How do I change contact status through CSV import?

Let's say you have a list of emails you need to change to a new contact status like unsubscribed, held or expired. You don't have to update each one manually! To update email addresses in bulk, follow the process below.

How-To

Prepare file to import

1. Create a spreadsheet file of email addresses needing to be changed. For instance, if you have created a segment of subscribers with no engagement, export the segment data from the segment dashboard.
   
   
2. Your file needs to include two columns EmailAddr and MemberType. Under the EmailAddr column, list the email addresses. Under the MemberType column use the value 'unsub', 'held', 'expired', or 'normal' for each email address (depending on the status you want to change them to). If you exported segment results, you can edit the file to remove all columns except the two required.
   
   • **NOTE**: Only Expired contacts can be changed back to Normal status with this process. Contacts who are in Unsubscribed, Held, or Confirm statuses must be updated manually.
3. If your spreadsheet is not already in the .csv format, save the file as .csv format before importing it. 

Import data file to change contact status

1. In your Delivra account, click into the Contacts dashboard.
   
   
2. Select 'Import Email Contacts' button (top-right).
   
   
3. In Step 1, click the 'Select' button to find your file on your desktop. Click 'Next'.
   
   
4. In Step 2, map column headers from uploaded .csv to the appropriate data fields in your account. Click 'Next'. Note: If you used the two column headers EmailAddr and MemberType, they will map automatically.
   
   
5. Click open the 'Import Action' menu to ensure 'Use Type Setting in CSV file' is selected. Click 'Import'.

Tip

When import is complete, lookup a few of the email address in the Contacts dashboard to make sure they are now listed as the new contact status.

Notes

1. A sample CSV file to see the setup is attached.

2. These steps work for changing a "normal" or "expired" contact to another status. Contacts who are in "unsubscribed", "held', or "confirm" statuses cannot be updated via this method.

Resources

Are you interested in changing status of contacts based on a recent re-engagement campaign? Please see these articles for more information about running re-engagement campaigns.
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