How to Cleanse Your B2B Database for Maximum Accuracy

Keeping your B2B database clean and accurate is essential for successful marketing, sales, and communication. An outdated or inaccurate database can lead to wasted time, poor campaign performance, and missed opportunities. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a three-step process to cleanse your B2B database to 96% accuracy, ensuring your contacts are up-to-date and reliable.

Step 1: Auto-validation – Using Software to Do the Heavy Lifting

What Is It? 

Auto-validation is your first line of defence in cleaning up your B2B database. It uses specialised software to automatically check your data, fix obvious mistakes, and flag entries that might be incorrect or outdated. This step helps you quickly weed out the most glaring issues before moving on to more detailed checks.

Why It’s Important

• Fast and Efficient: It can quickly process large amounts of data.
• Cost-Effective: Cuts down on the time you’d otherwise spend on manual checks.
• Accurate: Catches common errors like misspelled emails or wrong phone numbers.
• Automated: You can set it up to run regular checks, keeping your database clean over time.

How to Do It

1. Pick the Right Tool: Choose a good data validation tool that works well with B2B databases. Popular options include Clearbit, Zerobounce, and NeverBounce.
2. Upload Your Data: Import your contact list into the tool. Most of these platforms accept CSV, Excel, and other common file formats.
3. Set Your Criteria: Tell the software what to check for:
   • Email Format: Makes sure email addresses are correctly formatted (like name@company.com).
   • Domain Check: Verifies that the email domains actually exist.
   • Phone Numbers: Ensures phone numbers are valid and properly formatted.
   • Duplicates: Flags any duplicate entries.
   • Address Verification: Checks that physical addresses are correct.
4. Run the Check: Let the software do its thing. It will scan your data and give you a report showing errors, duplicates, and any entries that might be invalid.
5. Review and Fix: Go through the report. The tool may automatically fix some issues, but you’ll need to review and approve certain changes.
6. Save Your Clean Data: Once you’re happy with the results, export your cleaned-up database. It’s now much more accurate and ready for the next steps.

Step 2: Validating “Catch-All” Emails – The Live Test Approach

What Is It?

“Catch-all” email addresses are tricky. They’re set up to accept all emails sent to their domain, even if the local part (the part before the “@”) doesn’t exist. This makes it hard to tell if the email address is actually valid. The best way to check these is through live testing—basically, sending an email to see if it gets delivered.

Why It’s Important

• Highly Accurate: Confirms whether an email address is working and being monitored.
• Focused: Specifically targets “catch-all” emails that software checks might not fully verify.
• Prevents Bounces: Helps you avoid bounce-backs during your campaigns.

How to Do It

1. Find the “Catch-All” Emails: Use your auto-validation tool to flag any catch-all email addresses.
2. Create a Test Email: Write a simple, non-promotional email to send out. Keep it:
   • Short and straightforward.
   • Include a clear call to action, like asking the recipient to confirm they received it.
   • Avoid sensitive or important content—this is just a test.
3. Send the Email: Send your test email to the catch-all addresses. Spread them out over time to avoid getting flagged as spam.
4. Track the Results: Watch for responses and bounce-backs:
   • Received: If the email goes through and you get a response, the address is likely valid.
   • Bounced: If it bounces, the address is probably invalid and should be removed.
   • No Response: If you don’t get a response, the address might be inactive. You can follow up or mark it for further review.
5. Update Your Database: Based on what you find, update your database. Remove any invalid addresses and mark the ones that are confirmed as valid.

Step 3: Manual Online Verification – The Final and Most Thorough Check

What Is It?

The last step is to manually verify your contacts online. This means doing some research to make sure your contacts are still valid and relevant. It’s the most thorough—and time-consuming—step, but it’s essential for getting your database as accurate as possible.

Why It’s Important

• Maximum Accuracy: Ensures your contacts are current and still useful.
• Updated Information: Helps you spot changes in job roles, companies, and contact details that automated tools might miss.
• Quality Assurance: Provides a final check to make sure your database is in top shape.

How to Do It

1. Focus on High-Value Contacts: Start with your most important contacts, like decision-makers or leads in key industries.
2. Search Online: Use various online resources to verify contact details:
   • LinkedIn: Check for updates on job roles, company information, and contact details.
   • Company Websites: Visit the contact’s company website to confirm their current role and details.
   • Google: Do a quick search for the contact’s name and company to find any recent mentions or profiles.
   • Social Media: Look at their social media activity to see if they’re still active in their current role.
3. Compare and Update: Match the information you find online with what’s in your database. Look for any changes or discrepancies.
4. Update or Remove Contacts: Depending on what you find:
   • Update: Correct any outdated information.
   • Remove: Delete contacts who are no longer valid.
   • Flag for Follow-Up: Mark contacts for further investigation if you’re unsure about their validity.
5. Document Your Work: Keep track of the steps you take for each contact. This helps maintain consistency and gives you a reference for future cleanups.

Conclusion: Achieving A Fully Validated DataBase

By following these three steps—auto-validation, live testing for catch-all emails, and manual online verification—you can cleanse your B2B database to achieve 96% accuracy. This ensures that your marketing and sales efforts are directed at real, active contacts, improving the success of your campaigns and maximising your ROI.

Keep It Clean

• Regular Updates: Plan to cleanse your database regularly, like every quarter or twice a year.
• Stay Alert: Watch for changes in the industry that could affect your contacts.
• Feedback Loop: Work with your sales and marketing teams to quickly address any data issues that arise.

Investing in regular and thorough database cleansing will not only improve the quality of your data but also significantly boost the effectiveness of your B2B efforts.

Not all organisations have the resources and time to maintain a database of the required 96% deliverability. If you need to speak to one of our data experts on how to achieve this, reach out and we’ll be in touch.