Managing Contact Lists

The foundation of successful campaigns begins with a high-quality list of contacts. Clean, permission-based lists ensure better deliverability, fewer spam complaints, and stronger engagement from residents.

This article explains how to create, manage, and maintain your contact lists in Zencity.

Before You Start

Zencity is a permission-based platform
Only send to residents who have explicitly opted in. Third-party lists, purchased contacts, or scraped data are not allowed.

Use double opt-in
To confirm consent, new subscribers should sign up via your form and confirm through an email link. This ensures you only add real, interested residents.

Keep lists updated
Remove inactive or unengaged contacts regularly. Permissions can expire if too much time passes.

Avoid role-based addresses
Addresses like info@city.org or support@city.org are not meant for newsletters and should be excluded.

Plan contact properties
Define fields like first name, city, or neighborhood if you intend to personalize emails.

Creating a Contact List

1. Go to Contacts → Contact Lists.

2. Click Create a contact list.

3. Name your list.

4. Choose how to populate it:

   • Upload a file (CSV, TXT, or RTF).

   • Paste contact details manually.

   • Create an empty list to fill later.

If you import data, match each column to an existing contact property or create new ones. For date fields, select the correct format. Complete the process by certifying compliance with Zencity’s sending policy.

Managing Contact Lists

Rename a list: Click the cogwheel icon, select Rename, and save.

Duplicate a list: Create a copy of an existing list, useful for testing variations.

Delete a list: Permanently removes it. Note that deleted lists cannot be recovered.

Export a list: Download as CSV or tab-delimited file. You can choose which contact properties to include before exporting.

Subscriber Management

Adding new contacts

1. Open your list → cogwheel icon → Edit contacts.

2. Select Add new, update existing (don’t resubscribe).

3. Paste emails or upload via CSV/XLS/TXT.

4. Match properties, certify compliance, and save.

Removing or unsubscribing contacts

You can:

• Remove or unsubscribe a single contact from their details page.

• Select multiple contacts in a list and apply an action.

• Upload a file of addresses to remove/unsubscribe in bulk.

Unsubscribing keeps the contact in your list but excludes them from future campaigns. Removing deletes them entirely.

Correcting addresses

Email addresses cannot be edited once imported. If an address is incorrect, remove it and add the correct one.

Contact Properties

Contact properties let you personalize emails (e.g., “Hi Sarah from Springfield”).

Each property includes:

• Name (e.g., “First Name”)

• Data type (string, number, date, boolean)

You can create, edit, or delete properties, and update them in bulk through file uploads.

Managing Unsubscribes

Every marketing email must contain an unsubscribe link. Zencity automatically inserts it into all campaigns created with the email editor.

When a recipient unsubscribes, they are removed from that specific contact list. To block them from all campaigns, add them to your exclusion list.

Managing Bounced and Blocked Emails

Hard bounces (invalid addresses, non-existent domains) are automatically blocked by Zencity to protect your reputation.

Spam complaints will also cause blocking.

You can review non-delivery results after a campaign and bulk remove bounced or blocked addresses from your lists.

Best Practices

• Always use consent-based, active lists.

• Regularly clean bounced or inactive contacts.

• Segment your lists for relevant targeting.

• Personalize messages using properties for better engagement.