Be a Good Data Steward

Given that the offline space has been dominated by data services companies with operations that go back decades, it’s easier to check the reputation of firms in this sector. Another factor to consider is that offline data doesn’t churn or migrate to new sources of information as quickly as it does in the online world, Isaacson points out, allowing marketers to get a better understanding of the data they’re sourcing. In the online world, however, most e-mail address files are no more than 10 years old, so you also have to look at the technology involved in the acquisition of e-mail addresses. Most, if not all, e-mail list entities obtain a time, date and IP address stamp for each e-mail address they collect, and make this information part of their data source file, says Isaacson.