In brief

  • For a first approach to new business customers in Austria, the addressed letter is the right channel: marketing emails and calls require prior consent, also towards businesses (§ 174 TKG 2021).
  • What matters is a complete business address, matching against your own records and a clear way for recipients to reply or consent.
  • For sole traders, the GDPR’s information duty and right to object apply as well.

1. Define the target group and area

Describe whom you want to reach: industry, ideally with ÖNACE codes (ÖNACE 2008), and the area by federal state or district. Field sales based in Vienna often cover Lower Austria too; the contact database holds 34,897 records for Vienna and 36,968 for Lower Austria (as of 3 November 2026). The distribution across all federal states is on the database status page.

2. Choose addresses with the right required fields

A postal mailing needs the complete business address with street, house number, postcode and town. A website as a second required field helps you check a business’s offer before sending and spot duplicates. The quote states how many records in your selection have both fields.

3. Match against your own records

Exclude existing customers and open quotes, and match duplicates by website and phone number. Carry over blocking notes: anyone who has already objected to the use of their data does not receive this mailing either. The columns are shown in the sample file.

4. Clarify the legal points

  • GDPR: data on sole traders are personal data. The legal basis is usually legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR); provide information on source and purpose with the letter at the latest (Art. 14) and point out the right to object (Art. 21).
  • Robinson list: address publishers and direct marketing companies check mailings to natural persons against the Robinson list (§ 151(9) GewO). Clarify whether this applies to your mailing.
  • Sender details: registered businesses state their company name, legal form, registered office, Firmenbuch number and court on business letters (§ 14 UGB).

5. Build in a way to reply

The letter should trigger a response you are allowed to use: a short web address or QR code leading to a form, a reply card or a phone number interested parties can call. Ask explicitly in the form whether and how you may contact the recipient again. This consent is the basis for later emails and calls.

6. Follow up and evaluate

If recipients respond or consent, transfer the contact and the consent to your CRM. Those who do not respond receive no marketing calls and no marketing emails, at most another letter. Count replies per industry and district: that shows where the next mailing pays off.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need consent for a marketing letter to businesses?

The TKG does not regulate addressed letters and does not require prior consent for them as it does for email and calls. If the recipient is a natural person, such as a sole trader, the GDPR applies with its information duty and right to object, and the Robinson list where relevant. Checking your specific mailing is your responsibility.

May I call after sending the letter?

For marketing purposes only if the recipient has consented, for example via the reply card, or contacts you themselves. A letter without a reply is not consent to a call (§ 174(1) TKG 2021).

Rent or buy: how often may I use the addresses?

At kontaktdatenbank.at you buy a one-off export for permanent use, without a subscription; a whole industry costs from €229. Rented addresses from other providers are often limited to a single mailing. Ask before you order.

As of 8 November 2026. General information, not legal advice. More on marketing channels: B2B marketing and § 174 TKG 2021.