Create and manage custom contact fields

Custom fields can be created and managed through both the contacts dashboard and through your accounts settings. Here's how to find them so you can create new custom fields, rename or delete existing custom fields, and view custom fields that were created during the contact file import process, while customizing a sign-up form, or through an automation path:

Managing custom fields through the Contacts tab

1. From any tab in the contacts dashboard, click . . . > Manage Custom Fields in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
   
    
    

Did you know? You can change the column headers for the Contacts table and add your custom field as a column header!

Manage custom fields through My Account

1. In the lower left-hand corner of the screen, click on the three dots next to your profile name and select Account settings.
2. Click the Advanced settings tab.
3. In the Custom fields section, click Manage.
   
    
    

Important: Business-related custom fields are not automatically created when you select your industry type through My Account. The industry type allows us to provide you with email stats and suggest email templates for your chosen industry.

Custom fields can be created for so many different reasons! You can use them to track the start date of a loyalty program or the date of a donation, or you can keep track of customer preferences, or even a service level, discount type, or donor tier. There can be up to 100 unique custom fields in your account, and keep in mind that any custom field you create is available for all of your contacts, even if they're not applicable to all of your contacts—it's totally fine to have blank custom fields in a contact record!

1. After accessing through the Contacts tab or My Account, click Create custom field.

• Custom fields don't exist yet
  
  
   
• Custom fields already exist
  
  
   

2. Enter the name of your custom field.
3. Select the type of field you want to create:

• Text - Text fields have a 255 character limit.
• Date - Dates are formatted MM/DD/YYY.

4. Click Save.
   
   
    

Once you've added your new custom contact fields, you can edit the individual contact records for each of your contacts to add the new information, or if you have a large number of contacts that need an updated, upload a spreadsheet with the matching column heading to update them in bulk.

Did you know? There are other ways to create new custom fields too! You can create them when creating a new Inline or Pop-up Sign-up Form, by editing an individual contact, by importing a spreadsheet with column headers that don't match the recognized contact details, and while building out an automation path. However the custom fields are created, they all show up in the custom fields manager.

If you have a custom field and the name isn't just quite right, you can change it at any time and it automatically applies to any contacts that were already assigned to the field. Renaming a custom field doesn't it remove it from any contacts!

1. After accessing through the Contacts tab or My Account, click . . . >  Rename next to the custom field you want to change.
   
   
    
2. Enter the new name for your custom field.
3. Click Save.
   
   
    

You can delete the custom fields you aren't using anymore when they become irrelevant to free up space for new custom fields. When you delete the field, all of the information associated with the field for each contact is removed from your account—it's a good idea to export your contact information before you delete the field if you want to keep a back-up record of it.

Deleting individual custom fields

1. After accessing through the Contacts tab or My Account, click . . . > Delete next to the field you want to remove.
   
   
    
2. Check the box to confirm that you understand that deleting a custom field can't be undone.
3. Click Delete.
   
   
    

Delete multiple custom fields

1. After accessing through the Contacts tab or My Account, select the custom fields you want to delete.
2. Click Delete.
   
   
    
3. Check the box to confirm that you understand that deleting a custom field can't be undone.
4. Click Delete.
   
   
    

Once you've deleted your custom fields, the information is available on the Import and Export Activity page for 7 days after deleting the custom fields.

When looking at the contact record for an individual contact, you can add and remove information for a custom field and create new custom fields. When you create a new custom field for one contact, it's available for all of your contacts.

1. From the contacts dashboard, click the Contacts Tab.
2. Search for the contact you want to edit.
3. Next to the contact, click . . . > Edit.
   
    
    
4. Scroll down to the Custom Fields section and enter the information into the field. If you need to create a new field first, click Create Custom Field.
5. Click Save.
   
    
    

Did you know? If you have multiple contacts you want to update with the same custom field, you can add them to a spreadsheet and include a column for the custom field. When you import it, all the contacts are updated with the new custom field.

There are two types of custom fields that you can mix and match in your contact record:

• Text field - Text fields give you the most flexibility, and you have a 255 character limit to get creative with. For example, you can create a text field that tells you where your customer is in the buying or selling process, if your supporter is a donor or a volunteer, or if your customer gets a senior or military discount. They're also great for keeping track of more detailed personal information, like the size t-shirt your volunteers prefer, or if your diners prefer chocolate desserts over fruit desserts.
• Date field - Constant Contact includes two standard contact headings for Birthday and Anniversary, that can be used once for each contact. By using a custom field, you can create dates, formatted MM/DD/YY, for anything you want! For example, you can use a date field for the when a customer started your loyalty program, the last time a donor made a contribution or a volunteer participated in an activity, or the last time maintenance was performed for a client.

Our tools help you collect custom field information from your contacts and keep your contacts updated, so that you can use that information to personalize your email content and better segment your list:

• Include custom fields in a spreadsheet for importing or updating contacts - If you are importing new contacts, you can include a column heading for a custom field in your spreadsheet, and during the import process you're able to create custom fields that match your unique column headers. If you already have contacts in your account and want to update them with custom fields in bulk, you can export all of your contacts, then add the custom field columns to the spreadsheet, and then import it back into your account. Your existing contacts are updated without accidentally creating duplicates.
  
   
   
• Collect custom information through your sign-up form - When you use any of our sign-up tools, you can ask your new sign-ups to provide the contact information you need for more successful emails. For email marketing, an email address is always a required field, but you can choose a mix of standard contact details, like name, address, or company name, and custom fields for the unique needs of your organization. You can even make custom fields required!
  
  
   
• Personalize your subject line - Adding contact details and custom fields to your subject line helps you stand out in the inbox while keeping your subject line uniform for all of your contacts. As long as the custom field is already created, you can select it from the drop-down menu when you click the Personalize button.
  
  
   
• Personalize your email content - Peppering your email content with contact details and custom fields makes your email feel like it was written for each contact. As long as the custom field is already created, you can select it from the drop-down menu.
  
  
   
• Create dynamic content in your emails - Create one email for multiple audiences with Dynamic Content Blocks. You can choose the contact details and custom fields you want to display in each block. As long as the custom field is already created, you can select it from the drop-down menu.
  
  
   
• Segment your list based on custom fields - Create a segment of contacts using contact details and custom fields to define a targeted audience. Create an email that is catered just to your segment, and when you're ready, send it only to your segment. As long as the custom field is already created, you can select it from the drop-down menu.
  
   
   
• Use an automation path to add or remove custom fields from your contacts - The Automation Path Builder lets you send automated email and SMS messages based on different triggers and also give you the option to automatically add contact details and custom fields, or remove them, based on a contact's behavior earlier in the path. When you create a path, just drag an Update contact field step into your path to get started. You can choose existing custom fields or create new ones from within the path!