The Audience > Import List tool can be used to upload a list of new Subscribers, update specific attributes for current Subscribers, and update existing Segments.
If this feature is disabled for your instance, new Audience members can only be added via your Instance Audience Integration or a Parent Cerkl instance. You can still import a list for existing subscribers to create a new Manual Segment. Please review: Creating a Manual Segment.
The Import List tool can be used to update already created Segments, but cannot be used to create new Segments. Go to Audience > Segments to get started creating a new Manual Segment.
If you're instance uses an Audience Integration, Attributes may automatically be synced back overnight after a manual upload. Temporary Custom Fields are not supported by Integrations, so these fields will remain.
Organize and Prepare Your File
For your convenience, we have provided some additional resources to help you organize your file.
Below the File Upload box on the Import List page, we have included a Data Template that you can download to help you get started. The first tab of this template explains how to use this template as well as Best Practices.
You’ll be required to format your import with the following specifications:
File Types: .CSV (UTF-8), .TXT (comma separated)
Header Row (required)
Column #1: Email Address (required)
Column titles must match the Accepted Fields listed under the Data Template.
First Name and Last Name are not required when performing a manual Import, however, First Name is a required field for all Subscribers in the Audience table. If the First Name is not included in the file imported, we will attempt to input name information based on the the characters before the @ sign within the Subscriber’s email address field.
We recommend including these when adding new audience members to avoid abnormal naming for Subscribers.
Custom Fields
Custom Fields are unique to the Manual Import process, and are not affected by your integration. These temporary attributes allow your team to add up to 5 Custom Fields for subscribers that can be used in Personalization, Audience Management, and Dynamic Segment rule building.
For more information, please review: Subscriber Attributes - Custom Fields.
Upload Your File
You can upload a file in two ways:
Click Browse and choose the file from your computer.
Drag and drop the file into the upload box.
File Validation
After upload completes, the file will be validated to ensure format and data meet the requirements. The results show how many Total Records were validated as well as the first two records of each attribute (column).
If your record fails validation, errors will be highlighted, noting the first few rows which triggered the failure. You will need to fix the reported issues, then re-upload to continue the process. To start over, click Cancel.
If you used a header that is not in the list of accepted fields it will appear in the table as Ineligible Header Columns. Our system will simply skip this column if you wish to continue.
Once you are ready to move on, click Continue.
System Settings
Select the Opt-In Status
Here you can Select the Opt-In Status of the Subscribers included in your upload.
Select News Digests and Blasts (Default) if you would like your Subscribers to receive both Blasts and News Digests.
Select Blasts Only if the list of Subscribers you’ve just uploaded should only receive Email Blasts and should not receive Personalized Digests from your Instance.
Modify the opt-in status of existing audience members
This option can be used overwrite any existing subscriber’s opt-in status to the above selected option for News Digests and Blasts.
We recommend only selecting "Yes, Modify Opt-In status of existing subscribers" if current Subscribers are included in your file that you want to purposefully change their opt-in status. New Subscribers do not need this option to be selected, as they will default to your previous selection.
For more information, please review: Explaining Opt-In Status.
Add List to Segments
If you wish to add the list of Subscribers to already existing Manual Segments, click the drop-down list below Add to Manual Segments and select the relevant Segment(s) from the list.
Conflict Management
Select if you want to Merge or Overwrite data from your file to your Audience Attributes.
Merge Data: Choosing this option will allow the data that you are uploading in your file to fill in any blank attributes for Subscribers already in your Audience. Attributes with Data already present will not be affected.
Overwrite Data: Choosing this option will overwrite any attributes already in your Audience with the ones that you have in your file.
This option can be disabled at the request of an Instance Administrator.
Each option has a Method Explanation as well as a Risk Factor. If you aren’t sure, see below or click See example below the Method Explanation to see more information about which option is better suited for your data and intentions.
After you’ve made your selection, click Continue. When you choose to Overwrite Data, you will have to type "OVERWRITE" in the provided box to confirm your selection due to the high-risk nature of this option.
Consent & Confirm
Here you can edit any of your previous System Settings or Conflict Management selections. Clicking Edit will bring you back to that step in the process and you will have to continue from that point. Lastly, before you can finish your import, you’ll need to verify that you have the consent of all individuals on your list to subscribe them to your Instance and have their information used according to Cerkl’s Privacy Policy.
To show that you have their consent, check the box before "I have the consent of all individuals on this list to subscribe them to my Cerkl and have their information used according to Cerkl's Privacy Policy."
Completing Your Import
After you've selected all the appropriate settings, Segments, and confirmed consent, click Submit to finish importing your list. Your Import Status will appear showing you where you are in the processing queue of your Cerkl Instance.
Typically, processing may be take few minutes, so you can leave this page while the file processes. You can review upload history and the upload queue anytime from Audience > Import List, then click the Information symbol in the top right corner.
When your import is complete, you will receive a verification email with the details of your Import, and any data issues which arose.
Important Information for Managed Child Cerkl Instances
The Menu option ‘Import List’ is disabled for organizations whose audience is managed by a Parent organization. Don’t worry - the functions you had before for creating Segments are available!
To import a list, go to Segments and select Create New, or Edit an already created Segment. Only Email address is regarded in file uploads for Managed Child Cerkl instances, so including other fields in your file is unnecessary.
Because the Import List page is disabled, managed children cannot view the upload history and the upload queue panel - however, an email notification will still arrive to let you know when the upload has finished processing.
If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@cerkl.com or use the support Chat toward the bottom right-hand corner of any cerkl.com page.