Prepare Your Business Lists for Import

Get your marketing lists in shape to upload

Lists that you import need to both have the data required for Versium REACH to create the audience you want, and be in a format that Versium REACH accepts. Currently, Versium REACH only accepts Comma Separated Value (.csv) and Tab Separated Value files (these may have .txt or .tsv extension). You can modify an existing list, or create a new list from the .csv template files in Templates. Each type of audience requires different data in the input list. You can also Import a List from HubSpot.

If you plan to use Hashed Data in your lists, please refer to Hashed Data Support for best practices on how to prepare your data.

To prepare a file for import, you need to:

  1. Make sure you have the required columns
  2. Save the file in .csv format.
  3. Import your file and map the headers to Versium REACH inputs

1. Make sure your list has the required columns

To add or create audiences, Versium REACH needs enough information in your input lists to positively identify the people and companies on the list. Here are the combinations of inputs that work for List Insights, and each type of audience. For a template that works for all (but may contain more inputs than required for some audiences, see Input File Template

List Insights

List Insights give you a visual view into the demographics and firmographics of the people and businesses on an input or audience list. For List Insights, your input list needs to include any of the following combinations of inputs:

  • Ticker
  • Email
  • Business Domain (website)
  • Business name, Business zip
  • Business name, Business city, Business state
  • First name, Last name, Business name, Business city, Business state

For example, two input lists that work would be a list with just a company ticker symbol, and a list with the Business name, Business city, and Business state. If you include business people names, your insights will include people demographics.

Business Appends

Business Appends allows you to search and appends business data to your original list. Depending on the append process, the following combination of inputs will be required:

  • Firmographic Append: Email Address / Business Domain / Business Name, Postal Address, City, State / Business name, Phone
  • Consumer-to-Business Append: a consumer email address
  • IP-to-Domain: an IP Address (IPv4)

Persona Audience

A Persona audience gives you new business people who match the persona you create. Since you create a Persona audience by creating a persona for the business people you want to reach, you don't need an input list.

Look-alike Audience

A Look-alike audience gives you new contacts that look like the contacts on your input list. If your input list includes just businesses, your Look-alike audience will contain similar businesses, and people at those businesses. If your list includes business people names, your Look-alike audience will contain similar people at similar businesses. For a Look-alike audience, your input list needs to include any of the following combinations of inputs:

  • Ticker
  • Email
  • Domain (website)
  • Business name, Business zip
  • Business name, Business city, Business state
  • First name, Last name, Business name, Business city, Business state

For example, two input lists that work would be a list with just a company ticker symbol, and a list with the First name, Last name, Business name, Business city, and Business state.

Online Audience

An Online audience gives you additional online contact points for the people on your list. For an Online audience, your input list needs to include these inputs:

  • First name, Last name, Business name, Business city, Business state
  • First name, Last name, Business domain, Business city, Business state

For example, your input list needs to have columns with the Business name or Domain, Business city, Business state, First name, and Last name. Your Online audience will contain additional online contact information for the people on your list, in a hashed format for upload to Facebook and other online marketing platforms.

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What does hashed mean?

Hashed means the data has been encrypted in a way that is supported by the online ad service you’re importing it to. So, if you look at the file, it’ll look like code. In this way, people’s personally-identifiable information (PII) is respected, while enabling online targeting.

Account-based Audience

An Account-based audience gives you more contacts at the companies on your list. For an Account-based audience, your input list needs to include any of the following combinations of inputs:

  • Business Email
  • Business Domain (website)

For example, two input lists that work would be a list with just emails, and a list with just the business domain. Your Account-based audience will contain new business contacts with their contact information for the companies on your list.

2. Save the file in .csv format

To upload into Versium REACH, your file needs to be a comma-separated values (.csv) file with one header row. Microsoft Excel, online CRMs, and many other programs and services can export your customer information in this format.

You can also have additional columns in your file, which you can map to optional Versium inputs or just ignore.

Example .csv file

Here’s what a simple .csv input list for an account-based audience looks like, with the required column (domain) and one optional column (Company name):

Domain, Company
versium.com,Versium
example.com,Example Co

Note that the header row doesn’t need to match. If your .csv file uses “URL” instead of “Domain,” it will still work.

You can also use the Input List Template to create an input list that works for List Insights and all audiences that require an input list.

3. Import your file and map the headers

When you import your list, you’ll have the opportunity to map the columns in your input list to the data types recognized by Versium REACH. You also can ignore columns in your input list. The header names for your columns don’t need to exactly match — Versium REACH is good at guessing what your data is, and you’ll have the opportunity to check and correct how your input list columns are mapped to Versium REACH data.

What's Next