Import Profiles

The Import Profiles feature allows you to upload existing customer data into HoodEngage in bulk. This is useful when migrating from another platform, onboarding offline contacts, or enriching your audience with external data.

This guide walks you through the entire import process — from preparing your file to resolving import errors.

When to use profile import

Use profile import when you want to:

• Migrate contacts from another platform
• Upload customers collected outside of HoodEngage
• Add or enrich profile attributes in bulk
• Assign profiles to one or more profile lists

Import flow overview

The profile import process consists of the following steps:

1. Upload your file
2. Map file columns to HoodEngage profile properties
3. Confirm consent and compliance settings
4. Assign profiles to a list (optional)
5. Review import results

Audience profiles

Step 1: Upload your file

Navigate to Audience → Profiles, then click Import.

Select a supported file from your computer and upload it.

Import profile upload area

If the upload is successful, you will be redirected to the mapping step.

If there is an issue with the file, an error message will be displayed.

Error example of invalid file upload

Prepare your file

Before importing profiles into HoodEngage, make sure your file is properly formatted. This helps prevent import errors and ensures your data can be mapped correctly during the import flow.

Supported file types

Your import file must be one of the following formats:

• .csv — recommended
• .xlsx / .xls — Excel file (single sheet only)

File size limit

• Maximum file size: 50 MB
• If your file is larger, split it into multiple smaller files before uploading.

Encoding requirements

For CSV files, use UTF-8 encoding, especially if your data contains special characters. This helps prevent character corruption during import.

File structure requirements

Header row

The first row must contain column headers that describe each field (for example: email, mobile_phone_number, city).

Column order does not matter — you will map fields during the import.

Sample header row with clearly labeled fields

Required identifiers

Each profile must include at least one unique identifier:

• email — required for email-based communication
• mobile_phone_number — required for SMS-based communication

Formatting rules

• Dates: YYYY-MM-DD
• Numbers: no currency symbols or separators
• Cells: no line breaks or emojis
• Multi-value fields: comma-separated values

Step 2: Consent & compliance

Before completing the import, you must confirm that you have proper consent to contact the imported profiles.

Depending on your setup, you may be required to:

• Confirm marketing consent
• Confirm data origin
• Confirm compliance with applicable regulations (GDPR, etc.)

You are responsible for ensuring that all imported profiles were collected in a compliant manner.

Step 3: Map profile fields

After uploading your file, you must map each column to a HoodEngage profile property.

You can map columns to:

• Standard properties (email, phone, name, city)
• Existing custom properties
• New custom properties (created during import)

Basic Profile Import Mapping Example

In this step, you can map each column from your uploaded file to an existing Hood profile property.

Use the dropdown in the Hood property column to select the appropriate property for each field or create a new custom property if needed.

Example of mapping file columns to Hood profile properties

Step 4: Assign profiles to a list (optional)

During import, you can assign profiles to one or more profile lists.

This allows you to:

• Segment profiles immediately
• Trigger automations
• Target imported users in campaigns

If no list is selected, profiles will still be imported and available globally.

Step 5: Import completed

Once the import process finishes successfully, an ONS notification is displayed.

The notification confirms that the profiles have been imported and shows the total number of profiles uploaded.

The notification includes a Go to profiles call-to-action.

Clicking it redirects you to the Profiles, where the newly imported profiles are displayed at the top.

At this stage:

• All profiles have already passed validation and mapping
• There are no skipped or partially imported rows
• No additional summary or breakdown is required

If the upload completes successfully, the import is finalized.

Common issues & troubleshooting

Upload fails

• File exceeds size limit
• Unsupported format
• Multiple Excel sheets

Profiles skipped

• Missing identifier (email or phone)
• Duplicate identifiers
• Invalid formatting

Incorrect data

• Wrong date or number formats
• Incorrect field mapping

Best practices

• Test with a small file first
• Clean and deduplicate data before upload
• Use consistent column naming
• Always review mapping before confirming the import

A clean import ensures reliable segmentation, accurate reporting, and better campaign performance.