Import Contacts
Easily import your contacts using our step-by-step guide. Discover the best practices for ensuring a smooth and accurate contact import process.
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Easily import your contacts using our step-by-step guide. Discover the best practices for ensuring a smooth and accurate contact import process.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Importing contacts into your email marketing system allows you to quickly and efficiently manage your subscribers. Whether you're transitioning from another system or adding new subscribers in bulk, the import feature ensures that your contacts are properly organised.
Importing contacts into your contact list is simple and effective. Here are the steps to import a CSV file of contacts:
Go to the Contacts section.
On the right-hand side of each contact list, you will see a gear icon under the "Options" column. Click on it, and it will show the Import button.
Alternatively, you can also access the import option using the following path: Open Contact List => Tools => Import.
Choose your file (CSV format) and map your CSV columns to the system fields.
Review and confirm the import.
File Format:
The file must be in CSV format.
Ensure that each row represents one contact and that all required fields, with correct column name matching your custom fields tag names.
Once the file is uploaded, the system will automatically detect duplicate records and ensure the data is clean before importing it into your list.
While importing via a file is the most common method, you can also manually add individual subscribers:
Open contact list in which you want to add the subscribers.
Click on Subscriber.
Fill in the required fields such as email address, first name, last name, etc.
Save the new subscriber to the list.
This method is ideal for smaller lists or adding individual subscribers on the fly.
When importing contacts, it's important to consider the size of your contact list:
You can import large lists, but for best results, it's recommended to split extremely large lists into smaller batches. This helps avoid timeouts and ensures the system handles the data efficiently.
You can upload a file with a maximum size of 50 MB at once. If you have multiple lists to upload to the same contact list, you can do so in separate uploads, keeping each file size under the 50 MB limit. This allows you to import large amounts of data incrementally while staying within the upload size restriction.
The system can handle thousands of records, but make sure the file is formatted correctly and follows size limitations set by your application.
You may have contact lists with many columns—sometimes more than 20 or even 100. The good news is that you don't need to create each column manually in your system. Here's how it works:
Mapping Fields: The system allows you to map the columns from your CSV file to the appropriate fields in the system during the import process.
If your CSV contains extra columns that aren't required, you can choose to skip them by deleting those columns from your CSV file beforehand. This ensures that only the necessary columns are included during the import process, keeping your data clean and organised.
There's no need to manually create each column, making the import process smoother.
The system is designed to automatically detect duplicate records and handle improper syntax. Here’s what it does:
Duplicate Detection: During the import process, the system will check for duplicate entries based on email addresses. If a contact already exists, it will either update the existing record or skip the duplicate based on your preferences.
Improper Syntax Handling: If the system detects issues like incorrectly formatted email addresses (e.g., "john_gmail.com" or "johnat.com"), it will flag these errors and prevent them from being imported. The import will be paused until the errors are corrected.
Blacklisted Data: The system will automatically skip any contacts marked as hard bounces (status set as Blacklisted) during the import process to maintain list integrity and avoid sending emails to invalid addresses.
When importing your CSV file, it’s important to match your column names with the fields in the system:
Upload your CSV file.
The system will automatically attempt to map the CSV column names to the custom fields of that list (e.g., email, fname, lname).
If the system can’t match fields, it means your CSV column names don’t match the contact list tags. You’ll need to correct the column names in your CSV file to match the tag names in your contact list.
You can delete unnecessary columns from your CSV to simplify the import and include only relevant data.
This ensures that all the information is properly organised in the system once the import is complete.
If you need to import multiple lists, the system allows you to upload them one at a time. Follow these steps for each list:
Go to the Contacts section.
Select Import and choose your CSV file.
Ensure that the fields are mapped correctly for each list.
If you want to import multiple files into the same contact list, you can do so by importing them one by one. Make sure the column names are correctly mapped to the custom fields of the contact list during each import.
You can import as many lists as you need, and the system will keep them organised within their respective contact lists.
By following these steps, you can easily import contacts into your email marketing system and ensure that your data is clean, organised, and ready to use for your campaigns.
