Marketing databases: the complete UK guide

01
What is a marketing database?

You'll also see it called a B2B database, a contact database or a prospecting database. They all mean the same thing: the businesses you want as customers, and how to reach the people who decide.

The phrase gets used for two different things. Some people mean the software that stores customer data (a CRM or customer data platform). Most people searching for marketing databases mean the data itself: a list of prospects to contact. This guide is about the second: UK business data you can buy and use for letters, calls and emails, and how to look after it once you have it.

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02
What's in a record?

Across the 1,486,280 records we hold, every record has a postal address and a phone number, 1,219,031 have a named contact, 454,737 have a named contact email and 257,860 have a general business email.

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Types of marketing database: email, telephone and postal

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Marketing database vs database marketing, CRM and mailing lists

In practice they work together: you buy or build a marketing database, import it into your CRM, and record every contact against each record so you know who to call next and who has asked you to stop.

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05
How many UK businesses are there to market to?

What these figures mean when you buy a UK business database

• Most businesses are small. If you sell to firms with 50 or more staff, your market is 56,335 businesses, not millions: select by employee size so you don't pay for records you won't use.
• About one in five is a sole proprietor or partnership. PECR treats sole traders and most partnerships (other than LLPs and Scottish partnerships) like individuals, so you can't email them from a bought list. Reach them by post or phone instead (see the law).
• Sectors differ a lot. ONS figures show most farms, and many GP practices, are sole proprietors or partnerships, while almost no schools or software companies are. So the share of a list you can email depends on the sector.

Source: ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026; figures from Nomis, UK Business Counts (enterprises). Counts are rounded by the ONS and cover businesses registered for VAT or PAYE, so very small unregistered businesses aren't included.

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06
Buy, build or rent?

Working out the real cost of building

Time yourself researching ten businesses from scratch (finding the right person, a direct phone number and an email, then typing it into your CRM), then multiply. If it takes you five minutes a business, 1,000 records is about 83 hours of work, before any calls are made. Compare that with the price of the same 1,000 records bought (£300 plus VAT at our prices). Building still wins when your market is a few hundred named organisations you already know, or when you need information no supplier holds.

A common middle route: buy a base list for your sectors and areas, then build on it with your own notes, enquiries and customers in your CRM.

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How to buy a database for marketing: 7 steps

1. Describe your best customers. Look at the customers who buy most and are easiest to serve: their sector, size, area and the job title of the person who signed. That is your selection.
2. Choose your channels. Post, phone, email or all three. The channel decides which fields you need (and pay for) and which rules apply.
3. Ask for a free count, field by field. Find out how many businesses match, and how many of those have a named contact, a phone number and a named email.
4. Check sample records and the terms. Look at real sample records, then the licence, accuracy guarantee, TPS/CTPS screening and delivery terms.
5. Get a written quote. Check the price against the bands: an order just under a band boundary can cost more than a slightly bigger one.
6. Get your compliance ready. Write your legitimate interests assessment, your privacy notice and your opt-out process, and load your suppression list.
7. Receive, import and test. Data usually arrives in Excel or CSV within 24 hours of payment. Remove existing customers and opt-outs, import it into your CRM and test a few hundred records first.

Start with step 3: ask for a free count.

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How to create a marketing database (or mailing list) yourself

1. Start with what you already have. Customers, past enquiries and quotes. Check what they were told when you collected their details: the soft opt-in lets you email your own customers and enquirers about similar products, as long as they were given a chance to opt out.
2. Decide your fields and format. One row per business, with separate columns for each contact, plus source, date collected and opt-out flags. Agreeing this first saves hours of tidying later.
3. Research from public sources. Business websites, Companies House, trade directories and association member lists. Public doesn't mean free of rules: the ICO says UK GDPR and PECR still apply to publicly available contact details.
4. Collect at events and online. Forms on your website, event sign-ups and webinars, each with clear privacy information. Ask for consent to email if the person might be a sole trader.
5. Verify every record. Call the switchboard to confirm the right contact and their job title, and check email addresses before use.
6. Store it in a CRM. Record each call, email and reply, and keep a suppression list that every campaign is checked against.
7. Keep it up to date. Building isn't a one-off: businesses close, move and change staff, so set time aside every month for updates.

A realistic plan for most businesses: buy a base list for the sectors and areas you sell to, then build on it with your own research, enquiries and customer notes. You get coverage quickly and detail over time.

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How much does a marketing database cost?

Every record in an order is charged at the rate for that order's size. That means a slightly bigger order can cost less: 2,400 records cost £708, but 2,500 records cost £675. If you're just under a band, ask us to widen the area or add a related category.

Worked examples

What drives the price of a marketing database

• Number of records. The biggest factor, and bigger orders get a lower rate per 1,000.
• How tightly you select. Narrow selections (one job title, one county, only records with an email) mean fewer records and a smaller bill, though possibly a higher rate per 1,000 if the order drops below a band.
• Licence. A multi-use licence (ours is 12 months) costs more than a single rental but can be used for every campaign in that year.
• Data quality. How often records are checked, whether phone numbers are screened and what accuracy is guaranteed all affect what a supplier charges and what you get for it.

What you get with every order

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Marketing database cost calculator

How the calculator works

1. Find the rate for the size of the whole order: under 2,500 records £295 per 1,000; 2,500 to 4,999 £270; 5,000 to 9,999 £245; 10,000 to 19,999 £220; 20,000 to 49,999 £195; 50,000 or more £170.
2. Multiply: records ÷ 1,000 × rate. For 10,000 records: 10 × £220 = £2,200.
3. If the result is under £300, the price is £300 (the minimum order).
4. Add VAT at 20% for the total you pay.

Inputs: the number of records only. Assumptions: our price bands as at 13 November 2026; every field we hold for each record is included; 12-month multi-use licence. Not included: your own costs of using the data (postage, calls, email software). Your free count tells you how many records match your selection.

Link straight to a result with ?records=, for example https://marketingdatabases.co.uk/?records=10000#calculator.

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Selecting your audience from a UK business database

The more closely your list matches the businesses that already buy from you, the better it will work. Start with your best customers: what sector are they in, how big are they, where are they, and who signed the order? Then select on those.

Ways to select

• Sector or business type
• Region, county or town
• Postcode area, or a radius around a postcode
• Number of employees
• Turnover band
• Single-site independents or multi-site groups
• Job title of the named contact
• Only records with a named contact email
• Only records with a phone number

The largest sectors we hold

Counts change daily as businesses open, close and change staff. Your free count gives the exact figure for your selection.

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How to choose a B2B database provider

• Accuracy guarantee, and what it means. A guarantee of "at least 95% accurate" means up to 5 records in every 100 may be out of date when you get them. Ask how accuracy is measured, how quickly you must report problems and what happens if the list falls short.
• TPS and CTPS screening. Phone numbers should be screened before the data is sent. Ask the screening date: a newly registered number is protected 28 days after it joins the register, so re-screen before calling after that.
• Source and refresh. Ask where the data comes from and how often records are checked. Ours are checked by telephone researchers every day.
• Licence terms. Single use or multi-use? For how long? Can it go into your CRM? Is resale banned? Get it in writing.
• Free count and sample. A supplier should tell you how many records match before you pay, field by field, and show you real sample records.
• Field counts, not just totals. "10,000 businesses" means little if only a fraction have a named email. Ask for the count of each field.
• Compliance help. The supplier should explain how the data was collected and what people were told, so you can meet UK GDPR's transparency rules, and should know the PECR rules on sole traders and partnerships.
• Format and delivery. Excel or CSV, secure transfer, and how long it takes.

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Is it legal? Database compliance under UK GDPR and PECR

Database compliance comes down to two sets of rules. UK GDPR covers any record that identifies a person, even in their work role (a named contact, or an email like [email protected]). PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) covers marketing calls, emails, texts and faxes. Post is covered by UK GDPR when it's addressed to a named person, but not by PECR. (ICO: business-to-business marketing)

Companies vs sole traders: the rule that matters most

PECR splits businesses into two groups. Corporate subscribers are companies, limited liability partnerships, Scottish partnerships, some government bodies and other bodies with their own legal identity. Individual subscribers include sole traders and other partnerships (non-limited partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland), and PECR treats them like private individuals.

If you can't tell whether an email address belongs to a corporate or an individual subscriber, the ICO's advice is to treat it as an individual subscriber.

UK GDPR: legitimate interests

Where PECR doesn't require consent, the ICO says legitimate interests will often be the right lawful basis for B2B marketing, but you must pass its three-part test: identify the interest, show the processing is necessary for it, and balance it against the person's interests, rights and freedoms. Write this down as a legitimate interests assessment. (ICO: legitimate interests)

Everyone on your list has an absolute right to object to direct marketing. When someone says stop, add them to your suppression list and stop, on every channel.

Telling people where you got their details

When you get personal data from a third party, such as a data supplier, UK GDPR says you must give people privacy information within a reasonable period and no later than one month after you get it; if you contact them first, do it then. In practice, include a short note in your first email or letter saying who you are, where you got their details and how to opt out, with a link to your privacy notice. (UK GDPR Article 14)

Calls: TPS, CTPS and the 28-day rule

A number becomes protected once it has been on the register for 28 days (PECR regulation 21), which is why marketing lists are screened before supply and should be re-screened before you call after 28 days. The registers are run by the TPS and CTPS.

What changed with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

• Most data protection changes are now in force. The majority of the data protection and privacy provisions came into force on 5 February 2026 (GOV.UK).
• Direct marketing is named as a legitimate interest. UK GDPR Article 6 now lists processing necessary for direct marketing as an example of a legitimate interest. You still need to do the balancing test. (UK GDPR Article 6(11); ICO)
• Tougher PECR enforcement. PECR fines and enforcement powers are brought into line with the Data Protection Act 2018 (GOV.UK factsheet), and marketing calls and messages count even if they don't connect (GOV.UK factsheet).
• Complaints. Organisations must help people make data protection complaints, acknowledge them within 30 days and respond without undue delay (ICO).
• What hasn't changed for B2B email. The soft opt-in was extended to charities only; email and text marketing to sole traders and ordinary partnerships still needs consent.

This is a plain-English summary of official guidance, checked on 13 November 2026, not legal advice. For anything unusual, read the ICO's B2B marketing guidance in full.

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Using a marketing database well: data cleansing and upkeep

The marketing database lifecycle

1. SelectSectors, areas, sizes and job titles that match your best customers
2. ScreenSuppression list, existing customers, TPS and CTPS
3. ImportInto your CRM with source and date
4. ContactPost, phone and email in a planned sequence
5. RecordEvery reply, call outcome, bounce and opt-out
6. CleanRemove bounces and returns; update job changes
7. RefreshNew count before the licence ends

Before your first campaign

1. Remove your existing customers and anyone on your suppression list, unless you mean to market to them.
2. Deduplicate against your CRM by business name and postcode, and by email address.
3. Import into your CRM with the source and date of supply in their own columns, so you can answer "where did you get my details?" and know when to re-screen.
4. Separate corporate and individual subscribers for email (see the law).
5. Prepare your privacy notice and opt-out before the first message goes out.

Data cleansing: dealing with data decay

Every business database goes out of date as businesses close, move, change their phone systems and change staff. Deal with it as you go: remove hard bounces straight away, record returned post and "no longer here" calls, update job changes when you hear about them, and re-screen phone numbers against the TPS and CTPS if 28 days have passed. For a large database, data cleansing services check your records against up-to-date business data in one go and flag or correct the ones that have changed, which is quicker than doing it by hand. Before your 12-month licence ends, ask for a fresh count and decide whether to renew with up-to-date records.

Sequencing campaigns across channels

One message rarely does the job. A simple pattern for a multi-channel database:

1. Letter or email to the named decision-maker, introducing one clear offer.
2. Phone call a few days later to the same person (after TPS/CTPS screening), referring to the letter or email.
3. Follow-up email with whatever was promised on the call, then a longer gap before the next touch.

Space your messages out, keep each one useful, and stop at once for anyone who opts out.

Measuring results

Response rates vary hugely by sector, offer and channel, so ignore published averages and measure your own. Give each campaign its own code or landing page, and track:

• Delivery: bounced emails, returned letters, unobtainable numbers (this measures the data).
• Response: replies, calls, enquiries and meetings booked per 1,000 records (this measures the offer).
• Money: cost per enquiry and cost per sale, including the data, postage, call time and software.

Test small first. A few hundred records per sector or message tells you where to spend the rest of the list.

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Email, phone and post: channel by channel

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12 common mistakes to avoid

1. Buying on the headline total. Check how many records have the fields you'll use: a named email, a phone number, a named contact.
2. Buying the whole country. If you serve one region or one size of business, select it and pay less.
3. Emailing sole traders and partnerships from a bought list. PECR needs their consent.
4. Calling on old screening. Re-screen against the TPS and CTPS if 28 days have passed.
5. No privacy information. Tell named contacts where you got their details within a month, or in your first message.
6. Skipping deduplication. Sending a cold "introduction" to an existing customer looks careless.
7. Ignoring opt-outs on other channels. An objection to marketing covers every channel you use for that person.
8. One message, then nothing. Plan a sequence across post, phone and email.
9. Judging the data only by sales. Measure delivery (bounces, returns) separately from response, so you know whether the data or the offer needs fixing.
10. Leaving the data on a shelf. Your licence runs for 12 months, and records go out of date while they sit there.
11. Not recording the source. Keep the supplier and date against every record, so you can answer "where did you get my details?".
12. Trusting published response rates. They vary hugely by sector and offer; test small and measure your own.

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Glossary

Marketing database

An organised list of prospects or customers with contact details and facts used to choose who to market to.

B2B data

Data about businesses and people in their work roles, as opposed to consumers at home (B2C).

Record

One business (or one contact at a business) in the database: one row in the spreadsheet.

Firmographics

Facts about a business used for targeting: sector, size, turnover, location, number of sites.

SIC code

Standard Industrial Classification: the official UK code for what a business does, used to group businesses by sector.

Data append

Adding missing details (for example phone numbers or emails) to records you already have.

Data cleansing

Checking records against reliable sources and correcting or removing out-of-date ones.

Deduplication

Finding and merging records that describe the same business or person.

Suppression list

Your list of people and businesses who must not be contacted (opt-outs, objections, customers you exclude); checked before every campaign.

Data decay

The way a database goes out of date as businesses close, move and change staff.

TPS

Telephone Preference Service: the register of numbers that don't want marketing calls; sole traders and some partnerships register here.

CTPS

Corporate Telephone Preference Service: the TPS register for companies and other corporate bodies.

Corporate subscriber

Under PECR, a company, LLP, Scottish partnership or other body with its own legal identity. You can email them without consent.

Individual subscriber

Under PECR, a private person, sole trader or ordinary (non-limited) partnership. Email and text marketing needs their consent.

Legitimate interests

The UK GDPR lawful basis most B2B marketing relies on; you must pass a three-part test (purpose, necessity, balancing).

Soft opt-in

The PECR exception letting you email your own customers or people who enquired about similar products, with an opt-out; it can't apply to a bought list.

Multi-use licence

Permission to use bought data as often as you like for a set period (ours: 12 months), rather than once.

Seed records

Test addresses a data owner adds to a list to see how it is used; common with rented lists.

Hard bounce

An email that can't be delivered because the address doesn't exist; remove these at once.

Contact database

Another name for a marketing database: a list of organisations and the people to contact there.

Prospecting database (lead database)

A marketing database used by sales teams to find and contact new prospects.

Database marketing

Using a database of customers and prospects to choose who to contact, personalise messages and measure results.

CRM

Customer relationship management software: where you store contacts and record every call, email, meeting and sale.

CDP

Customer data platform: software that combines data about your existing customers from several systems into one profile.

Legitimate interests assessment (LIA)

Your written record of the legitimate interests three-part test for a particular use of personal data.

Data controller

The organisation that decides why and how personal data is used; when you market with bought data, that's you.

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Marketing databases: frequently asked questions

Sources

• Information Commissioner's Office: Business-to-business marketing; Legitimate interests; The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025: what does it mean for organisations?
• legislation.gov.uk: UK GDPR Article 6; UK GDPR Article 14; PECR 2003 regulation 21
• GOV.UK: Data (Use and Access) Act 2025: plans for commencement; DUAA factsheet: PEC Regulations; DUAA factsheet: the Information Commissioner
• Record counts and prices: our own database and price list, November 2026.