Tags in ActiveCampaign are so often misunderstood, which sucks, because they are a fundamental tool for automation, segmentation, and reporting. A well-structured tag system can significantly improve your marketing efforts. This document outlines the essential tags every ActiveCampaign user should implement to build a solid foundation for effective CRM management.

Core Tag Categories & Examples

Creating a strong foundation of tags will enable you to segment your users, personalize messaging, and automate key marketing processes. Here are some fundamental tag categories to consider:

Lifecycle Stage Tags

These tags track where a contact is in their customer journey. Examples include:

• status: lead (New contact, not yet qualified)
• status: enquiry (Showed interest or submitted a form)
• status: booked (Booked a call or appointment)
• status: customer (Converted)
• status: post-op or status: follow-up (Ongoing engagement)
• status: cold or status: inactive (Exclude from marketing or rewarm)

Use Case: Drives conditional automation paths and targeted messaging.

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Engagement Tags

Engagement tags help you understand how active and responsive a contact is.

• engagement: opened last 90d (Useful for re-engagement campaigns)
• engagement: disengaged (Suppress from bulk sends or ads)
• engagement: clicked last email (High-value contact)

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‍Use Case: Segment active contacts for better deliverability and ROI.

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Lead Source Tags

These tags show where a contact originated from.

• lead source: website (Organic lead)
• lead source: facebook (Paid/social ad source)
• lead source: referral (Indicates high trust + conversion potential)
• lead source: form: consult (More granular tracking of funnel entry)

Use Case: Track conversion rates by source and automate follow-up based on origin.

Interest or Intent Tags

These tags capture what a contact is interested in or considering.

• interest: product-1 (Target-specific products/services)
• interest: service-2 (Helps tailor content and offers)
• intent: ready to book (Signals purchase-readiness)
• intent: just browsing (Keeps things light and nurturing)

Use Case: Personalize messaging, upsell, or cross-sell later.

Behavioral or Trigger Tags

These are temporary tags used for automation logic.

• trigger: clicked consult CTA (Launch consultation booking sequence)
• trigger: missed appointment (Follow-up automation)
• trigger: downloaded infokit (Score or track early-stage interest)
• trigger: completed form (Entry point for nurturing)

Use Case: These tags are applied and removed by automations to control flow.

Bonus Tags to Consider (For Advanced Users)

Here are some additional tags that can be useful for more advanced segmentation and automation:

• vip: high value (Send exclusive offers or faster service)
• referral: given (Track people who referred others)
• segment: rewarming (Used to revive cold leads)
• event: webinar attended (For specific campaign follow-ups)

Best Practices

Follow these best practices to maintain a clean and effective tagging system:

• Use consistent prefixes (status:, source:, interest:)
• Keep tags short, human-readable, and purpose-driven
• Audit tags quarterly to remove dead ones
• Use automations to apply/remove tags based on behavior

Need Help with Your Tagging Strategy?

A well-defined tagging strategy is crucial for maximizing the potential of ActiveCampaign. If you're looking for assistance in creating a tag naming convention cheat sheet, a tag audit tracker, or designing a tag-based automation strategy, don't hesitate to reach out. Let's work together to optimize your ActiveCampaign setup and drive better results! 🧼📊🧠

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