Can you email that old contact list?

Email lists are one of the best marketing tools a small business has, but there’s a right way to build one.

If you’re sending marketing emails, you generally need consent, a genuine, active yes, not a pre-ticked box or silence. There is one exception, the “soft opt-in”. If someone bought from you, or was in real talks to buy, you can email them about similar things without asking again, but only if you gave them a clear opt-out when you first collected their details, and every email since has included an easy way to unsubscribe.

Bought lists, people you met once at an event, or newsletter sign-ups where nobody actually bought anything don’t count. Those need proper consent, not an assumption.

Worth checking your list actually matches how it was built up.