What is the difference between a custom field and a tag?

This article will outline the differences between a custom field and a tag. You can trigger a campaign based on what tags have been applied to your subscribers. Using custom fields, you can collect more information on your subscribers in order to sent segmented broadcasts. You would be able to apply tags to your subscribers in a number of ways, including the use of custom fields.

Custom Fields

A custom field is used to collect additional information on your subscribers. This can be used for segmentation and sending broadcasts to a specific group of subscribers within your list.

For example, if you would like to find out what kind of pets your subscriber has, you can collect that information through your sign up form. Your subscriber's selection would then be listed under their profile as a dedicated field.

Custom field for favorite pet

You can segment your list based on whether your subscriber has choose dog or cat from the form. Subscribers who chose "cat" be saved as a segment and sent subsequent messages about cats.

Segment on custom field

Tags

A tag can be used to trigger a campaign. You can apply a tag via the "Subscribers" page, through a sign up form, or through the campaign itself.

For example, if you have different content offers based on which sign up form a subscriber uses to sign up to your list, you can send them a specific campaign. Let's call these "Offer A" and "Offer B." The subscriber would sign up through form A to receive "Offer A," they would then be tagged with tag A and start on "Offer A Campaign." As you have the trigger set to only send messages when a subscriber joins your list with tag A, then would only receive the messages in that campaign.

Campaign triggered on tag a

A subscriber who signed up through form B to receive "Offer B" would be tagged with tag B and start on "Offer B Campaign."

Campaign triggered on tag b

You can also send a broadcast directly to tagged subscribers as part of a segment. There are a lot of uses cases for tags.

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