Skip to content
Go to Your Springboard

How to Set Up Email Marketing Signup Forms

Complexity Level: Basic to Advanced

Overview

This page shows you how to set up an email marketing signup form in the Springboard.

Email marketing is a tool that allows you to send email message campaigns to people who asked to hear from your organization.

You can use this page to connect your Firespring Email Marketing account to set up an email signup specific form, or to add a sign up option to existing forms across your website. You can also view real-time data from your Firespring Email Marketing directly in your Springboard.

If you aren't using Firespring Email Marketing, you can use this page to connect your Constant Contact email marketing account using External Accounts in the Springboard. With Third-Party Embed you can add a Constant Contact signup form directly to your website.

An email campaign is one planned email message (or a set of messages) you send to a group of people.

!!! info "Words used on this page" - Account: Your organization’s space in the Springboard. - Menu: The list of choices you click to move around the Springboard. - Form: A screen with boxes and buttons where people type information. - Subscriber: A person who gave permission on your website to receive your email campaigns. - Group: A saved list of subscribers. - Campaign: An email message you send to a list.

When You Would Use This

Use this section if you need to:

  • Add a Firespring Email Marketing signup form to a page.
  • Connect Constant Contact to your Springboard account.
  • Add a Constant Contact Signup Form with Third-Party Embed.
  • Leverage existing Springboard forms by adding an Email Marketing signup.
  • Send new subscribers to the correct group based on the Springboard form.
  • Check Firespring Email Marketing stats right in your Springboard.

How to Check Your Email Marketing Stats & Log In

Use this task first to view or set up your Firespring Email Marketing Account. You can also log in to your Firespring Email Marketing directly from the Springboard. Firespring Email Marketing is included with some levels of service, to check your level of service reach out to Firespring Support.

  1. In the left hand menu, click Integrations, then click Email Marketing.

  2. View your Firespring Email Marketing Stats:

  3. If you are using Firespring Email Marketing with your Springboard website, your account might already be connected in Integrations. You will see your Email Marketing data in real time, including Subscribers, Mail Sent and more.

  4. If you are using Firespring Email Marketing, and it isn't connected yet, you'll be prompted to enter your Account ID, then click Next. Enter your Emma Key. Log in to your Firespring Email Marketing account, and follow the directions listed under the Emma Key space to find your key. You can also click the arrow next to View sample Emma code for assistance in locating your Emma Key. Select your Default signup form from the dropdown menu, and click Save & Finish.

    !!! Note: Account ID
    If you need help locating your Firespring Email Marketing Account ID or Emma Key, reach out to Firespring Support for assistance.

  5. Click the grey Log in to Email Marketing button in the top right corner to open the log in page in a new tab.

If you are not currently using Firespring Email Marketing, reach out to Firespring Support to get started.

How to Add a Firespring Email Marketing Signup Form to a Page

Use this task to collect names and email addresses from your website visitors.

  1. Click My Website, then click Website Content.

  2. Locate the page you wish to add an email signup form to, and click the title of the page to edit.

  3. In the left hand menu, locate the Form content type, in the Forms section. If Form isn't available, your page most likely already has a form. Each page can only house one form.

  4. Drag the Form content type to your preferred location on the page, and drop it into place.

  5. Update Content location and Content position if desired. These will default to the location and position in which the content type was placed.

  6. Update the Title for your form. This title won't display on your website, but it will be the name associated with this form in your Message Center and email notifications, so make sure the title is short and descriptive.

Screenshot: Page editor showing form block options

  1. Leave the Type as the default General Contact.

  2. Toggle to your preferred type for the Message tracking number. This is not required, but will help you to stay organized as form submissions come in.

  3. Because we are creating an Email Marketing sign up, we will skip the Payment Gateway step.

  4. Toggle to Yes for Connect this form to an email marketing campaign.

  5. Select at least one group using the dropdown menu in Groups. This is the group(s) to which form submitters will be added within your Firespring Email Marketing account.

  6. Confirm that Detect Automatically is listed for your fields. These will differ depending on the Default signup form chosen in the Email Marketing integration setup.

    !!! Note: Update your Default Signup Form
    To update your Default Signup Form, click Integrations, then Email Marketing. In the top right corner, click Edit Credentials. Use the dropdown menu to select a different default form from your Email Marketing account. Click Save & Finish.

  7. Toggle to your preferred setting for Does this form post to a third-party service.

  8. Toggle to your preferred setting for Add reCAPTCHA to this form.

  9. Click Save & Close.

  10. In the left hand menu, locate the Form Field content type, in the Forms section. Drag & drop the form field content type into place under your Form Header/Settings. You'll do this as many times as necessary to add all of the required fields to your form:

    • Name: Click Name on the Select Field Type menu. Enter a Field label, such as Name, then confirm that First and Last name are required. Click Save & Close.
    • Email: Click Email on the Select Field Type menu. Enter a Field label, then toggle to yes for Required field. Leave the default setting of User enters a custom email address for Email options. Click Save & Close.
    • Add any other form fields you would like.

  11. When you've finished adding form fields, locate the Form Footer/Send content type in the left hand menu, and drag & drop it into place under your form fields on the page:

    • Update the "Send" button label if desired.
    • Select your preferred setting for whether or not to Display "Reset" button.
    • Click Save & Close.

  12. Next to Form Header/Settings, click Edit.

  13. Scroll to the Connect this form to an email marketing campaign section. Confirm that all of the fields are mapped as desired. The form fields added to your form will now display in the dropdown menu next to each Email Marketing field. Click Save & Close when you've finished.

  14. Click View Page in the top right corner and submit a test signup.

    Screenshot: Live page with email signup form and submit button

Your test sign up should display in your Firespring Email Marketing account. Log in to your account, and navigate to the Audience tab to view your group and confirm that the user has been added.

How to Add an Email Marketing Sign up to an Existing Form

You can add a Firespring Email Marketing signup to any existing form on your website.

  1. Click My Website, then Website Content.

  2. Click the title of the page your form lives on, to open the page and edit it.

  3. Locate your Form Header/Settings, and click Edit.

  4. Scroll to the bottom of the form and locate the Connect this form to an email marketing campaign question. Toggle to Yes.

  5. Update the Groups by selecting at least one group from the dropdown menu. This is the group to which subscribers from this form will be added.

  6. Update the form field mapping if necessary by selecting the correct form field from the dropdown menu next to each email marketing field.

  7. Click Save & Close.

  8. Click View Page in the top right corner and submit a test form submission and signup.

Your test sign up should display in your Firespring Email Marketing account. Log in to your account, and navigate to the Audience tab to view your group and confirm that the user has been added.

How to Connect Constant Contact with External Accounts

Use this task to connect your Constant Contact email marketing account to your Springboard using External Accounts. You will first need to connect your Constant Contact account, then add your Constant Contact forms using Third-Party embed.

  1. In the left hand menu, click Integrations, then click External Accounts.

  2. Click the green Add External Account button.

Screenshot: External Accounts page with Add External Account button

  1. Toggle Is this active? to Yes.

  2. Enter a Title, such as Constant Contact.

  3. In the Account type dropdown, select Constant Contact.

  4. Enter your Constant Contact ID. Click the link under the Constant Contact ID box for instructions on how to find your ID. You can also click the arrow next to View sample Constant Contact Signup Form code for an example of where to locate your ID within the code.

  5. Click Save & Finish.

  6. Return to the External Accounts list and confirm the status shows Active.

How to Add a Constant Contact Form with Third-Party Embed

Once you've connected your Constant Contact account as an External Account, you can add your Constant Contact forms to the pages of your website as needed.

  1. Click My Website, then Website Content.

  2. Navigate to the page upon which you'd like to embed the code. Click the title of the page to edit.

  3. In the left hand menu, locate Third-Party Embed, in the Standard content section.

  4. Drag the content type to your desired location on the page, and drop it into place.

  5. If necessary, update the Content location and Content position. These will default to the location and position in which the content type was placed.

  6. By default, Is this code active? will be set to Yes. Leave this default setting so your code will be active upon saving.

  7. Enter a Title for your Third-Party Embed, such as Constant Contact signup form. This title will not display on your website, but will help you to keep your Springboard organized.

  8. Use the Embed type dropdown menu to select Constant Contact.

  9. Enter your Form ID. Find instructions on accessing your Form ID by following the link underneath the Form ID text box. You can also click the arrow next to View sample Constant Contact code for an example of where to locate your Form ID within the code.

  10. Click Save & Finish.

Click the green View page button in the top right corner to preview your Constant Contact form in action.

How to Follow Permission and Compliance Rules

Use these tips when sending email marketing campaigns to protect your subscribers and avoid sending unwanted email.

  1. Only email people who have given permission. Do not add people who haven't signed up to a campaign.

  2. Keep signup wording clear. Be clear with what kind of emails subscribers can expect, and how often.

  3. Include an unsubscribe option in every campaign.

  4. When someone unsubscribes, do not add them back to a campaign unless they sign up again.

  5. Keep your subscribers list clean. Remove any email addresses that bounce repeatedly, or old test subscribers when you are finished testing.

Tips, Notes, and Helpful Guidance

  • If you are unable to access External Accounts, ask your website's Primary Administrator to check your Springboard permissions.
  • Double-check list selection before every campaign send.
  • If you're not currently using Firespring Email Marketing, reach out to the Firespring Support team to see if it is included with your current level of service, or upgrade to a different level to add it.

Troubleshooting

Problem: You do not see the External Account area in Integrations

Solution:

  • Ask your website's Primary Administrator to check your Springboard permissions and update them or add the account on your behalf.

Problem: Your Firespring Email Marketing Stats do not appear to be updating

Solution:

  • Submit a test subscriber from your signup form, then navigate to your Email Marketing area to confirm that the Subscriber number changes.
  • Send a test mailer to your test user, then navigate to your Email Marketing area to confirm that the Mail Sent number has changed.
  • Open your test mailer, then navigate to your Email Marketing area to confirm the Open Rate updated.
  • If you successfully submit test data, and the numbers are still not changing, reach out to Firespring Support for assistance.

Summary

Firespring Email Marketing is a great tool that your organization can leverage, and see clear data from directly in your Springboard. It is included with many levels of service, so contact Firespring Support to get started. If you are using Constant Contact, you can connect your account to the Springboard using External Accounts, and collect subscribers on your website with the Constant Contact Signup form in the Third-Party Embed content type. With clear permission rules and simple campaign reviews, you can grow your email list and send better messages over time.