Getting Set Up: Web Forms 

SmartForms 

One of the greatest - and simplest - advantages of the Internet is that prospects can contact you and request information, a valuable free resource, or a call back at any time, on their own schedule—by filling out a form. Your online ‘brochure’ is available 24/7, every day of the year. It’s wise to make it very easy for a prospect to contact you. One of the mistakes often made by marketers more familiar with traditional advertising, like print ads, direct mail, etc… is neglecting to offer anything but a phone or email address number on their website. SendPepper and OfficeAutopilot allow you to create very intelligent web forms – SmartForms – that you can quickly add to your website. What makes our forms ‘smart’ is that they can be set up to add tags to the contact as soon as he or she clicks ‘submit’ and even to drop them right into your pre-designed marketing sequences, or route them to someone on your team of salespeople, automatically!

Creating a New SmartForm

Here's the step-by-step on how to create a new SmartForm. You'll find the SmartForm Manager in the 'Admin' section on the upper right-hand part of your screen.

1. Click "Add SmartFrom" on the upper right-hand part of the screen. 
   
2. Name it! You'll want to decide what the SmartForm is going to be used for and then name it something that makes sense, according to its purpose.
3. Decide on your "opt-in" settings. Do you want to have this form be "double opt-in" required, "double opt-in optional", or is "single-opt-in" enough?  
4. If you choose single opt-in, you'll move right on to the part of the form creation process where you choose the "thank you page". More on that in just a moment. If, however, you decide you'd like your list to stay "so fresh and so clean clean", and earn yourself the heightened deliverability to match, and you thus choose to go with either of the required, or optional double opt-in settings, you'll need to do a couple of extra steps.
5. First, decide what "confirmation email" you'd like people to receive when they click 'submit' on your form. This is the email that will verify they actually want to receive email from you. It will have a "confirmation link" in it that, when clicked, will take them to your "Thank You page". We've lovingly provided you with three fantastic options (which you can check out before you commit to, by clicking on the 'preview' button), but, if you decide you'd like to get all fancy and create your own confirmation email, we don't blame you, and you can do so by clicking on the little green '+' sign. This will open up an email editor where you can dig deep, and really express yourself in your confirmation email. But...be aware that it needs to be really clear that they're confirming their approval to be put on your list so you can send them emails and be aware that we'll have to review and approve it before it shows up as an available option for you to use. In the interim you will have to use one of the templated confirmation messages. Note that the confirmation e-mail will come from whichever user (seat holder) created the SmartForm. Well, specifically, it will come from whatever they've got their name set as in their user settings in the Settings screen. So if Charles Encharge creates your "Top 5 Ways Opt In" SmartForms, then when anyone fills out that  form and receives the confirmation opt-in e-mail it will appear as having come from Charles Encharge.
6. Next, for forms with the either one of the double-opt-in settings chosen (required, or optional), you'll indicate where you'd like people who fill them out to be taken once they click submit. This is the "confirmation instructions page". This should be a page where you thank the person for filling out the form, but let them know that they're not quite done yet, and you instruct them to go, immediately to check their email, and click the verification link in the confirmation email. You might also tell them on the confirmation instruction page, to "whitelist" your email address so that your emails are even surer to go to their inbox! We've provided a generic, default "confirmation instruction" page for our Jalapeno customers who don't have the access to the landing page creator, and for those of our clients who are not concerned with customizing it.
7. If, instead, you'd like 'em sent to a customized "confirmation instructions page", you've got a couple of options. You can use a custom URL, which you'd do if you'd like to direct people to use a web page you've hosted somewhere other than one of our public domains as your "confirmation instructions page". Once hosted and live on the web, you'll just copy and paste the URL of that page into this field.
8. If, however, you you'd like to have them directed to a page you've created and hosted on one of our public domains, you can indicate which one right in the drop-down menu. Of course, you'll have to already have created and set the hosting for this page before you create the SmartForm, so that it shows up in the dropdown list of available options. Click here to learn how to create a landing page, and host it so that it's live and usable on the web. Once you've created and hosted the landing page, you'll be able to select it from the drop-down. If you're not quite sure if you've got the right one, then I suggest you click the preview icon which will open up the page in a new tab or window, depending on how you've got your browser settings set.
9. The last option to set for forms you're choosing to have double opt-in required settings for is the one that controls what will happen when a contact who is already in your database, and who already has their "bulk status" set to "double opted in" fills out the form. Of course, you may not want to make these fine folks who've already double opted into your list, to have to double opt-in again once they've already done so. Nooooo. That'd be, as we say on the streets, "a rookie maneuver", not to mention an annoying hassle for them. Instead, in most cases, you'll want to move their previously double opted in tushie right on through to the thank you page.  If, however, you'd like to make it so that even people who've double opted-in in the past must also do so again, then you should leave this option unchecked.
10. Now, you're ready to set the Thank You Page. This is the page that lets you thank people for their opt-in!  These people have given you their contact info and permission to keep in touch with them.  They could have closed that browser window and never looked back. But no, they didn't. Now that's something to be thankful for. In the case that you've chosen to make this a single opt-in form, this is where people will be landed as soon as they click "submit". If, however, it's a double opt-in form, it's where they'll be "landed only once they click the "verification" link in the confirmation email they received. It should say something like: "Thanks for letting us stay in touch! Now check your email for the free report you requested!" or "You'll be getting our newsletter twice monthly, keep your eyes peeled!" As in the case of the "confirmation instructions" page, we've provided a generic "thank you" page for you to use if you'd rather not create your own. But, if you want to add your own, you've got options here as well.
11. If you've already got a "thank you page" you've created and hosted elsewhere on the web, you can enter the URL for that page in the space provided.
12. If, however, you've got a landing page you've created and hosted on one of our public domains, you can choose it from the drop-down list. You must already have created the "thank you page" in order to use it here. Learn all about creating and hosting landing pages here.
13. Next, if you'd like to receive email notifications of when someone fills out this form, you'll just indicate this here. Put your own email address in here, your assistant's, or p'raps your mother's. She'll be so proud to see you getting more and more leads!
14. Next, choose who you'd like to be the contact owner of all new leads that come in through this form. Note that this is only applicable for OfficeAutopilot accounts, where having more than one seat-holder is actually possible. You can set a specific seat-holder as the contact owner, OR set it so that new contacts who come in through this form get routed via a certain lead router. Note that if a contact is already in your database and already has a contact owner, that their contact owner will NOT change, no matter what you set this to.
15. Then, set how you'd like the system to tag contacts who come in through this form. Tagging is very helpful for keeping your list organized and segmented. Learn all about tagging and list segmentation. You can choose a tag you've already created, or, you can create a brand new one right here, on the fly. Yes. We know. That's cooler than a polar bear's toenails.
16. Now, choose what sequence you'd like people subscribed to when they come in through this form. The sequence is what will deliver whatever resource you're offering in exchange for the person's info, be it a newsletter, free guide, key code to a free sample of your software, or some other such nugget of goodness. In the case that you've not already created said sequence and loaded it up with said nugget of goodness, you can create an empty sequence on the fly, right here in order to complete the process of creating this form, then go back to the sequence later, and create the steps you'd like in there. Yes. We also know that this is cool. Cooler than Freddie Jackson sippin' a milkshake in a snowstorm.  However, be warned, that until you load the nugget of goodness into your sequence, it will deliver nothing to form filler-outers, leaving them A. sorely disappointed that they filled out your blasted form, B. disgruntled to the point of blogging about their disappointing experience, and C. All of the Above. So, before too much time passes, do yourself and your leads a favor, and pack that sequence full of valuable goodness, or at least put a single email step in there that delivers the promised goods.
17. Next, you'll choose what format you'd like the fields to appear in. Your choices are side by side, top of field, and inside of field. In case your imagination's been overworked lately, we've provided a preview of how each version will look.
18. Next, you'll choose whether you'd like to add a capcha to your form. This silly, swirly bunch of letters and numbers is the only thing capable of stopping the wicked spam-bots from filling out your forms and wreaking havoc on your inbox. Guess they don't hold their kindergarten reading lessons inside fun-houses on planet spam-bot. Sorry spam-bots, better luck next time!
19. Next, you'll choose whether you'd like to pass CGI variables to landing /Thank You Page. Yeah. We're just not even going to explain this here. If you know what CGI variables are, great, if not, this is not for you and you'd do well to forget you ever even saw it.
20. And now, it's time to choose which fields you'd like to include on your form. Will you unobtrusively ask for just their email address, hoping for a higher opt-in rate? Will you ask them to spill their guts and tell you their whole life story on the form? Or will it be....something in between??? The choice is yours, marketer! We recommend, however, that you not ask for more information than is actually useful to you, since the longer the form, the more daunting and less likely it is to be filled out. Just sayin'.
21. You can click the 'pencil' icon for a given field, and you'll be able to choose how the field is actually displayed on the form, itself. Say for instance you've got a field you created that's called "Interest", you might change it for this particular form to be called "What would you like to learn more about?" You'll also be able to set a default value that will be entered where no unique entry is provided instead by the form respondent. This is also the place where you'll indicate whether this form is required. You should always require email, since that's how we identify and merge contact data.
22. Finally, you'll choose what you'd like the submission button to say. You might replace the word "Submit" with "Sign me up!" or "Send me the guide!"
23. Or, if you want to get REALLY fancy, you can upload a custom image to use as your button!
24. When you're through, you should click the 'Save' button.

Adding SmartForms to your site

Once you've created the SmartForm, you'll be taken to a screen that features three different versions of the form code. These various form code options are only for if you're posting the form to a page OTHER THAN one of our Easy Landing Pages (click here to learn how to post the form to an Easy Landing Page, it's easy). You'll simply choose the one that's right for your needs.  If, however, once you've created the SmartForms, you're not able to place them on your site yourself, we're happy to place one SmartForm on your site for you. In fact, it's included as part of our Quick Start program [Note: SendPepper Habanero and above only]. Regardless of which snippet you choose, just copy and paste the snippet onto your webpage in the appropriate place and then test the form by filling it out yourself on your website to make sure it shows up right and that new contacts are being added correctly.

Javascript SmartForm

This is the easiest method. Just copy this code onto your page right where you'd like the form to appear and it will show right up. Any changes you make to the form in the SmartForm manager will be automatically reflected on your web page.

Hybrid SmartForm

This actually isn't any harder - just copy and paste on your page. The advantage of this version is that if you know a little HTML you can edit the way the form looks on your page. The tag, sequence, and lead owner/router settings of the form are still Javascript though, so if you change them in the SmartForm manager, they'll automatically be updated on your site. If you change which fields are collected (like, you add 'Phone Number' to your form) you WILL have to re-copy new code to your web page.

Pure HTML SmartForm

This is really only for total geeks and hackers - you know who you are, and why you might want this. (An idea: dynamically added tags or sequences based on product page or what's in the cart?) You understand that changing anything in the SmartForm manager isn't going to update your page. You'll have to re-post the code.  Again, regardless of which snippet you choose, just copy and paste the snippet onto your webpage in the appropriate place and then test the form by filling it out yourself on your website to make sure it shows up right and that new contacts are being added correctly.

FAQs

Some questions we've heard... 

"How can I post your form to Facebook?"

"Why can't I click on a field to type in information on a SmartForm located on a landing page?"

"I'm getting a lot of "junk" form fillouts from what I assume are bots. How can I stop this?"

"Is there a way to change the font size on a SmartForm?"

"Why when I set the Thank You page to the same page using the drop down selector and the form is filled out I get the new information but an old lead disappears?"

"How do I get the thank you page on my form to open in a new tab?"

"I'm using the HTML version of my form and I'd like to change the text color for the whole table without having to edit each individual cell. How do I do this?"

"I want to drive people to a landing page via a PURL and show them a form that already has their contact info filled out. How?"

From whom will the confirmation e-mail show up as being sent when I've got a double opt-in option set?

The confirmation e-mail will come from whichever user (seat holder) created the SmartForm. Well, specifically, it will come from whatever they've got their name set as in their user settings in the Settings screen. So if Charles Encharge creates your "Top 5 Ways Opt In" SmartForms, then when anyone fills out that  form and receives the confirmation opt-in e-mail it will appear as having come from Charles Encharge.

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