Create and configure a subscriber list

In Acumbamail you can create and configure lists of subscribers who will receive your email campaigns. In this article we explain how to create a list of subscribers, how to import and export email addresses and the different configuration and customization options available to you.

Create a subscriber list

From the main Newsletters page click on the Lists button, from there you can create and manage your subscriber lists.

Once inside, click on Create list and fill in the data requested by the form.

• You will need to give your list a name, which will be public to your subscribers if they decide to change their details at any time. However, once your list is created, you can set a public and private name for your list in List Settings .
• Likewise, your subscribers will see the email associated with the list if they decide to change their information at any given time .

You have now created your first list, now you can move on to the next step of the tutorial which will explain how to add subscribers to your list.

Import subscribers to a list

Once you've created a list , you can import subscribers into it by going to the lists menu, selecting the list, and clicking on the Subscribers tab.

Click the Add button and you will see three different import options.

From a CSV/Excel file:

A CSV file is a text document for representing data in tabular form and is the standard file type for sharing databases. In this type of file, columns are represented by commas or semicolons. Commas or semicolons delimit the fields in our list and each row in a CSV file forms a complete record with a subscriber's data. It is a file type that is easily exportable from virtually any format where you have your database hosted.

If your subscriber list is an Excel file, you do not need to export it as a csv file , but you can upload the file directly. The steps to follow are:

1. Select CSV/Excel File as the import method.
2. Next, add the field divider from your file, in Excel files it is always a semicolon (;). If your contact list has a grouping character within the same field, you will have to indicate it. Suppose that one of your fields contains a character used to separate fields, for example ",". If one of the fields contained that character, for example "1342,34" it would be considered as if they were two different fields. To do this you must create a character, for example ";" and put it before and after the value that you do not want to be considered as field divider, for example ;1342,34; If your list has a multi-option list field, you must indicate the options separated with commas, so you will need to use a grouping character. For example, if the field for a subscriber should be "Option 1, Option 2", and the fields are separated by commas, you could enter it as ;Option 1, Option 2;
3. Attach the file and click Add.
   
   
   
   
4. How to get a csv file:

• From Google Contacts: From your Gmail contacts: More > Export > Google CSV format (to import to a Google account)
• From Microsoft Outlook: File > Import/Export > Choose "Comma Separated Values (Windows) > Choose the list > Name the file

Once you have your well-formed csv file, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Select CSV/Excel File as the import method.
2. Then add the field divider of your file, a period or a semicolon, and the separator character between changes if any.
3. Finally, check the option The first line determines the name of the fields if your list already has the name of each field included in the columns, for example, Name , Email ...
4. Attach the file and click Add.

In some cases, it may take a few minutes for the import to begin as the file is preprocessed to obtain its encoding. UTF-8 is recommended.

How to update existing subscriber data:

You can overwrite the data of your subscribers already added to a list by making a new import. The steps you need to follow are the following:

1. Select the list where you want to modify the data
2. Click on the Subscribers tab and then on the blue Add Subscribers button
3. Click on CSV/Excel File
4. Attach your file, select the field divider and grouping character between fields if applicable
5. Click the tick Update existing subscriber data
6. Perform the import by clicking on Add

Manually:

You can add subscribers one by one. To do this, click on the Subscribers tab and then Enter manually. A form will appear where you can enter the subscriber's email address. If you have already configured the fields for your list, you will also need to add the corresponding values for each field.

From a Mailchimp list

You can easily migrate subscribers from your MailChimp lists to an Acumbamail list. To do this, you only need to obtain the API Key provided by Mailchimp and then choose the list you want to import.

From a Google Sheets spreadsheet

You can easily import subscribers from your Google Sheets spreadsheets to Acumbamail. To do this, you will need to select Google Sheets as the import method.

The first time you log in, a popup will automatically open so you can choose the Google account you want to link and grant the required access permissions to your spreadsheets.

Please note that you can link more than one Google account. At any time, if you need to link a new account, you must click on the "Add an account" button. This will open the Google popup again that allows you to enter your account, log in and grant the required permissions.

Once your account is linked, you must click on the "Choose a sheet" button.

This will open a popup where all the spreadsheets located in your Google Drive will be displayed. You must select here the spreadsheet from which the information will be retrieved. Remember that if the spreadsheet you select contains several sheets, only the information from the first one will be retrieved.

If the popup shows the following error, it will be because you have removed the permissions previously granted to Acumbamail from your Google account here . In this case, even if your account already appears in the list of linked accounts, you must click on "Add an account" again. This way, you will be able to grant the permissions required to perform this action again.

You will be able to see the name of the selected Google Sheet. In case you want to select a different spreadsheet, just click the "Choose a sheet" button again. You cannot import from multiple sheets at once (as the column format might be different) so if you choose a spreadsheet and then choose another one, the first one will be replaced.

Having already selected the spreadsheet, all that remains is to select or not the checkbox that allows you to ignore the information of duplicate subscribers (already present in the list) or take it into account when updating its fields. All that remains is to click on the "Add" button at the top right to confirm the action.

Similar to other types of import methods, you will be able to choose the columns that are associated with the fields in your subscriber list. Once confirmed, the imported information will be added to your list as subscribers.

Export subscribers

Sometimes it is necessary to export the subscribers that we have in a list. To carry out this task we must enter our list and click on the Subscribers tab. You can export your subscribers by status. Select the type of subscriber you want to export from the drop-down menu: active (openers + non-openers), openers, non-openers, unsubscribes, hard bounces and complaints .

• Active subscribers: subscribers to whom you can send emails, including both openers and non-openers
• Opening subscribers: are those who have opened at least one of the campaigns that you have associated with that list
• Non-opening subscribers: They have not opened any campaigns that you have associated with that list (or they have not received any yet)
• Inactive subscribers: Subscribers who, for various reasons, are unable to receive your mailings. This category includes unsubscribes, complaints, and hard bounces .

Once you have selected the type of subscriber you want to export, on the button with the ellipsis ellipsis, double-click on Export Assets (or the status you have selected).

Click download once generated and you will get a list of subscribers in CSV format.

Setting up a subscriber list

Fields

To edit the fields of our list or the fields that the form we associate with that list will have, you have to go to the specific list and click on the Fields tab. Click on the blue Add fields button. You can create different types of fields according to your needs:

• Text
• Checkbox: to check, it will have a value of yes or no
• List: allows different limited response options that will appear as a drop-down menu, for example: language field, options: Spanish and English. The list can allow a single option, or several. To do this, use the switch that appears below the Options field.
• Integer
• Decimal number
• Date: It is very important to follow the standard DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM or DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM
• Long text
• IP

List fields allow you to customize values for each subscriber at the campaign level, both in the template or body of the message, and in the subject line of the campaign. You can also create segments within a list to which you can send emails.

Email marketing campaigns come with a default link so that subscribers can modify their data on the list. Therefore, you have the option of setting the fields to be visible and editable by the subscriber, hidden, or visible but not editable.

Create segments within a list

You can create segments (subgroups) within a list to which you can then send a campaign. To create a segment within a list, select the list in question and click on the Segments tab. Click New segment.

You can create segments based on three parameters:

• The fields you have configured in the list

You can set one or more conditions based on the fields you have previously established in the list. The condition for creating the segment can be that all the established fields are met or that at least one of them is met and you can set it in the Send to those who meet > All or Any of menu.

If the field you want to segment your subscribers by is a multi-choice list type, you must ensure that the options you enter are identical to those your subscribers have. To indicate multiple options, you must enter the desired options separated by commas, and use the "contains" filter.





• By subscribers' behavior in campaigns sent to that list

You can create a segment to send to a subset of your list based on their behavior with a particular campaign, for example, a segment of subscribers who did not open campaign X. To do this, select Behavior as the condition.

• By subscriber quality

You can also create a segment within the list taking into account the subscriber's quality from 0 to 100 based on their interaction with your emails (to learn more about email marketing and leadscoring, check out our blog guide ). Select Quality as the condition and set the values you want. Remember that you can combine these three types of segmentation conditions with each other.

To export a segment, click on the ellipsis button next to each segment and select the Preview segment option.

List Cleanup, Facebook Audiences, and Other Advanced Features

With the PRO and Enterprise plans you will have access to premium features for list management:

- Facebook Audiences to connect lists or segments to Facebook Custom Audiences to create targeted ads for your subscribers on Facebook and Instagram.

- Analyze the quality of a list (if there are emails included in spam traps or non-existent ones).

- Automatically remove subscribers who don't meet certain parameters (for example, who haven't opened a campaign for more than six months) with the list optimization tool.

- Calculate the best time slot for sending emails at the account level

You can see all the advanced features included in the PRO and Enterprise plans here .

View the import history of a list

You can check the imports you've made to a list over time by going to the specific list, clicking the Subscribers tab, selecting the button with the ellipsis, and then View import history.

In this section you can also see in detail the import errors that have occurred in the process, the most common ones are:

• If you have a free account, you will only be able to import a maximum of 250 subscribers across all your lists. If your list exceeds that number, the import will fail before reaching the 250 email addresses imported.
• If an email has already been imported previously, it will appear as an error so that there are no duplicates in the list.
• Your row is not in a valid format or is empty

How to search and edit a specific subscriber

If you want to see specific data about a subscriber, the campaigns they have received and what status they have given in each of them (if the subscriber has unsubscribed, you will also be able to see which specific campaign), you have two ways to search for it:

• By entering your full email in the search engine in the main list menu, in Newsletters > Lists

• You will be able to see which list or lists he/she is included in, and if you click on his/her email, you will be able to see his/her behavior with the campaigns received (if he/she has clicked on a campaign X, if he/she has not opened a campaign Y...)

You can also search for a specific subscriber in the list. In this case, you don't need to enter the specific email address of the subscriber, just a part of it, such as a domain @example.com, will do. To search for a subscriber, click on the list, go to the Subscribers tab, and enter their email address or part of it in the search box. By clicking on their email address, you will access the history of campaigns they have received.

If you want to change the subscriber's data or download the history of campaigns they have received, click on the ellipsis button when you select it and click on Edit or Generate details file.

How to move a subscriber from one list to another

You can move a specific subscriber from a list by following these steps:

• Go to the specific list you are on
• Go to the Subscribers tab
• Search for the subscriber in the search bar or by status

• Select the specific subscriber by checking the box to the left of it
• In the resulting Select an Action drop-down menu, select Move Selected , and then select the list of your choice.

How to remove a subscriber from a list

To remove a specific subscriber from a list (simply not to have them appear on the list, not the same as unsubscribing ), you have two ways to do it:

• From the main Lists menu within Newsletters , double-click on the specific list the subscriber is on.
• Once inside, go to the Subscribers tab
• Search for the subscriber in the search bar or by status

• Select the specific subscriber by checking the box to the left of it
• In the resulting drop-down menu of Select an action click on Delete selected

How to unsubscribe a subscriber

When you unsubscribe a subscriber, they go from being an active subscriber (who can receive your emails) to an inactive subscriber (who is still on the list, is not deleted, but will no longer receive your emails). It is important to keep in mind that unsubscriptions are global to all lists , that is, when a subscriber is marked as unsubscribed from a list, they will automatically be unsubscribed from all lists they are included in.

To unsubscribe a specific subscriber from a list, you have two ways to do it:

• From the main Lists menu within Newsletters , double-click on the specific list the subscriber is on.
• Once inside, go to the Subscribers tab
• Search for the subscriber in the search bar or by status

• Select the specific subscriber by checking the box to the left of it
• In the resulting drop-down menu of Select an action click on Unsubscribe selected

Blacklist: How to remove an entire list

We have recently included the option to unsubscribe all subscribers from a specific list. This option is especially useful if we want to make sure that we are not going to send to subscribers from that list under any circumstances, since unsubscriptions are global to all lists.

To unsubscribe an entire list, go to the main lists menu, then double-click the ellipsis button to the right of the list you want to be an unsubscribe list.

Some considerations about this feature:

1. This process is irreversible , once you unsubscribe all the subscribers included in this list, they will remain unsubscribed.
2. Since unsubscriptions are global to all lists, if you were to import a subscriber on the opt-out list into a subscriber list, the subscriber would automatically appear as an opt-out. This way, you can make sure that you don't accidentally send emails to opt-out emails.
3. You can only have one exclusion list per Acumbamail account .
4. This option is especially useful if you have an unsubscribe list from another email marketing platform and you want Acumbamail to also record these unsubscribes and thus ensure that these unsubscribes will no longer receive your emails in order to comply with the GDPR .

List settings

If you want to update the general information of your list once you have created it, you can do so at any time by selecting the list you want to modify from the main list menu, clicking on the ellipsis button and selecting Settings.

In this section you can change the name of the list in Acumbamail, the public name of the list (which your subscriber will be able to see when they sign up for the list or want to modify data), the default sender of that list and the language. You can also add other data such as the company, address or telephone number.





Unify lists

You can merge two or more lists into a single list. Before you begin the process, keep these considerations in mind:

• The process is irreversible. Once you unify the lists, you cannot turn back.
• The list(s) will automatically be merged into the larger list.


To merge two or more lists in one, you have to follow these steps:

• Go to the main Lists menu within the Newsletters section

• Select the lists you want merge by checking the boxes to the left of each one

• On the right side, open the Select an action drop-down menu and click on Merge lists

Duplicate lists

You can easily duplicate a list from the main lists menu within Newsletters.

Once inside, click on the ellipsis button located to the right of the list you want to duplicate and select Duplicate list from the drop-down menu.





Once you select this option, the process may take several minutes depending on the size of the list. Select a name for the duplicate list and click OK when the pop-up window appears. The duplicate list will appear in the lists menu in a couple of seconds.

Remove duplicate subscribers on different lists

We have recently added the option to directly delete subscribers who are duplicated in different lists. This feature is especially useful if you have contracted a plan by number of subscribers with unlimited sending, since in this plan the total subscribers are counted and not the unique ones.

To remove repeat subscribers, simply go to the main lists menu , select up to two lists by clicking on their boxes, then in the Select an action drop-down menu click Remove repeat subscribers .





Some considerations to keep in mind about this feature:

• Once you select the two lists where you want to check the repeat subscribers, you will be able to see the number of repeat subscribers and select which list the subscribers will stay in from the lists you have selected before confirming the action.
• Once you confirm the action, the process cannot be undone, and that duplicate will be removed from the list or lists you have not selected. However, you can always re-import it if you need to.

Customize notifications for a list

At Acumbamail we have incorporated a new system so that you can personalize the emails and pages that are shown to your subscribers during the subscription and cancellation process.

To do this, you must go to the main Lists page and select the list for which you have created the registration forms. Once there, you can access the different customization options through the Notifications section.







Customize global values

You can change the common aspects that will be displayed in the confirmation email and the confirmation and unsubscribe pages, through the “General settings” option.

You can make changes to the logo, text colors, content or background, as well as modify the appearance of the buttons.




Customize Confirmation Email

To modify the confirmation email you must continue scrolling down the section until you reach the “Confirmation email” option. You can enable and disable this option whenever necessary from this section.







You will be shown the available options to customize with your information, you can make the changes you need. To see how they will be displayed to your subscribers, press the "Preview" button and a pop-up will open so you can see how they look.





Don't forget to save your changes by clicking update once you're done.


Customize Confirmation Page

To modify the confirmation page you must continue scrolling down the section to the “Confirmation page” section. You will be able to make the changes you need. In this case you have two options:

- Link: You can direct your subscribers to your own confirmation page. You can add your own URL in this section. You will only need to verify the domain to confirm that it is your property.

- Custom fields: You can customize your own message through custom fields, adapting the page to your needs.







Don't forget to save your changes once you're done.


Customize Unsubscribe Page

To modify the unsubscribe page you must scroll to the last section of this section, you will find the "Unsubscribe page" Once there, the customizable options will be displayed such as: title, description, button text and show the reasons for unsubscribing, by clicking on them you can make the changes you need. Within the "Description" section you can insert the text

If you have unsubscribed by mistake click here

This will allow your subscribers to re-subscribe if they have unsubscribed by mistake.







Don't forget to save your changes once you're done by clicking "Update"

For practical advice on how to manage your email marketing lists, you can consult our dedicated guide .