, if a supplier is selling you 20,000 UK marketing director contacts, you should be able to ask how those contacts were identified and how the information is kept up to date.

If they can’t explain where their data comes from or how it’s checked, that’s worth investigating before you buy.

2. Ask when the email addresses were last checked

Business contact details change constantly.

People leave companies, move into different roles, get promoted or change their email addresses. Businesses also merge, close or restructure.

An email address that was correct six months ago might no longer be useful today.

There’s also a difference between checking whether an email address is technically valid and checking whether the person is still the right contact.

An email verification tool might confirm that an address appears deliverable, but it won’t necessarily tell you whether the marketing director has left the business or whether someone else now makes the purchasing decisions.

Ideally, you want both checks.

At Business Data Prospects, we maintain our own UK database, but we also research and verify the records selected for each customer’s order before supplying them.

That involves checking information against sources such as Companies House and Royal Mail, alongside our own research, email verification and telephone checks.

It’s an important distinction because even a regularly maintained database can contain information that’s changed since it was last updated.

When speaking to a supplier, it’s worth asking:

• When were the records last researched or updated?
• How are email addresses verified?
• Are job titles and employment details checked too?
• Is the data checked again before it’s supplied?

The age of the original database isn’t necessarily the problem. What matters is how actively it’s maintained and how recently your particular records have been checked.

3. Don’t automatically go for the biggest list

It’s tempting to buy the largest number of contacts you can afford, particularly when you’re planning an email campaign.

But a bigger list doesn’t always mean better results.

Let’s say you’re selling software to UK manufacturing companies employing more than 50 people.

A database containing 100,000 general business contacts might sound attractive, but it’s unlikely to be particularly useful if only a small proportion fit your requirements.

A smaller list of IT managers or operations directors at relevant manufacturing companies could be far more valuable.

A good example of why targeting matters is the work we did for Blenheim Palace.

They wanted to promote their corporate events facilities, but rather than contacting businesses at random, we identified 48,109 relevant decision-makers responsible for events and corporate bookings, all within a two-hour drive of the venue, including London.

The resulting email campaign achieved a 38% open rate, 6.1% click-through rate and 2.5% enquiry rate. Blenheim was pleased enough with the results to renew for a second year.

It’s a good reminder that getting the audience right from the beginning is just as important as the number of contacts you buy.

You can read more in our Blenheim Palace case study.

Before requesting a quote, think about who you’re actually trying to reach. Consider the industry, company size, location, turnover and job titles that matter to your business.

A good data supplier should be able to help you narrow those requirements down rather than simply selling you as many records as possible.

4. Check you’re getting named decision-makers

Not all business email lists contain the same level of detail.

Some provide general company email addresses, such as info@ or sales@. Others include the names, job titles and individual work email addresses of people within the business.

Both have their uses, but if you’re targeting a particular decision-maker, named contacts are generally more helpful.

For example, if you’re selling commercial insurance, reaching the finance director or another person responsible for insurance may be more useful than contacting the company’s general enquiries inbox.

It’s also worth checking which fields are included in the price.

Depending on the supplier, you may be able to receive company addresses, telephone numbers, employee counts, turnover figures and other information that helps you segment your campaigns.

5. Understand the GDPR rules before buying

There’s still quite a lot of confusion about whether businesses can legally buy and use B2B email marketing lists in the UK.

The short answer is yes, buying business contact data isn’t automatically unlawful. However, how the information was obtained and how you intend to use it matters.

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), the rules for emailing limited companies and other corporate subscribers are different from those covering sole traders and certain partnerships.

For corporate subscribers, prior consent isn’t generally required under PECR to send B2B marketing emails. However, UK GDPR still applies when you’re processing personal information, including someone’s named business email address.

You’ll need an appropriate lawful basis for processing that information, provide the required privacy information and respect people’s rights, including objections to direct marketing.

For sole traders and certain partnerships, unsolicited marketing emails generally require consent unless a valid exception applies.

This is why it’s worth discussing compliance with your supplier before you purchase anything.

Ask how the data is collected, whether the supplier distinguishes between corporate and individual subscribers, and what information they provide to help you meet your obligations.

Remember, buying from a supplier that describes its data as GDPR compliant doesn’t remove your own responsibilities as the business using it.

For further guidance, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a useful guide to business-to-business marketing.

6. Find out what happens if some of the data is wrong

Even carefully researched databases can contain errors.

Someone might leave their job between the date their details were checked and the day you contact them. A company might close unexpectedly or change its email system.

What matters is how the supplier deals with those situations.

Before buying, find out whether the data comes with a guarantee and, more importantly, what that guarantee actually covers.

Will inaccurate records be replaced? Is there a refund policy? How do you report problems, and are there any time limits?

It’s much better to understand this before you place an order than after you’ve launched your campaign.

7. Get a properly targeted count and quote

Once you’ve narrowed down your audience, ask the supplier for the number of contacts available that genuinely meet your requirements.

For example, rather than requesting a list of UK businesses, you could ask for:

Marketing directors and heads of marketing working for UK limited companies with more than 20 employees and a turnover above £2 million.

That gives the supplier something specific to work with.

You should also establish whether the price includes all the fields you need and whether there are any additional charges for downloading, accessing or using the information.

Different suppliers have different pricing models. Some sell lists outright, while others operate subscriptions, licences or credit-based platforms.

Neither approach is necessarily right for everyone, but make sure you understand what you’re paying for.

So, where should you buy B2B email data?

There isn’t one supplier that’s right for every business.

Some companies need access to large international databases through a software platform. Others want a carefully selected list of UK decision-makers for a particular marketing campaign.

The most important thing is finding a supplier that understands your target audience, can explain how its data is maintained and is clear about what you’ll receive.

At Business Data Prospects, we’ve been building and maintaining our own UK B2B database since 2007.

Rather than simply supplying records from a static list, we research and verify data before delivery, checking contact details and business information to help ensure customers receive relevant, up-to-date records.

We also provide a 100% data guarantee and build lists around each customer’s requirements, whether that’s a particular industry, company size, location or decision-maker.

But whichever supplier you choose, the advice is the same: ask questions about the data before you buy it.

A well-targeted list with accurate contacts is a much better starting point than thousands of email addresses that aren’t relevant to your business.

If you’re looking for UK business email data, you can find out more about our approach at Business Data Prospects.