Looking for a list vendor? Ask these questions first

By Lisa Heay, Marketing Planning Manager at Heinz Marketing
When we get started on a strategic campaign planning engagement with a new client, one of the first things to determine is the “who.”  Who are we targeting?  Who is the ideal customer for the company and their solution?  What characteristics define those targets?
Sometimes the client will already have a database full of perfectly matched accounts and contacts ready to reach out to.  Most often though, they don’t.  In an ideal world, outbound efforts would be directed to interested target leads who have entered the database naturally through inbound channels, but that kind of engine takes a continuous stream of content and thought leadership spread across multiple channels, good SEO, and a lot of time.
So, what do you do in the interim?  Many companies turn to list vendors and subscription databases to build up their audience.  There are a lot of options