Contact lists: best practices

Contact lists let you send the right message to the right group of contacts. These tips keep your lists useful as your program grows. For the steps to make a list, see Creating a contact list.

Build a list from an import

The quickest way to make a list from contacts you just imported is the Present in imports attribute. Filter on it to select everyone from a particular import.

Before you import, switch off any automation that starts when a contact is created. Every new contact in the import counts as created, so the automation would run for all of them at once.

Pick the right kind of list

Dynamic: for a group described by data, like everyone with more than 500 points. It updates as your contacts change.
Manual: for a group of people you pick yourself, like your test addresses or the guests of an event.
Static: for a group frozen at one moment, like everyone who was in your top tier on 1 January. It keeps those contacts even when the same filters would pick other people later, so you can look back on that group or reach it again.

After you set the filters of a dynamic list, remember to activate it. A manual list is active as soon as you create it.

Filter on data that means something

Some contact attributes that make good filters:

Total points received: a stand-in for total spend, to find your most loyal contacts.
Tier: to give each loyalty level its own perks or message.
Segment memberships: to reach everyone in a segment, such as your contacts who are at risk of leaving.
Age: for compliance, tone of voice or relevant products.
Your own custom attributes: for data that's unique to your business.

A contact list can also filter on what contacts do:

Order: when your orders reach Leat, Number of orders and Total order amount show your most frequent and biggest buyers, and Related then Product finds everyone who bought a particular product.
Visit and Booking: to find regulars at one location with Number of visits, or to remind guests before a booking.
Marketing: to follow up on a campaign, for example with contacts who received it and didn't open it.

Win back contacts who stayed away

Filter on the absence of something recent rather than on an old date. An Order filter with Created at set to Is less than X days ago and 60 days, plus Number of orders equal to 0, finds contacts with no order in the last 60 days. Without orders, Last transaction date set to Is more than X days ago does the same for points transactions.

Keep it simple

It's tempting to make a list for every situation, but that quickly gets cluttered. Keep a few clearly named lists that match your goals, and use filters for the detail.

Keep your contacts clean

Before you import, remove duplicates and entries you don't need from your file. A smaller list of the right contacts works better than a big one.

Plan what happens next

A list is only useful if you do something with it. Before you make one, decide who you want to reach, what you want them to do, and what you'll offer them, whether that's points, a voucher, early access or a thank-you.