- A data lead is a contact record for a person who fits an audience you define, such as an age range, a location, or an interest.
- Lists are built by applying filters, called selects, to a larger database.
- Price depends on the vertical, how recent the records are, how many selects you apply, and the volume you buy.
- Results depend as much on targeting, list hygiene, and follow-up as on the data itself.
Every outbound campaign starts with the same question: who are we going to contact? Data leads are one answer. They let a marketer start with a defined audience instead of waiting for people to come to them.
What a data lead is
A data lead is a contact record for a person who matches an audience profile. You describe the people you want to reach, and a data provider selects the records in its database that fit. The person has not necessarily asked about your product. They are on the list because they resemble the customers you are looking for.
That is the difference between a data lead and an inquiry-based lead, where a consumer has just requested information. We compare the types in Real-Time vs. Aged vs. Data Leads.
What a record contains
The fields vary by provider and by file, but a consumer record commonly includes:
- First and last name
- Postal address, city, state, and ZIP code
- Email address
- Phone number
- Demographic fields such as date of birth and gender, where available
Before you order, ask which fields are populated on every record and which are only present on some. A field that is filled in on 30% of a file is very different from one filled in on all of it.
How a list is built
A provider starts with its full database and narrows it using selects, which are filters on the fields it holds. Typical selects include:
- Geography: state, city, ZIP code, or a radius around a location.
- Demographics: age range, gender, and similar attributes.
- Interests and behavior: categories that indicate what a person is likely to respond to.
- Recency: how recently the record was collected or updated.
Each select makes the audience more precise and the available count smaller. The provider reports that count back to you before you buy, which is why a data order usually begins with a request for counts.
What drives the price
- Vertical. Audiences in high-value industries cost more.
- Recency. Fresher records cost more than older ones.
- Selects. Tightly filtered lists cost more per record than broad ones.
- Volume. The price per record usually falls as the order grows.
- Fields. A record with phone and email is worth more than one with a postal address alone.
How marketers use data leads
- Email campaigns to a targeted audience.
- Call-center and telemarketing programs that need steady volume.
- Direct mail to a defined geography or demographic.
- SMS campaigns, where the right consent is in place.
Each channel has its own rules about consent and opt-outs. Make sure your campaign follows the ones that apply to you. Our guide to opt-in data covers the basics.
Getting good results
- Be specific. A smaller list of the right people beats a larger list of everyone.
- Suppress your existing customers so you are not paying to reach people you already have.
- Validate before you send. Running a file through data validation protects your sender reputation.
- Test before you scale. Start with a sample, measure the response, then order more of what worked.
- Report back. Tell your provider which records converted so the next order can be refined.
Where to start
If you are evaluating providers, our list of questions to ask before you buy marketing data is a useful checklist. R1D Media Group supplies targeted data leads from a permission-based database of more than 500 million records. Send us your criteria and we will reply with counts and a quote.