How to Add Contacts to Mailchimp
Once your Mailchimp audience is set up, you can start adding contacts.
These may be people who have subscribed through your website, existing clients, customers or people who have given you permission to receive your marketing.
The important part is that you should only add people who have legitimately given you permission to contact them.
Buying a list or adding every email address you have ever collected is not a clever shortcut.
It is a quick way to end up with poor engagement, complaints and an audience that has absolutely no idea why you are emailing them.
Here is how to add contacts to Mailchimp properly.
Step 1: Go to Your Audience
Log in to Mailchimp.
Navigate to your Audience section and locate the option to add or manage contacts.
Depending on how many contacts you are adding, you may choose to add them individually or import multiple contacts at once.
This article focuses on adding individual contacts. If you have a spreadsheet or large list, see the next article on importing contacts.
Step 2: Choose to Add a Contact
Select the option to add a new contact.
You will generally be asked for information such as:
- Email address
- First name
- Last name
- Other audience fields you have created
Only complete information that is relevant and accurate.
If you do not know someone's first name, do not guess.
Nobody wants to receive an email beginning with:
"Hi Sarah"
when their name is actually Michelle.
Step 3: Add the Contact's Email Address
Enter the contact's email address carefully.
Check for:
- Spelling mistakes
- Missing letters
- Incorrect domains
- Extra spaces
One incorrect character can mean your emails never reach the intended person.
If you are adding multiple contacts manually, this step can become tedious.
That is where importing contacts can save you time.
Step 4: Add Relevant Contact Information
Add any other information you have permission to store and use.
This may include:
- First name
- Last name
- Business name
- Location
- Interests
Only collect and store information that is genuinely useful to your marketing and relationship with that contact.
The goal is not to build a digital dossier on every subscriber.
Keep your contact data relevant.
Step 5: Add Tags
Tags can help you remember how someone came into your business.
For example, you may add:
- Client
- Customer
- Lead Magnet
- Website
- Webinar
- Networking Event
If someone becomes a client after first joining through a free resource, they can have more than one relevant tag.
This makes tags useful for tracking different parts of a customer's journey.
Step 6: Confirm Marketing Permission
Before adding someone as a marketing contact, make sure you have the appropriate permission to send them marketing emails.
Examples may include someone who:
- Completed your signup form
- Downloaded a resource and agreed to receive marketing
- Purchased from you and provided the required consent where applicable
- Explicitly asked to join your mailing list
Simply having someone's business card or email address does not automatically mean they want your weekly newsletter.
Permission matters.
Step 7: Save the Contact
Once you have entered the relevant information and confirmed their status, save the contact.
The contact should now appear in your audience.
Click into their profile to check:
- Their email address
- Their name
- Their tags
- Their contact status
- Any relevant activity
This is a good habit to develop.
A few seconds of checking can prevent mistakes later.
Step 8: Test Your Organisation System
Once you have added several contacts, test whether your organisation system makes sense.
Ask yourself:
- Can I easily identify where each person came from?
- Can I see whether they are a client or subscriber?
- Can I create a group of people with a shared interest?
- Could I easily send a campaign to a specific group?
If the answer is no, review your tags and audience structure before adding hundreds more contacts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Adding Contacts Without Permission
Never assume permission.
Email marketing works best when people actually want to hear from you.
Using Too Many Tags
You do not need a tag for every possible detail about every person.
Keep your system simple enough to manage.
Entering Incorrect Information
Check spelling and details before saving.
Forgetting Where Contacts Came From
Whenever possible, tag contacts based on their source.
Future you will thank you.
Ready to Build Your Email List?
If you are ready to organise your contacts and start building your email marketing strategy, get started with Mailchimp.
Related Articles
You may also like:
