how to efficiently import and organize rfp content libraries in loopio

If you're tired of hunting through endless spreadsheets or Word docs for your best RFP answers, you're not alone. Building a clean, useful RFP content library is one of the best ways to save your team time—and your sanity. But getting all that content into one place, and making it actually usable, is harder than most vendors admit. This guide is for anyone who just wants Loopio to do what it says on the tin: help you import, organize, and find good content fast.

Below, you'll find a clear, step-by-step process (with a few hard-won lessons) on how to efficiently import and organize your RFP content libraries in Loopio. Whether you're migrating from a mess of folders or just starting out, this will keep you out of the weeds.

Step 1: Audit and Prep Your Existing Content

Before you touch Loopio, stop and look at what you've got. Garbage in, garbage out—no matter how slick your new tool is.

What to do:

  • Gather all your RFP content. This means Word docs, Excel sheets, PDFs, emails, old SharePoint folders. If it might hold a good answer, include it.
  • Separate the wheat from the chaff. Identify:
    • Up-to-date answers (stuff you want in Loopio)
    • Outdated, duplicate, or low-quality content (archive or delete it)
  • Standardize formats. Loopio eats Word and Excel files, but it’ll choke on weird formatting, tables within tables, or PDF quirks. Clean up:
    • Headings
    • Bullets
    • Tables (flatten or convert to simple lists if possible)
    • Remove tracked changes/comments

Pro tip: If you have hundreds of files, consider a quick spot-check. If you find a lot of junk, it’s better to spend a few hours cleaning now than sorting through garbage in Loopio for months.

Step 2: Design a Simple Library Structure

Loopio lets you organize content using Categories, Subcategories, and Tags. But don’t go wild—overcomplicated folder trees waste time.

What works:

  • Start broad, then get specific. Think of Categories as big buckets (e.g., “Security,” “Product,” “Legal”).
  • Limit Subcategories. Only use them if you have 20+ Q&As in a Category. Otherwise, searching is usually faster.
  • Use Tags sparingly. Tags are great for things like “2023” or “HIPAA,” but don’t tag everything to death.

What doesn’t:

  • Creating a Category for every product feature, region, or client type. You’ll end up with more rabbit holes than answers.
  • Mixing Categories and Tags. Decide which is your primary way to organize, and stick to it.

Example library outline:

  • Security
    • Certifications
    • Data Privacy
  • Product
    • Integrations
    • Features
  • Pricing
  • Legal

Pro tip: Sketch your structure on paper or in a doc first. If it feels overwhelming before you even start, it’s too complex.

Step 3: Use Loopio’s Import Tools (But Don’t Trust Automation Blindly)

Loopio talks a big game about bulk importing. And yes, their import wizard is better than most, but it’s not magic.

How to import:

  1. Use the Content Import Wizard. In Loopio, head to Library > Import. Choose “Q&A Pair Import.”
  2. Download their template. Paste your content into their Excel template. Each row is a Q&A pair. Fill in:
    • Question
    • Answer
    • Category/Subcategory
    • Tags (optional)
  3. Keep formatting simple. Fancy tables, images, or nested lists will get mangled. Stick to plain text or basic formatting.
  4. Import in batches. Don’t upload 2,000 rows at once. Start with 100-200 to catch issues early.
  5. Check the preview carefully. Loopio shows how your import will look. If questions or answers look wonky, fix them before finalizing.
  6. Finish import, then spot-check. Search for a few key terms. Are the answers where you expect? Any weird formatting?

What to ignore:

  • Claims that Loopio “automatically organizes” your content. It just puts it where you tell it to.
  • “AI” suggestions for categories/tags. Sometimes helpful, but often just random guesses.

Pro tip: Have someone else on your team review a test import. Fresh eyes will catch weirdness you miss.

Step 4: Clean Up and Standardize as You Go

You’ll find oddities, duplicates, and inconsistencies in your first few imports. That’s normal. Don’t try to fix everything at once—just have a quick process.

Best practices:

  • Merge duplicates. Loopio’s deduplication is basic. If you see two versions of the same answer, keep the most recent and delete the rest.
  • Standardize naming and phrasing. E.g., always use “MFA,” not “multi-factor authentication” sometimes and “2FA” other times.
  • Set owner/reviewer fields. Assign subject matter experts for each Category, so you know who to bug for updates.

What to skip:

  • Over-polishing every answer. Most RFPs want concise, accurate info, not wordsmithing.
  • Building out approval workflows right away. Get your content in first—then figure out process.

Pro tip: Schedule a simple, recurring review (quarterly is fine) to keep things tidy. Don’t make it someone’s full-time job.

Step 5: Make Search Actually Useful

A big library is only helpful if people can find what they need. Loopio’s search is decent, but garbage tags and vague answers will ruin it.

How to make search work:

  • Use clear, specific questions. “Describe your support model” is better than “Support.”
  • Stick to consistent phrasing. If your team always searches for “SSO,” don’t title it “Single Sign-On Capabilities.”
  • Add helpful tags, but not too many. Only tag answers that really need extra context (“GDPR,” “Healthcare,” etc.).

What to avoid:

  • Tagging every answer with everything. This just buries good content under noise.
  • Relying only on search—teach your team how the library is structured.

Pro tip: Ask a few colleagues to search for common answers and give feedback. If they can’t find something in 10 seconds, rethink your approach.

Step 6: Train (and Re-Train) Your Team

Even the best content library is useless if no one knows how to use it—or update it.

How to roll it out:

  • Run a short, live demo. Show the team how to search, submit updates, and flag bad answers.
  • Share a cheat sheet. One page, max: how to search, how to submit new content, who owns what.
  • Assign “librarians.” Not a full-time job; just a point person for each Category.

What to skip:

  • Hour-long training sessions. Show, don’t lecture.
  • Forcing everyone to use Loopio for every answer. Sometimes, a quick Slack message is faster.

Pro tip: People will forget. Plan a quick refresher every 6 months—especially if you update your library structure.

Step 7: Iterate, Don’t Overthink

Loopio (or any RFP tool) isn’t set-and-forget. Your business changes, so your content will too.

How to keep it sane:

  • Quarterly spot-checks. Are the most-used answers still accurate? Archive anything old.
  • Ask for feedback. If your team is copy-pasting from outside Loopio, your library’s not working.
  • Don’t chase perfection. A “good enough” library that people use beats a perfect one that’s out of date.

Wrapping Up

Building a useful RFP content library in Loopio isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little upfront planning and a willingness to ignore shiny features you don’t need. Clean up your content first, keep your structure simple, and only get fancy once you’ve got the basics down. The goal isn’t to win an organizational award—it’s to save your team time and headaches. Start small, fix as you go, and don’t be afraid to delete what you don’t need. Simple wins every time.