When carrying out direct marketing you want to make sure that the database that you are going to be using is up to date. This may have to be done manually by contacting each person or business on the list and confirming contact details with them or it may be that you send out an email asking people to confirm that this is still the correct email address for them.

When it comes to mass mailing, you need to ensure that all contacts have opted in to receive the information you are sending them such as a newsletter or promotional voucher / code.

The better quality your data is the higher your response rate will be. If the database is updated regularly then it can be a relatively easy job, but if it has not been done for years you may find it takes several members of staff a reasonable amount of time to cleanse it.