If you’re running sales, marketing, or any kind of outreach, you know the pain: giant prospect lists, lots of messy data, and the pressure to actually hit people with the right message. This guide is for anyone who wants to make TamTam do the heavy lifting when it comes to importing and segmenting big lists for targeted outreach—without pulling your hair out.
Let’s cut through the fluff and get you set up fast.
Step 1: Prep Your Prospect List (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even think about uploading anything to TamTam, spend a few minutes cleaning your list. It’ll save you hours—and headaches—later.
What you need: - A CSV or Excel file (TamTam prefers CSV, but XLSX works too) - Key columns: First Name, Last Name, Email, Company, Phone, Industry, Location, etc.
What actually matters: - Consistent column names. TamTam will try to map fields, but it’s not psychic. - No merged cells or weird formatting. Keep one row per prospect. - Ditch empty rows and obvious junk. Save yourself the manual cleanup later.
Pro Tip: If your data comes from multiple sources, run a quick dedupe in Excel or Google Sheets. Don’t trust that TamTam will catch all duplicates on import.
Step 2: Importing Into TamTam
TamTam makes a lot of noise about “easy imports.” It’s decent—but not magic. Here’s how to avoid the usual pitfalls.
- Log in and head to your Prospects or Contacts section.
- Look for an Import button—usually top-right or buried in a menu. Click it.
- Upload your file. TamTam will preview your data and try to match columns.
- Double-check every field mapping. TamTam might guess wrong, especially with custom fields.
- If you have extra columns (notes, lead source), map those to custom fields or ignore them for now.
- Handle duplicates. TamTam gives you options: skip, overwrite, or update. If you’re not sure, “skip” is safest.
- Start the import. For large lists (10,000+ rows), TamTam might take a few minutes. Don’t refresh the page.
What doesn’t work: Uploading a messy, unformatted list and hoping TamTam will “figure it out.” You’ll end up with missing data or, worse, mismatched records.
Heads up: TamTam sometimes chokes on files with special characters or extra-large attachments. If your import fails, try saving as plain CSV and stripping out emojis or odd symbols.
Step 3: Clean Up After Import
No matter how careful you are, something always slips through.
- Check for duplicates. TamTam’s built-in dedupe tool is okay, but not perfect. Spot-check by searching for common names or emails.
- Scan for missing data. Filter your prospects list for empty fields—especially emails or names. If you’re missing critical info, decide if those records are worth keeping.
- Fix formatting. Sometimes phone numbers or zip codes get mangled. Use TamTam’s inline editing or bulk-edit features to tidy up obvious errors.
Pro Tip: If you imported custom fields, make sure they’re actually visible in your prospect views. Sometimes they end up hidden by default.
Step 4: Segment Your List (Where the Magic Happens)
This is where most people drop the ball. If you just blast everyone with the same message, you’re wasting your time (and annoying your prospects).
TamTam segments prospects using filters and tags. Here’s how to do it right:
- Decide what matters. Don’t overcomplicate: Start with 2-3 criteria that actually change your outreach, like industry, company size, or location.
- Use Filters:
- Go to your Prospects list.
- Click Filter and add conditions (e.g., Industry is “SaaS” AND Location is “California”).
- Save these filters as Smart Lists for future use.
- Apply Tags:
- Select prospects who fit a segment.
- Bulk add a tag like “Enterprise - SaaS - CA”.
- You can use tags for campaign tracking later.
- Create Static Lists (if needed):
- For one-off campaigns, just select a bunch of prospects and add them to a List.
- Static Lists don’t update automatically; Smart Lists do.
What works:
- Keep segments simple. You’ll actually use them.
- Use tags for campaign history (e.g., “Q2 Webinar Invitees”).
What doesn’t:
- Over-segmenting. If you have 20 micro-segments, you’ll never keep up.
- Relying on TamTam’s “auto-segmentation” for anything nuanced. It’s not that smart.
Step 5: Test Segments Before Sending Anything
Don’t just trust your filters—spot-check your segments.
- Open each segment and review a handful of records. Are these the right people? Anything weird slipping in?
- If you’re prepping for an email campaign, export a small sample and send a test to yourself or a colleague.
- Adjust your filters and tags as you go. Better to fix now than after you’ve hit “Send.”
Pro Tip: Name your segments clearly. “2024-Q2-Enterprise-SaaS-West” beats “List1.”
Step 6: Launch Targeted Outreach (The Fun Part)
With segments locked in, you’re ready to start real outreach. TamTam offers a few ways to do this, but here’s the honest breakdown:
- Built-in email campaigns: TamTam’s tools are solid for basic sequences, but not as flexible as true marketing automation platforms. Fine for most prospecting, but don’t expect fancy logic.
- Export to Mail Merge: If you need more control (or want to use your own email tool), export your segment as CSV and use something like Mailshake, Outreach, or even Gmail mail merge.
- Personalization: Don’t rely on “{{First Name}}” alone. If you have rich data (like industry or recent activity), use it to tailor your outreach.
What works: - Short, specific messages targeted to the segment’s reality. - Tracking opens and replies right in TamTam (if you use their email tools).
What doesn’t: - Mass-blasting your entire database. Engagement tanks, and you might get flagged for spam. - Relying on TamTam analytics for deep insights. They’re basic—good enough for opens/clicks, but not much else.
Pro Tips, Gotchas, and What to Ignore
- Pro Tip: Schedule regular deduplication and cleanups—monthly is usually enough.
- Gotcha: TamTam sometimes “forgets” custom field mappings if you import new lists. Double-check every time.
- Ignore: Fancy AI-powered segmentation features (unless you have thousands of data points and time to tinker). Manual filters and tags are faster and more reliable.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t get paralyzed by all the options. The fastest way to get value from TamTam is to start with a clean list, build a few high-impact segments, and actually run some targeted outreach. You’ll learn what works—and what doesn’t—way faster by doing than by endlessly tweaking your data.
Keep your lists clean, your segments tight, and your messages human. Iterate as you go. That’s how you win with big prospect lists in TamTam.