How to Import Contacts into PhotoBiz Using a CSV File

How to Import Contacts into PhotoBiz

Overview

You can import contacts into PhotoBiz by uploading a CSV file to the Contacts section of your account. This makes it easy to bring in contact information from another email provider, spreadsheet, customer relationship management (CRM) system, or contact manager.

This guide walks you through preparing your CSV file, uploading your contacts, matching your spreadsheet columns to PhotoBiz contact fields, and applying contact types and tags. You'll also learn how PhotoBiz handles duplicate email addresses and how to review your import results.

Once your import is complete, you can manage your contacts, organize them with tags, and use them in your PhotoBiz email marketing campaigns.

Before You Begin

Before importing your contacts, make sure your CSV file meets these requirements:

File Format: Your contact list must be saved as a .CSV file.
File Size: Your CSV file must be 4 MB or less.
Recommended Data Limit: Keep each CSV file to 5,000 total spreadsheet cells or fewer to reduce the chance of import timeouts.
Email Addresses: Each contact must have a valid email address in the Email column.
Email Permission: You must have permission to send marketing emails to the contacts you are importing.

Understanding the 5,000-Cell Recommendation

A spreadsheet cell is one field within your CSV file. The total number of cells depends on how many rows and columns your spreadsheet contains.

For example:

1,000 contacts with 5 columns = 5,000 cells
500 contacts with 10 columns = 5,000 cells
2,000 contacts with 5 columns = 10,000 cells

Large CSV files containing too much data may time out during the import process and display an error message.

For the best results, keep your files to approximately 5,000 cells or fewer, remove unnecessary columns, and split larger contact lists into smaller files before importing.

Important: The 5,000-cell recommendation is intended to help prevent import timeouts. It is not a limit of 5,000 contacts per upload.

Preparing Your CSV File

Before uploading your contacts, export your contact list from your existing email provider, spreadsheet, or contact management system and save it in CSV format.

The first row of your CSV file must contain column headings in English, including a column labeled Email.

PhotoBiz supports the following contact fields:

First Name
Last Name
Email
Phone
Work Phone Number
Company Name
Birthday
Facebook
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
City
Country
State or Province
Zip Code
Shipping Address
Shipping City
Shipping Country
Shipping State or Province
Shipping Zip Code
Notes

You do not need to include every available field. Only include the columns containing information you want to import.

Before saving your file, remove unnecessary columns, check for missing email addresses, and make sure each contact's information is organized under the correct heading.

Helpful Tip: If you are importing contacts primarily to apply a new tag to existing contacts, you can simplify your CSV file by including only the email addresses you want to tag.

STEP ONE

Log into your PhotoBiz account and click CONTACTS in the left-side menu.

This opens your Contacts control panel, where you can manage existing contacts and import new ones.

STEP TWO

Click IMPORT in your Contacts control panel.

This opens the contact import tool, where you can upload your CSV file.

Here's an example of the type format you'll want to follow for your CSV file.

STEP THREE

Select the CSV file you prepared and saved on your computer.

After selecting your file, click CONTINUE to proceed to the next step.

STEP FOUR

Review the preview of your uploaded CSV file.

PhotoBiz displays your spreadsheet columns and provides dropdown menus above them so you can match each column to the appropriate contact field.

For example, match your spreadsheet's First Name column to FIRST NAME, Last Name to LAST NAME, and Email to EMAIL.

Review each column carefully to make sure the contact information will be imported into the correct fields.

The EMAIL field is required because PhotoBiz uses email addresses to identify individual contacts in your CRM.

STEP FIVE

Choose the contact type you want to assign to the contacts in your import.

Under the TYPE option, select CUSTOMER, LEAD, or VENDOR.

Next, add any tags you want to apply to the contacts.

For example, you might add tags such as Wedding Clients, Newsletter Subscribers, Fall Mini Sessions, or 2026 Leads.

Enter your tag and click ADD TAG. You can use existing tags or create new ones to organize your contacts.

Finally, select the certification checkbox confirming that you have permission to email the contacts in your CSV file.

For more information about organizing contacts, see How to Tag Multiple Contacts in PhotoBiz.

STEP SIX

After reviewing your contact fields, type, tags, and email permission certification, click IMPORT.

PhotoBiz will begin processing your CSV file and display a progress bar showing the import status.

Keep the import page open while the process completes.

FINAL STEP

Once the import has finished processing, click VIEW SUMMARY to review your results.

The import summary provides information about your completed import, including:

Number of contacts imported
Contact type assigned
Tags applied during the import
Number of contacts that could not be imported

Successfully imported contacts are now available in your PhotoBiz Contacts control panel.

If some contacts appear as failed imports, review the information below to understand why.

How PhotoBiz Handles Duplicate Contacts

PhotoBiz uses the Email field as the unique identifier for each contact in your CRM. An email address can only be assigned to one contact in PhotoBiz.

When you import a CSV file, PhotoBiz checks each email address against your existing contacts to prevent duplicate records.

What Happens If an Email Address Already Exists?

If an email address in your CSV file already belongs to a contact in PhotoBiz:

PhotoBiz will not create a duplicate contact.
The existing contact will appear as a failed import in your import summary.
Any tags selected during the import will still be applied to the existing contact.

This means you can use CSV imports to apply new tags to contacts already saved in your account.

For example, if you export a list of contacts who opened a recent marketing campaign, you can import those email addresses into PhotoBiz and assign a tag such as Opened October Campaign.

Even though these contacts will appear as failed imports because their email addresses already exist, their new tags will still be applied.

Important: A failed import does not always mean that no changes were made. Existing contacts are not imported again as new records, but their tags can still be updated.

What Happens If an Email Address Is Missing or Invalid?

Contacts without an email address or with an invalid email address will not be successfully imported.

Before importing your file, review the Email column to make sure every contact has a properly formatted email address.

What Happens After Your Import?

Once your CSV import is complete, newly imported contacts are available in the CONTACTS section of your PhotoBiz account.

You can use their contact types and tags to organize your CRM, filter contact lists, and select groups for future email marketing campaigns.

Existing contacts that received new tags during the import will also be included when you filter your contacts using those tags.

Importing contacts or applying tags does not automatically send an email campaign.

To learn more about managing your imported contacts, see:

Troubleshooting CSV Import Errors

My CSV Import Times Out

Large CSV files containing too much data may time out before the import completes.

To reduce the chance of a timeout, remove unnecessary columns and divide your contact list into smaller CSV files containing approximately 5,000 cells or fewer.

Some Contacts Were Not Imported

Review your CSV file for missing or invalid email addresses.

Also, remember that contacts with email addresses already saved in PhotoBiz will appear as failed imports. However, tags selected during the import will still be applied to those existing contacts.

My Contact Information Is in the Wrong Fields

Check that your CSV file includes the correct column headings and that each column is mapped to the appropriate PhotoBiz contact field during the import process.

My CSV File Will Not Upload

Make sure your file is saved in .CSV format and does not exceed 4 MB.

If you continue experiencing problems, review our Troubleshooting Contact Import Errors guide for additional solutions.

Need Help?

Our PhotoBiz Support Team is happy to help if you have questions about importing contacts, formatting CSV files, or troubleshooting an import error.

Support Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm EST

Phone: 866.463.7620

Support Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket

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