Consider legal issues and privacy.
There are legal limits and legislation constraining what sort of data you can collect, how you can collect it and how you can use it. More information about the Privacy Act and other privacy legislation can be found here. We recommend you obtain independent legal advice on your privacy obligations.

Reassure people giving you their information.
Some people are understandably wary of disclosing information. When collecting data from people you must be able to offer assurance that you will be using it solely for the purpose of improving your communication with them.

Treat other people's information with respect.
Make sure measures are in place which guarantees the security of your list; it is, after all, one of your greatest business assets. Be careful who you let access the information and definitely do not distribute it or on-sell it to others (unless you have express permission from each person on the list to do so).

Only collect the data you need.
Collecting too much data is a recipe for confusion and can be costly. If you use questionnaires to capture information, keep them short and to the point.

Test the data collection devices before using them.
Run your data capture devices, like surveys or questionnaires, past colleagues before you use them. Make sure they are easy to read and fill out and that they include opt-out or privacy disclaimers if needed.

Get the details right.
Make sure you check and re-check the information you receive in your data capture to ensure the details are correct. Make sure the spelling and formatting of people's names, their street address, suburb and postcode are correct - this is important when you get around to using the information for mail-outs of any description.