The Best List Broker Services of 2021

A list broker is a person or a company that collects specific, targeted lists of contacts (consumers and businesses) based on certain criteria that businesses then use for their marketing campaigns. List brokers help with data acquisition, integration and evaluation of marketing lists, and can provide valuable insight and assistance throughout the process.

Using a good list broker, your small business can get a tailored list of names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and other contact information to send your message to.

While obtaining a person's contact information from a third party may feel like digital intrusion, the information sold by brokers comes from several legitimate sources. Professional list brokers get their information through extensive databases that have compiled consumer and business contacts from phone books, public records and surveys.

With a list broker's help, you can take this raw data and narrow the list down to the households or businesses you want to target based on numerous demographics. Some of the lists can be very specific, so you can maximize your business's return on investment by only reaching out to the parties likely to be interested in your brand.

A mailing list provided by a good list broker can boost public awareness of your business and get new customers through the door, whether you're looking to sell directly to businesses or to households.

Direct mail, which includes mailers like letters and brochures, is still one of the most common forms of marketing today. If you choose to use a list broker to send your direct mail campaigns, you will first provide the list broker with criteria, such as locations or ages, that you are targeting with your campaign. The list broker then sends you a list of up-to-date names and addresses to use for your campaign.

When you're choosing a list broker service, ask the following questions:

• Does the company specialize in consumer or business lists? Consumer lists are useful if you're trying to generate more foot traffic or general interest, while business lists comprise more precise data sets that target businesses in a particular industry. In both instances, a good list broker can create a targeted list that relies on specific geographic and demographic data points.
  
  
• How current are the lists? The best list brokers update their databases regularly. Most vendors run their postal list through the U.S. Postal Service's National Change of Address file, while email addresses are checked electronically. Most services check their lists every 30 days, though you can request that the service run a check again before providing you with the final list.
  
  
• Is the data available categorized as compiled or responsive? Compiled data is largely gathered through open records, including phone books, government records and credit files. The household or business contacts on these lists can be further sorted by geographic locations, gender, ethnicity, income and age. Responsive lists are based on contact information that was volunteered in some way. They are usually gathered through sources like magazine subscriptions, catalogs and previous direct marketing responses. List broker sites often refer to these as "opt-in" lists, meaning the contacts may be more receptive to your message, but opt-in records are usually more expensive and harder to come by.
  
  
• Do the lists come with any guarantees? Addresses and contact info, especially with large lists, are always in flux, so there are bound to be delivery errors and bounced mailers. Many list brokers offer a deliverability guarantee and refund your costs for items that are returned by the U.S. Postal Service. However, a broker is not responsible if your campaign does not attract new customers.
  
  
• Are the lists sold or rented out? When you buy a list, it's yours to keep and use. Broker companies sometimes rent lists for temporary use. When you rent a list, you're given a set number of times that you can use the list. You enter into an agreement with the list broker that you will only use the list for the agreed-upon number of uses. Often, the rented list contains seed addresses that alert the broker if you use the list beyond the number specified in the rental agreement, which can result in fees and penalties.
  
  
• Does the broker offer additional, direct marketing services? Some brokers design your mailers (or emails) and send them for you. Their experience can save you money and a lot of potential headaches. Of course, you can always purchase a list and use a direct mail service for fulfillment and mailing. If you are renting an email list for one-time use, most brokers typically send emails on your behalf, which also ensures their list stays private. List broker services can help you find new customers. With the help of a list broker, you can easily connect to a larger audience and open new doors for your business.

Direct marketing is a method businesses have used to reach new audiences for decades. It involves reaching out to a specific target audience by mail, email, or phone in hopes of converting them into customers or clients. There are three distinct advantages to including a direct marketing campaign with your company's marketing strategy.

It boosts your customer base.

The success of your marketing efforts depends on several factors, including your message and call to action, but to get your message to these people in the first place, you need contacts. A big factor in the success of your campaign is the quality of those contacts. Not only do list brokers provide you with lists of potential customers, but they can help you determine the audience that will be most receptive to your message.

Direct marketing expands your customer reach.

With a purchased list, you have the opportunity to expand your reach to new customers that you may not have found on your own. The list broker provides you with lists tailored to your exact specifications, ensuring that your marketing campaigns go to new customers who are interested in seeing what your business offers.

It saves you time.

It can be tedious and time-consuming to track down potential new leads. Using a purchased list service can save you serious time, which you can then devote to more important things, like fine-tuning your campaign or analyzing results.

There is a variety of list broker services that cater to different marketing needs. The most common types of list broker services are:

• Consumer
• Business
• Email
• Direct mail

List brokers, list managers and list compilers

There are three types of vendors in the mailing list industry: list brokers, list managers and list compilers.

List brokers are intermediaries between you and the owner of the list you are interested in purchasing. Brokers recommend the best lists for your marketing campaign; they handle mailing dates and order the lists. Brokers also negotiate for the best lists and deals for your campaign.

List managers work to generate the most revenue for a list. They promote their lists to brokers and marketers for future campaigns. Managers also maintain lists, ensuring they are accurate and up to date.

List compilers produce the lists. They are familiar with the sources they get their data from and generally deal in bulk listings of hundreds of thousands of entries.

It can be difficult to choose which list broker service is right for you and for the marketing campaign you're running. There are many factors to consider, such as your marketing goals and the type of lists the service specializes in.

Your starting point, first and foremost, is to decide what kind of list you require: consumer or business. Many broker services offer both, and some specialize in one or the other. Next, which channel are you using for your campaign: direct mail or email? Third, try to pinpoint your target customer. What is their age? Is there a specific location you have in mind? What is their gender? Segmenting your list based on specific criteria can boost your chances that your marketing efforts go to leads who have the potential to become customers.

Fourth, ask the broker how they compile, maintain and update their lists, since it is vital that the lists you use are accurate. Check to make sure the list broker maintains their lists by:

• Removing duplicates
• Identifying undeliverable or incorrect addresses
• Removing opt-outs regularly
• Updating lists at least monthly
• Disclosing their list sources

Finally, check whether the service is a CASS-certified vendor. CASS, the Coding Accuracy Support System, is a program created by the USPS to test and improve the accuracy of address-matching software and postal coding. The goal of CASS is to reduce undeliverable, unsortable or difficult-to-deliver mail. A service with a CASS certification has a higher level of accuracy and is more likely to deliver legitimate lists.

You can also check whether the list broker works with the National Change of Address system to regularly update their lists and ensure all their addresses are as current as possible.

How Do List Brokers Work?

A list broker connects you to extensive databases with contact information for consumers and businesses. These databases are assembled from various sources, including phone books, public records and surveys. Records can include names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of people or businesses you're trying to market your products or services to.

List brokers help you narrow your list of consumers or businesses to those likely to be the most receptive to your mailers, emails or telemarketing calls.

What Is the Difference Between a List Broker, List Manager and List Compiler?

In the mailing list industry, there are list brokers, list managers and list compilers.

List brokers recommend the best lists for your marketing campaign, handle mailing dates and order the lists.

List managers promote their lists to brokers and marketers for future campaigns. Managers maintain and update lists while ensuring the lists are attractive to potential buyers or renters.

List compilers produce the lists. They are familiar with the sources they get their data from and generally deal in bulk listings of hundreds of thousands of entries.

Should I Rent or Buy a List?

Whether you buy or rent a list will largely depend on your needs. Renting a list is usually single use, which means that you pay to use the list once, and do not own the data. If you plan to regularly use list brokers, renting can be expensive, but it is a cost-effective option if you only do it once or twice.

When you buy a list, you own the data and can use it for as long and however you like, as long as you don't resell it.

To find the best list broker services, we started with 25 vendors. We researched each list broker thoroughly, evaluating their pricing, the accuracy of their lists, the services they offered and how often they updated their lists.

We then eliminated vendors that had low guarantee rates, were not U.S.-based, did not categorize their lists or were too expensive. We also eliminated vendors that did not have good online reputations whether from online reviews or the Better Business Bureau.

This narrowed the list to 12 services. We grouped the 12 remaining vendors into the three best pick categories: best overall, best for consumer lists and best for email lists. We reached out to each service's customer support to experience how helpful and responsive they were and asked questions around how lists are sourced, how often the lists are updated, and what the process of buying or renting a list looks like.

Finally, we narrowed down the list to our three best picks based on the above criteria.