[GTM glossary](/glossary.txt) Contact data

Data & Enrichment

# Contact data

In short

Contact data is information about an individual person that lets you identify and reach them. Typical fields include name, job title, seniority, department, work email, phone number, and the company they work for.

It is the people-level counterpart to company data. Because it is personal information, it also brings privacy duties, such as honoring opt-outs and following rules like GDPR and CCPA.

## Common contact data fields

* **Identity:** Full name and professional profile link.
* **Role:** Job title, seniority, and department.
* **Reach:** Work email, direct dial, and mobile number.
* **Company:** Employer name and domain, linking the person to an account.
* **Status:** Verification status, last updated date, and opt-out flags.

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## Why it decays quickly

People change jobs, titles, and emails often. A list that was accurate last year will have gaps today. Track the last verified date and re-check contacts before large campaigns.

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## How to use contact data well

### Pick the right people

Use title and department to map the buying group at each account instead of emailing one name.

### Verify before sending

Run emails through verification and remove addresses that fail, to protect sender reputation.

### Respect consent and opt-outs

Store opt-out status in one place and apply it across tools. Check the rules of the regions you contact. This is not legal advice.

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## Common mistakes

* **Quantity over quality:** A smaller verified list often performs better than a large unchecked one.
* **No source tracking:** Without knowing where a record came from, you cannot audit it.
* **Duplicate people:** The same contact in two systems leads to double outreach.

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## Contact data FAQs

**What is contact data?**

Contact data is information about an individual person that helps you reach them, including name, job title, seniority, work email, phone number, and employer. Sales and marketing teams use it to run outreach and build buying group maps.

**What is the difference between contact data and company data?**

Contact data describes a person, such as their title and email. Company data describes an organization, such as its industry and size. Teams use company data to pick accounts and contact data to reach people at them.

**How often does contact data go out of date?**

It decays continuously because people change jobs, titles, and email addresses. The exact pace varies by industry and seniority, so track last-verified dates and re-verify contacts before big campaigns instead of relying on a fixed schedule.

**Is B2B contact data subject to privacy laws?**

Often yes. Names, work emails, and phone numbers can be personal information under laws such as GDPR and CCPA. Rules differ by region and use case, so confirm your obligations with legal counsel. This is general information, not legal advice.

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## More related phrases

* [B2B data](/glossary/b2b-data.txt)
* [Contact discovery](/glossary/contact-discovery.txt)
* [Data appending](/glossary/data-appending.txt)

## Similar phrases

* [Company data](/glossary/company-data.txt)  
Company data is information about businesses, such as industry, size, revenue, location, and technology, that sales and marketing teams use to find, segment, and prioritize target accounts.
* [Contact database](/glossary/contact-database.txt)  
A contact database is a searchable collection of people records, with titles, work emails, and phone numbers, that sales and marketing teams use to find and reach prospects.
* [Data decay](/glossary/data-decay.txt)  
Data decay is the gradual loss of accuracy in contact and company records as people change jobs, companies change details, and information goes out of date over time.
* [Data privacy](/glossary/data-privacy.txt)  
Data privacy is the set of rules and practices that govern how personal information is collected, used, stored, and shared, so people keep control over their data.
* [Email verification](/glossary/email-verification.txt)  
Email verification tests whether a specific email address is likely to accept mail, helping teams cut bounces, protect sender reputation, and avoid wasting outreach on dead addresses.