Formatting a .csv file or fixing one after an error

With BombBomb, you can add a mass number of contacts to your account when you upload a .csv file. While most .csv files will seamlessly upload contacts into your BombBomb account, there are a few things that could cause your file to fail. We know this can be super frustrating!

Watch this video or read the steps below to learn how to format your .csv file.

Step 1: Download the file.

Your first step is to download your contact file from your CRM. Or if you already have a file and it failed to upload, BombBomb will alert you with a red banner at the top of your screen. Click “Download Now," and open the file.

If you'd like some help with creating a .csv file from scratch, click here to download a .csv template!

Step 2: Clean up your .csv file.

Remove any outliers in your contacts' information. These could be malformed columns, which can include special characters in front of email addresses (< > ; %), extra punctuation in columns, or multiple email addresses in the same column.

You’ll also want to remove any formatting, headers, or blank columns to make the file compatible with BombBomb.

Keep in mind, you should not include any columns other than the contact's email address, first name, last name, phone number, and street address. Any additional columns will confuse our system!

Important note: A contact MUST have an email address attached to it or it will not upload.

Step 3: Save your file in the correct format.

You need to save your file in Excel as a .csv file:  

• Select the "File" tab in the top left corner of Excel.
• Choose the “Save As” option.
• Click “Browse” to choose a spot to store the file and give it a name.
• Click the drop down arrow next to “Save As Type.”
• Select "CSV (Comma delimited)."

Step 4: Make sure to select the correct contact list.

When importing your .csv file into your contact list, it’s important to make sure they are being uploaded into the correct contact list.

Once you click "Add People," a window will appear with uploading options. Click "Add to List" for a dropdown menu to select a specific list to upload the contacts into.

Once your contacts are loaded into a contact list, you may see differences in the number of contacts uploaded versus the number of contacts in your .csv file. this is because our system recognizes and removes duplicates and will not upload contacts without a valid email address.