Tag naming convention
Set a convention your whole team can follow.
Purpose
When to Use This SOP
Use this SOP when:
- Building a new CRM account
- Cleaning up messy tags
- Preparing workflows or campaigns
- Creating source tracking
- Creating interest or service labels
- The team has duplicate tags with different spelling
- Tags are being used instead of custom fields
- No one knows which tags are still active
Before You Start
- Do not create new tags during this SOP until the convention is defined.
You should have:
- A list of current tags, if any
- The Week 2 training lesson reviewed
- A basic understanding of lead sources
- A basic understanding of services, interests, and campaigns
- Agreement from the team that tags should follow one naming rule
- Use lowercase, hyphen-separated names unless the business has a strong reason to use another format.
Step-by-Step Procedure
- 1Choose the naming format
Use one format for all tags.
Recommended format:
category-detail
Examples:
- source-facebook
- source-referral
- interest-crm
- status-client
- campaign-14day-nurture
- internal-needs-review
Avoid:
Mixed case
Spaces
Punctuation
Abbreviations only one person understands
Tags like Hot, NEW, Maybe, Follow Up, or Important
The naming format should remove guessing.
- 2Use standard tag categories
Start with six main categories.
Recommended categories:
- source-*
- interest-*
- status-*
- campaign-*
- service-*
- internal-*
These categories keep the tag list readable.
- 3Define source tags
Source tags describe where the contact came from.
Examples:
- source-facebook
- source-linkedin
- source-instagram
- source-google
- source-website
- source-referral
- source-event
- source-qr-front-desk
- source-youtube
Source tags should support reporting. Avoid using one generic tag like source-social for every channel if the business needs to know which channel works.
- 4Define interest tags
Interest tags describe what the contact is interested in.
Examples:
- interest-crm
- interest-website
- interest-training
- interest-consultation
- interest-funding
- interest-benefits
Use interest tags when the contact can have more than one interest.
If the answer should be stored as a specific value, use a custom field instead.
- 5Define status tags carefully
Status tags describe a broad relationship status.
Examples:
- status-new-lead
- status-client
- status-past-client
- status-partner
- status-vendor
Be careful with status tags. Some status belongs in the pipeline instead of becoming a tag.
For example, Appointment Booked may be better represented by a pipeline stage. Do not duplicate every pipeline stage as a tag unless there is a clear reason.
- 6Define campaign tags
Campaign tags describe campaign membership or campaign history.
Examples:
- campaign-14day-nurture
- campaign-webinar-july
- campaign-reactivation-q3
- campaign-lead-magnet-guide
Campaign tags can help identify who entered a campaign, but they should not replace workflow history or source tracking.
Remove or archive old campaign tags when they no longer serve a purpose.
- 7Define service tags
Service tags describe services, products, or programs connected to the contact.
Examples:
- service-onboarding
- service-support-plan
- service-website-build
- service-crm-setup
- service-training
Use service tags when a contact may be connected to multiple services.
- 8Define internal tags
Internal tags are for team use only.
Examples:
- internal-needs-review
- internal-do-not-contact
- internal-vip-review
- internal-data-cleanup
- internal-duplicate-check
Internal tags should not be used casually. If an internal tag creates action for the team, define what action is required.
- 9Decide when not to create a tag
Do not create a tag when the information belongs somewhere else.
Use a custom field instead of a tag when the answer is a value, such as:
- Budget
- Industry
- Preferred contact time
- Company size
- Referred by
- Appointment notes
- Service start date
Use a pipeline stage instead of a tag when the information describes where an opportunity sits in the sales process.
Use a note or task instead of a tag when the information is temporary and action-specific.
- 10Audit and clean existing tags
Review the current tag list.
Look for:
- Duplicate meanings
- Different spellings of the same idea
- Old campaign tags
- Tags with no clear category
- Tags that should be custom fields
- Tags that duplicate pipeline stages
- Tags no one understands
Do not delete tags blindly. First check whether they are used by workflows, smart lists, campaigns, or reporting.
- 11Document the convention
Create a tag convention document.
Include:
- Approved categories
- Naming format
- Examples
- Who can create tags
- When a tag should not be created
- Cleanup schedule
- Process for requesting new tags
The convention is only useful if the team can find it.
Checks Before You Finish
- ✓Before this SOP is complete, confirm:
- ✓One naming format is chosen
- ✓Tags use lowercase and hyphens unless otherwise documented
- ✓Approved categories are defined
- ✓Source tags are documented
- ✓Interest tags are documented
- ✓Status tags are reviewed against pipeline stages
- ✓Campaign tags are documented
- ✓Service tags are documented
- ✓Internal tags are documented
- ✓Duplicate tags are identified
- ✓Tags that should become fields are identified
- ✓The convention is documented for the team
Common Mistakes
Avoid these mistakes:
- Letting every team member create tags freely
- Creating tags while building workflows
- Using tags to store field data
- Creating status tags that duplicate pipeline stages
- Using vague tags like Hot or Important
- Creating multiple spellings of the same tag
- Never removing old campaign tags
- Deleting tags before checking workflow or smart list dependencies
- Using internal tags with no defined team action