EMMA: Separating First & Last Name in Cells for Import
Before you import a spreadsheet, you’ll want to make sure that contacts’ first names and last names appear in separate columns. When first and last names appear in separate columns, you have more accuracy and flexibility in adding a personalized greeting to a campaign. If both first names and last names don’t appear in separate columns, you can split them before importing.
There are 2 ways to do it. First way is:
- Make sure there are at least two empty columns directly to the right of the information you wish to split. This is so the middle and last names (if added) can move into the empty right columns.
Note: This can be done by highlighting the column to the right of the column you wish to split, then right-clicking and choosing Insert. - In the first blank space under the first-name column, type the first name that you want to appear there and hit ENTER. Then CTRL+E. It will populate all of the first names in this column.
- In the first blank space under the last-name column, type the last name that you want to appear there and hit ENTER. Then CTRL+E. It will populate all of the last names in this column.
Another way is:
- Make sure there are at least two empty columns directly to the right of the information you wish to split. This is so the middle and last names (if added) can move into the empty right columns.
Note: This can be done by highlighting the column to the right of the column you wish to split, then right-clicking and choosing Insert. - Click on the heading of the column containing your contacts’ first and last names to highlight the column.
- Click Data > Text to Columns.
- Select Delimited and click Next.
- Check Space and uncheck Tab before clicking Next.
- Click Finish.
- Click OK.
- Your contacts’ first and last names will be separated into two separate columns. If some merchants added a middle name, you will see that the middle name moved to the right, and the last name moved to the column to the right of the last name column. Please remove their middle name and place their last name back into the column directly right of the first name.
Take a moment to add a heading for the new column (first-name and/or last-name) and then import the file.