How to use tags in a CRM
Tags are the flexible, lightweight way to label records for grouping without adding a formal field for every attribute.
Their strength is flexibility and their weakness is sprawl - ungoverned tags multiply into near-duplicate noise that helps no one.
Short answer
Use tags in a CRM to flag records with informal, cross-cutting attributes that do not warrant a full field - event attendees, a campaign audience, a special interest. Keep a controlled tag vocabulary so tags do not sprawl into near-duplicates, use them for flexible ad-hoc grouping, and promote a tag to a real field if it becomes structurally important. Govern tags or they become noise.
Step by step
Use tags for cross-cutting attributes
Tag records with informal, flexible labels that do not deserve a full field - event attendee, campaign audience, special interest.
Keep a controlled vocabulary
Maintain an agreed set of tags so people reuse existing ones instead of creating near-duplicates that fragment grouping.
Group and segment by tag
Filter and build segments on tags for flexible, ad-hoc grouping that complements structured fields.
Promote important tags to fields
If a tag becomes structurally important and widely used, convert it to a proper field with a picklist.
Govern tags or they become noise
Tags sprawl exactly like picklists: without governance, people create "vip", "VIP", and "v.i.p" as separate tags, fragmenting the grouping. Keep a controlled vocabulary, reuse existing tags, and prune duplicates, so tags stay a useful flexible layer rather than a chaotic mess of near-duplicates.
How Ardovo helps
Ardovo supports tags with a governed vocabulary and lets you segment on them, and Rook flags near-duplicate tags and suggests promoting heavily-used tags to fields. Tags stay a clean, flexible grouping layer instead of sprawling into noise.
Frequently asked questions
When should you use a tag instead of a field?
Use a tag for informal, cross-cutting attributes that do not warrant a full field - event attendees, a campaign audience, a special interest - where you want flexible ad-hoc grouping. Use a field for structured, consistently-captured data you filter and report on formally. Promote a tag to a field if it becomes structurally important.
How do you keep tags from getting messy?
Govern them with a controlled vocabulary so people reuse existing tags rather than creating near-duplicates like "vip" and "VIP", and prune duplicates periodically. Without governance, tags sprawl into fragmented noise. A maintained tag set keeps them a useful, flexible grouping layer.
Can you segment by tags?
Yes - tags are a flexible grouping mechanism you can filter and build segments on, complementing structured fields. A segment for everyone tagged as a past event attendee, for example, groups records by an informal attribute. Governed tags make such segments reliable; sprawling ones fragment them.