# Contacts and segments

Keep customer profiles, consent, lists, and behavior connected.

## The contact model

Each profile starts with an email address and can include name, location, company, phone, and custom attributes. Email and behavioral activity are attached to the same contact timeline.

## Import contacts

Upload a CSV from Contacts. Common headers such as `first name`, `company`, and `country` map to standard fields. Other columns become typed custom attributes.

> **Normalize before importing** — Use one row per email address, remove addresses you cannot contact, and keep a record of how each person subscribed.

## Lists and segments

Lists are explicit groups you manage directly. Segments are dynamic audiences based on profile fields and behavior. Use lists for known membership and segments when the audience should update as customer data changes.

## Consent and email status

Subscription consent and deliverability status are separate. A sendable contact must be subscribed and active. Hard bounces and complaints suppress the address; repeated soft bounces temporarily suppress it until a successful delivery.