Understanding the difference between Tags and Custom Fields is essential to keeping your FranFlow account clean, organized, and automation-ready.
Both are used to store information about Contacts — but they serve very different purposes.
What Is a Tag?
A Tag is a flexible label applied to a Contact. Tags are best used to track behavior, actions, or temporary status.
Tags are:
Fast to apply
Easy to remove
Often used by automation
Ideal for segmentation
Examples of Good Tag Use:
Downloaded Lead Magnet
Attended Webinar
Referral Partner
Booked Strategy Call
No Show
Reactivated Lead
Submitted to Brand
Funding Conversation
Tags answer the question: “What has this person done?”
What Is a Custom Field?
A Custom Field stores structured, long-term data about a Contact.
Custom fields are:
Persistent
Structured
Used for reporting
Used for filtering and automation logic
Often synced with FranTracker™
Examples of Good Custom Field Use:
Liquid Capital
Net Worth
Desired Market
Decision Time Frame
Currently Employed
Business Ownership Experience
Investment Range
Lead Type
Custom fields answer the question: “What is true about this person?”
The Key Difference
Tags = Behavior or Status
Custom Fields = Structured Data
If the value changes frequently or reflects an action → Use a Tag
If the value represents financial data, profile data, or qualification criteria → Use a Custom Field
When NOT to Use a Tag
Do not create tags for:
Investment amounts
Capital ranges
Decision timelines
Employment status
Market preferences
Data already synced from FranTracker™
These should live in structured fields, not tags.
Too many tags create clutter and make filtering difficult.
When NOT to Create a Custom Field
Before creating a new custom field:
Confirm it is not already a synced FranTracker™ field
Confirm it is not a standard FranFlow field
Confirm it is not better suited as a tag
Avoid duplicating data under slightly different names.
Example of duplication to avoid:
Investment Range
Investment Budget
Capital Available
Liquid Investment
Choose one structured field and use it consistently.
How Tags and Custom Fields Work Together
Tags often trigger automation.
Custom fields often determine logic.
Example:
Custom Field: Liquid Capital = $250,000+
Tag Applied: High Capital Candidate
Automation triggers based on capital threshold and applies tag.
Tags help move Contacts between workflows.
Custom fields help determine qualification.
🪄 Best practice: Keep your field structure clean and keep your tag structure intentional.
Use custom fields for: qualification data, financial data, and/or long-term profile data.
Use tags for: behavioral tracking, campaign engagement, and/or workflow progression