When you’re getting started with ActiveCampaign, whether you’re migrating from something else or starting from scratch, you’re going to need to name a lot of things.
And if you’ve been using ActiveCampaign a while now, or handed an existing account to work with, I bet there are already a lot of names of tags, custom fields, lists and emails that are… unhelpful.
Actually, let’s be honest here…
Most ActiveCampaign accounts have a total mess of random confusing names for everything, to the point where it’s like someone peeled off all the labels on hundreds of cans, tins and jars, and just messed with them to make your life hard.
Badly named tags, lists and automations in ActiveCampaign lead to costly mistakes and hours of time lost.
You need an ActiveCampaign naming convention for how to name Tags, Emails and Fields
Get your ActiveCampaign account organised enough that you can use it without getting lost, breaking stuff, or spending hours just looking for a tag and figuring out what it’s for.
It’s called a naming convention – or you can call it a tag taxonomy or just plain naming rules – best practice for naming stuff in ActiveCampaign.
Read on for Kay Peacey’s best tips for you naming convention to name all the things in ActiveCampaign without losing your mind.
Follow these steps to know how to name Tags (and more) in ActiveCampaign:
Watch Kay Peacey on how to name things better in ActiveCampaign (10 mins)
Try ActiveCampaign now with a two week free trial
Understand how naming conventions for ActiveCampaign will save you time money & stress
Why should you care enough to name tags, fields, forms and all the other ActiveCampaign things using a system?
5 reasons you need a naming convention for ActiveCampaign
- You need to understand what things are in ActiveCampaign quickly and reliably.
- You need to be able to find things in ActiveCampaign fast, using search & alphabetisation.
- ActiveCampaign (and other tech tools) need to be able to find things using their names.
- When you collaborate, they will need to know quickly what the names in your ActiveCampaign account mean.
- If you don’t, you will fall into the BIGGEST cause of error in ActiveCampaign accounts – names that are messed up, confusing or just plain wrong
If you’re just getting started now with ActiveCampaign, go straight to our free training Accelerated ActiveCampaign to see naming best practice in action while I give you a fast, expert tour of how to use ActiveCampaign.
Get our FREE Accelerated ActiveCampaign training now
Learn best practice for naming Tags in ActiveCampaign
An ActiveCampaign tag by any other name does not smell as sweet – even tiny mistakes with tag names break integrations, mess up automations, make your brain hurt, and winds up with the wrong things happening for your customers + a big time suck for your business.
Three tips for Tag naming best practice in ActiveCampaign
- Avoid Mixed Case
- Keep your tag names short
- Avoid special characters
Tag Taxonomy for ActiveCampaign examples
- SOURCE: enquiry
- REG: tips webinar
- ADV: access
Be warned – changing existing tags once they’re in can be tricky – we have guidance in the ActiveCampaign Academy on how to do it safely. So if you are in a tag pickle right now, come get our help to fix it without breaking all the things on the way.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Create custom Fields in ActiveCampaign when you get started or migrate
Custom Field names that are too long are a really bad idea in ActiveCampaign.
Three tips for creating custom field names in ActiveCampaign
- Use lower case with spaces
- Keep your field names short
- Avoid ambiguous field names
ActiveCampaign Custom Field names best practice examples
- role
- user registered
- exit feelings
Changing field names can be a really tricky job – especially because emails in campaigns and automations, and any integration tech, need to use the exact matching characters of the field’s name, so that they can find and use field values for an ActiveCampaign contact.
We have guidance in the ActiveCampaign Academy on how to name and re-name fields safely, so if you are in a custom fields pickle, come get our help to fix it without breaking stuff or losing data.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Know how to name ActiveCampaign emails Campaigns so you can find them easily and analyse email reports
Email names are neglected in most ActiveCampaign accounts, and you only realise you messed up when you go to reports and contact activity, and can’t find anything you need.
Big time suck – and totally avoidable…
Three tips for email names in ActiveCampaign:
1 For automation emails, include a short version of the automation name
2 For campaign emails, include keywords for the type of email it is
3 Never leave the name as blah blah blah (copy) – this is a recipe for disaster
Email names best practice examples for ActiveCampaign:
- ONBOARDING: welcome and group invite
- ONBOARDING: checkin
- WEBINAR: prep worksheet
Email names are totally internal and separate from the subject line.
Smart email naming makes life sooooo much easier in ActiveCampaign – we teach shortcuts, time-savers and workflows to our members in the ActiveCampaign Academy.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Read 5 essential rules for best practice ActiveCampaign names taxonomy
You’re looking right now at your ActiveCampaign account and thinking “gah!… I should have done these names differently…. Now what?”
5 rules for naming things better in ActiveCampaign
- Names must be human-friendly
Make them readable, comprehensible and memorable - Names must be short
Front-loading and alphabetical common sense applies - Names must be consistent
Variations are the enemy of safer naming and will scupper the ship - Names must not use special characters
In my experience only : and – are truly safe in all circumstances - Names must be documented
Neglect this at your peril – do not rely on your memory or your team’s telepathy
Stick with the rules, and you’ll be less likely to get rhubarb when you wanted chilli.
Get our FREE Accelerated ActiveCampaign training now
FAQ on how to name Tags, Fields and Emails in ActiveCampaign
Why should I care about what name a Tag has, or naming conventions?
Save time – Sensible clear names make it quicker to find and use things in ActiveCampaign
Prevent errors – Good naming conventions in ActiveCampaign will mean far fewer errors for both humans and machines
What’s the best way to name Tags in ActiveCampaign?
Use ALLCAPS: for the category of the ActiveCampaign Tag
Use lowercase after that for details of the Tag
Can I use special characters in names for tags, fields, emails and more in ActiveCampaign?
Avoid them
Stick to simple characters like colons or hyphens to avoid issues – and definitely don’t use commas!
How should I name ActiveCampaign emails so we know what we sent and can use reports and analytics better?
Categorize and describe
Use a familiar category or acronym, then a concise description.
Date format for campaigns
For regular emails, a date format helps in organization.
What about changing existing names for tags etc in ActiveCampaign?
Map them first
Identify where the names are used before changing them.
Be cautious
Some names might be better left alone to avoid complications.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Get more help with creating and using naming conventions in ActiveCampaign
We offer training and support for Naming Things in ActiveCampaign, including rules, checklists, worked examples, and consistent calm advice on when and how to change names too. Much-needed for untangling messy ActiveCampaign accounts!
For documentation, the secret weapon is AirTable, using a template I developed specifically for ActiveCampaign accounts – that’s available in the Academy and it’s totally worth joining for the time saved and stress magically gone away.
So now you know more about what you should be doing to make life easier for the humans and machines – this will save you time and money, make for a better customer experience, and help you to make more sales with marketing automation.
So come on in to the ActiveCampaign Academy, and you’ll have Kay Peacey and the Slick Business team, and all your lovely fellow members, to guide you every step of the way to fabulousness with ActiveCampaign.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
