Custom Fields in ActiveCampaign are the places where you stash values for contacts.

The unlimited ActiveCampaign custom fields are where lots of lovely data and information can be stored, ready to use to make decisions, or to send them in an email,

And most importantly, ActiveCampaign custom fields can be used for segmentation, so that you send the right message at the right time to the right person, making them a lot more likely to buy from you.

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ActiveCampaign Custom Fields training video with Kay Peacey

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Follow these steps to learn about ActiveCampaign Custom Fields:

What are ActiveCampaign Custom Fields?

Email, firstname, lastname, phone are all contact fields

These ones are the standard fields that ActiveCampaign includes from the start for you.

The “field” is the name for the holding space where the value goes. 

ActiveCampaign gives you total freedom to create as many custom fields as you please, where you decide what it’s called, and what’s going in there.

You can do stuff with custom fields that you can’t do with tags. We cover how to use custom fields in our FREE Accelerated ActiveCampaign training course.

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I bet you’re wondering right now…. how to decide whether to use a tag or a custom field in ActiveCampaign…

How to choose between custom field or tag in ActiveCampaign

There are things you can do with ActiveCampaign custom fields that you cannot do with ActiveCampaign tags. 

You can search the values inside custom fields

You can pull the field values inside the content of emails (like a mail-merge)

You can automate based on the values inside the fields

With tags, it’s like this:
tag is there OR tag is not there

With a field though, it can be blank, not blank, greater than or less than, contain something or not contain it, exactly match something, and so on. 

There’s a lot more to play with when you use a field instead of a tag! 

And being able to use the field values inside emails to send to contacts is a total winner.

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ActiveCampaign Field types:

You also select a type for each field.

• Date for so you can automate stuff based on the calendar – super-handy
• Text Area for paragraphs of text with line breaks
• Radio Button for options from a set of values where one can be selected
• Checkbox for options from a set of values where lots can be selected

ActiveCampaign Field names

Keep field names short – the name of a field is an internal thing, just for you and ActiveCampaign. Long field names are simply hellish to work with later on.

ActiveCampaign best practice field names example

Let’s pretend we are using ActiveCampaign for a wedding photography business

Our first set of custom fields might go something like this:

• The date they’re getting married on goes in a date field called “wedding date”
• The name of the venue goes in a text input field called “venue”
• The extras package goes in a radio button field called “extras package” with Yes and No options
• The list of names of everyone in the bridal party goes in a text area field called “bridal party”

Custom fields are a fabulous and under-used feature in ActiveCampaign. Make sure you know how to use them, so you get the most out of your ActiveCampaign account.

Get Help with how to use ActiveCampaign Fields

There is a world of fun to be had with fields, and so much great automation to save you time, and make you more money, more easily.

Every single business has its own unique set of needs, wants, and data to work with. So inside the ActiveCampaign Academy membership, we make sure every member can ask us, any time, to help them figure out when to use a field, and what type, and how to get the best out of it.

And the best part is, after a couple of times working it through with us, members don’t need to keep asking, because they’ve learned how to do it themselves, really fast. Winner!

Probably we shouldn’t teach them quite so well, becausethen they would need to stick around in the membership longer… but that’s not how we roll. We like to teach you to fish for yourself, so you won’t need us forever, and can fly your ActiveCampaign Account solo.

Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere