Successful email deployments involve both art and science. The creative side encompasses content, graphics, and enticing call to actions. The scientific contribution rests heavily on the data contained in your physician email list.

Unfortunately, like in the medical and technology arenas, database science can be flawed. For example, many list vendors use methods such as scraping the web for physician email addresses or manufacturing addresses based on a health system’s presumed naming conventions (e.g. d.tompkins@healthsystem.com).

Healthcare professionals are more likely to provide their personal email address to get the info they really want and need

Even if an email address is considered valid—that is, it finds itself in a viable inbox—it may not be the physician’s preferred point of contact. Historically, healthcare professionals are more likely to provide their personal email address, like Gmail or Yahoo, to get the information they really want and need. Personal email addresses are much more difficult to fabricate, which is one way you can determine you’re getting quality data. Any list you buy should include at least 60 percent the personal email addresses for your target healthcare audience.

To ensure your database is free of flaws, it’s important to partner with an email list vendor whose data is provided directly from the physicians themselves and has undergone a third-party audit for accuracy.

Successful email deployments involve both art and science

This video explains more about what constitutes a high-quality list and how to avoid buying an inaccurate database.