Best practices for importing prospects into Account Engagement(Pardot)
Inconsistent standards for importing prospects can create issues for you Marketing Automation platform and data, so we put together a short guide for you on Best practices for importing prospects.
Prepare Your Data: Ensure your data is clean and standardized before importing. This includes checking for any discrepancies or irregularities in your data. For example, ensure only one email address is entered per row in the email field.
Use an Import Template: When manually importing prospects into Pardot, using an import template can help prevent errors. An import template is a spreadsheet of pre-defined fields and values that guides a user in readying a file for import.
Monitor Import Log: Always monitor your Pardot import log after completing the upload process—even when you’ve used an import template—as fields, values, and requirements can be updated anytime in Salesforce and Pardot.
Avoid Importing Invalid Data: Import your contacts and ensure you only upload those who’ve given specific permission to be contacted for marketing purposes. Pardot takes email blacklisting seriously, and you don’t want to end up on one.
Use the Prospect Processor: The key benefit of importing prospects into Pardot is the Prospect Processor. This program will evaluate the leads against several criteria, like email domain and CRM ID, to ensure they meet agreed-upon standards before syncing into Salesforce and being sent to sales teams.
Prepare. CSV File: Create a .csv file and add all the data into the correct columns. You’ll have to map the fields in your .csv file to those in your Salesforce org.
Check Headers: Check your headers to ensure they match the Salesforce field name. This will ensure better mapping during the import process.
Import Prospects and Globally Opt-out: Use the “Import Prospects and Globally Opt-out” during this import process. You can include bounces, opt-outs, and “left company” prospects, as they will not count against your mailable limit when they are unsubscribed4.
Remember, maintaining clean data is crucial for the reliability of your Pardot and Salesforce systems. Happy importing!
