Why would you need a data cleansing tool in sales? Well, dirty data can really clog up any campaign’s effectiveness. Sending out emails to data that is incorrect can skew analytics, waste resources and just isn’t an effective use of time, energy and money. And if you are purchasing data at a cost averaging between $300 and $600 per thousand, you want to make sure you are paying for good quality data that you can use. This is where a sales tool such as data cleansing applications and email cleansing can really help.
What is Data Cleansing?
When the term data cleansing is used, it means to take a dataset of emails or other information and clean it up. This can be done manually, trying to find, correct and remove inaccurate records, but can also be done using clever tools.
In the context of email outreach, this process makes sure that your email lists are free from errors. This could be incorrect email addresses, duplicates or entries that aren’t formatted correctly.
It’s good practice to regularly check and cleanse your data to maintain its accuracy.
The Benefits of Data Cleansing Your Email Campaigns
Much like cleaning out a house or fridge, it can be really beneficial to clean your data regularly. This is for a number of reasons.
Improved Deliverability Rates
Regular data cleansing removes invalid email addresses that cause bounces. This improves your email deliverability rate and also means that if you are on a send budget each day, you’re not wasting time emailing incorrect information.
Enhanced Engagement
Clean data ensures that your emails reach the right people, increasing the likelihood of engagement through relevant content.
Cost Efficiency
Sending emails to non-existent or uninterested recipients is a drain on resources. Cleansing data helps in focusing efforts and budget on productive leads.
Better Analytics
And very importantly it improves the accuracy of your stats. Accurate data provides reliable insights. Clean data eliminates skewed analytics caused by outdated or incorrect information, leading to better campaign adjustments and strategies.
Unlock the secrets to successful cold call emails with our tips that transform unsolicited outreach into engaging opportunities.
Top Data Cleansing Tools
While many email outreach tools will have some sort of data cleansing action in them, it’s worth paying out a little extra for a dedicated tool. These standalone tools mean that the information is really accurate because it’s the core focus of these tools and businesses.
Here are four that are some of the best data cleansing tools on the market.
NeverBounce
NeverBounce specializes in real-time email verification and list cleaning services, ensuring that email lists are free of invalid addresses and enhancing overall deliverability. This tool is highly regarded for its speed and accuracy, processing large volumes of emails efficiently—up to 100,000 emails can be processed within 45 minutes.
Key Features
- Real-Time Email Verification: Validates emails as they are collected from various sources like lead pages, registration forms, and more.
- Bulk Email List Cleaning: Allows uploading and cleaning of email lists in bulk with detailed analytics and customizable download options.
- Automated List Cleaning: Offers automation options to clean email lists regularly without manual intervention.
- Integration Capabilities: NeverBounce integrates with many platforms such as HubSpot, MailChimp, and Marketo, enhancing the tool’s usability within various marketing workflows.
Pricing
NeverBounce adopts a usage-based pricing model, which can be cost-effective depending on the volume of emails processed. The prices are competitive, offering a pay-as-you-go service that is scaled by email volume, making it accessible for businesses of various sizes.
Free Trial? Yes
ZeroBounce
ZeroBounce is another well known tool in email verification and cleansing, recognized for its comprehensive services that ensure high deliverability and cleanliness of email marketing lists. It is particularly noted for its accuracy and easy-to-use features, making it a go-to solution for improving email ROI.
Key Features
- Real-Time Email Verification: ZeroBounce provides real-time verification, helping users validate emails as they are collected from various sources, such as registration forms and lead pages.
- Bulk Email Verification: It supports the verification of long email lists quickly, which is crucial for businesses dealing with large volumes of data.
- Spam Trap Detection: The tool excels in detecting and removing spam traps, significantly improving the health and deliverability of email lists.
- Integration Capabilities: ZeroBounce integrates with a wide array of platforms, including CRM systems and marketing platforms like MailChimp and Zapier, facilitating seamless data flows across marketing tools.
Pricing
ZeroBounce operates on a freemium model, offering limited features for free, with more extensive features available through various premium plans. It provides flexible pricing options that scale with the volume of emails processed, accommodating businesses of all sizes. Notably, it includes 100 free validations per month, with additional validations and features such as inbox testing, email server testing, and denylist monitoring available at different subscription levels. You can opt for pay-as-you-go or a monthly cost based on volume
Free trial? Yes, sort of. It offers a freemium model so can be tested out on 100 emails before purchase.
Bouncer
Known for its high accuracy and strong performance, particularly in bulk email verification is Bouncer. It is designed to support a wide range of users, from small businesses to large enterprises, making it a versatile choice for various email marketing needs.
Key Features
- Real-Time Email Verification API: Bouncer offers real-time verification which is crucial for validating emails during form submissions on websites. This feature helps in immediately determining the validity of an email address, thus preventing the accumulation of invalid emails right from the start.
- Bulk Email Verification: Capable of processing up to 100,000 emails per hour, Bouncer can handle large volumes efficiently, which is ideal for organizations with extensive email lists.
- Integration Capabilities: It integrates smoothly with popular marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, Bravo, HubSpot, AWeber, and more, providing flexibility in enhancing your existing email marketing workflows
Pricing
Bouncer offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model with the cost per email decreasing significantly as the volume increases. It also provides monthly plans with a set number of credits that cater to different verification needs. Notably, Bouncer’s credits never expire, adding value for users who might not need continuous service. You can start with 1,000 email verifications for $8.
Free Trial? Sadly not, but it’s got a very low cost to entry at $8 so it’s worth testing with a small amount of data.
MailerCheck
MailerCheck boasts a 98%+ delivery rate on email lists that have been verified through its system. With over 12 years in the business, the service has a long-standing track record of enhancing email campaign performance by ensuring communications reach their intended recipients. There’s the chance to opt for pay-as-you-go data cleansing, or opt for a deliverability testing package.
Key Features
- Real-Time Email Verification: MailerCheck provides instant verification of email addresses, crucial for maintaining a clean and efficient email list from the start.
- Email Insights: This feature analyzes emails for potential deliverability issues such as spam triggers and poor HTML coding, helping to optimize content for better open rates.
- Inbox Placement Testing: Before you send an email, MailerCheck predicts whether it will land in the inbox or spam folder, offering tests across various email providers to ensure broad coverage.
- DMARC Reporting: This tool helps monitor your domain’s email activity, enhancing security and protecting against unauthorized use.
- Blocklist Monitoring: Receive real-time alerts if your IP or domain is listed on a blocklist, allowing for quick resolution and sustained deliverability.
Pricing
MailerCheck offers flexible pay-as-you-go pricing for email verification, with options for more comprehensive deliverability testing packages. This allows businesses to scale their spending based on their specific needs and email volumes.
Free Trial? Yes, new users can get 200 free credits to test various features such as email list verification and inbox placement testing. This initial offer allows potential customers to explore the service capabilities without any upfront payment.
Challenges of Data Cleansing
Data cleansing does offer the best opportunity to use a database that is clean and up-to-date, but it does come with some drawbacks.
As databases expand, managing and cleansing large volumes of data becomes a harder task, and usually based on the size of the database as well. While all the tools above will help they are not infallible and some things will slip through the net sometimes.
Equally another issue is the sunken cost fallacy, where businesses may hesitate to discard or alter data they have invested time and money in obtaining. This reluctance can lead to hesitancy in removing outdated or incorrect data entries, potentially undermining the effectiveness of data cleansing efforts.
Data degradation is also a significant challenge even when you’re using a tool regarily. Email addresses and other types of data can quickly become obsolete, necessitating ongoing updates and verification to keep the database current and functional. This continuous need for data cleansing requires resources and can be labor-intensive. You can run the same database of emails through a tool one week to a next and get wildly different results.
Furthermore, the cost of implementing and maintaining data cleansing tools can be ongoing, particularly when you are dealing with a large database and pay-as-you-go pricing. Or an ongoing requirement that can stack up over the months.
And very importantly, data cleansing aside, if your targeting is wrong, or your copy is ineffective, then the entire operation is flawed from the outset. Below you’ll see a great video from HubSpot with some top tips on writing email marketing campaigns.
When Data Cleansing Tools Are Used Correctly
If you are still unsure whether or not it’s worth investing in some data cleansing, take a look at this case study from ZeroBounce.
A company called MediaShares offered email campaigns for businesses looking for finance. The data however was outdated and with a bounce rate that regularly hit 12% their email provider canceled their service.
ZeroBounce was used to help clean the list which reduced the bounce rate to almost zero, it allowed them to regain access to their email client and continue their outreach for clients.
This is a great example of making sure that your database is up-to-date to prevent any issues arising.
Clean Data = Better Results
If your company is reliant on data to drive marketing and sales forward, data cleansing tools are a must. By regularly cleaning up email lists and other databases, businesses can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their campaigns. Improved deliverability rates, increased engagement, cost efficiency, and more reliable analytics are just some of the tangible benefits that come from maintaining clean data.
In addition to this, if you’re regularly reaching out to the wrong people, losing access to your mailer client and generally approaching in in a haphazard way, it can be an incredible drain on resources and your overall company reputation.
Cleaning data means that you are always working to the best practice all of the time when it comes to outreach.
