In this article...

Overview

Step 1 - Basic Setup

Step 2 - Form Fields

Step 3 - Form Content

Step 4 - Confirmation Page

Step 5 - Form Styles

 

Overview

An alternative method to using "text to join" to grow your text list is the using an online sign up form (opt in web form). SlickText's digital form creation tool is available for all accounts, and is fully customizable including: Content, font, sizing and imaging options, custom CSS, and more! Web forms also provide an advantage over text to join in that you are able to capture additional information about your subscribers upon signing up. More on that below.

In this help article we will review how to set up a web form of your very own. The form creation tool is very user friendly, even for those less than tech savvy. SlickText's web forms are available for use as a landing page, or as embedded right onto your main website. Neat!

First things first:

• Log in to your SlickText account
• Marketing Tools
• Manage Web Forms
• Create New Web Form

 

You will notice there are 5 easy steps to creating your web form. Many of these options revolve around form customization. Below is a breakdown for each step.

 

Step 1 - Basic Setup

Form Name (people will not see)

The name here is just for your use as a reference to the form.

Form Description

Similar to the name, this is a place for your to leave some notes about your form.

What are you using this form for?

A.) Opting People In - This option is used in almost all scenarios. This option to have the form used to opt people in is the best option when looking to grow your subscriber list

B.) Capturing Subscriber Info - This option serves only 1 purpose: Gain additional information about current subscribers. As the form can be saved as a clickable link, hosted by SlickText on a landing page, a form created using this option can then be sent out to your list of subscibers.

Why would I use this option? There are many instances in when this can prove valuable. The most common instance is when additional subscriber information is needed to help segment or classify subscribers. 

For more information on this option, visit our Data Capture Form article or watch our tutorial video here.

How will this form be used?

A.) As a Landing Page - Upon saving your form, this option will present you with a clickable link that either you or your subscribers-to-be can click on. This option is most commonly assocaited with the following:

• Email Advertisements / Signatures
• Used on a tablet's browser at events
• Social Media posts
• Redirects from your websites main page

B.) Embedded on a Website - This option will present you with iframe coding upon saving the web form. This HTML can be used to place the form into any part of your website, including pop-ups, headers, footers, etc.

 

Form URL

If you are looking to mask the name of SlickText with your web form for branding purposes, you can change the URL that the form appears under.

Will this form be for all textwords or one specifically?

Choose between showing all textwords are available lists to sign up form, or associating the form with just a single textword. Choosing to use the web form for "All textwords" will create a drop down if there are at least 2 textwords created in your account.

 

Step 2 - Form Fields

A form field is a part of the form where you ask for additional information from your subscribers. For this step, we will review all options for any given field, plus a few special rules. Keep in mind while you can ask for as much information from your subscribers as your would like, less is more when it comes to converting users to subscribers via the web form. Only ask for necessary information to ensure the highest opt in rates.

You are able to enable or disable any of the fields (except mobile number). To explore additional settings for any form field, click on the purple gear icon ⚙️ to the right.

On this screen...

Make this field required?

Simply choose yes or no. If a field is required and the user does not fill out said field, an error message will pop up when they attempt to submit their information

Field Label

Edit the name of the field as it appears to the user

Field Placeholder

Enter text here that appear as a grayed-in example for what to place as an answer to said field. For the "First Name" field, a common option here is to use: "John"

Field Options

You may find for some fields, it's in your best interest to limit the responses your subscribers can give. Here, you are able to create a drop down list of answers for the users to choose from.

 

-Option Name: An option as it appears to the user

-Option Value: What the option populates as in their subscriber profile

 

Special Rule: If you are gaining specific information such as birthday (age verification) or email from this form, the auto replies for each respective feature will smartly not send out. The system will identify this information as captured and will not send out a follow up text asking for it again.

Custom Fields: If you are looking to capture additional information about your subscribers, but the fields of information you are looking for are not available, you can simply create your own fields! Brush up on SlickText's Custom Fields feature!

 

Step 3 - Form Content

Logo

Brand your web form with an image at the top. Available formats are jpg, png, and gif.

Logo Size

This slide bar allows you to increase or decrease the size of your logo as it appears on the form.

Heading

Define your form here. Ex. SlickText VIP Club!

Heading Text

Elaborate on how to join the text list via the web form. Ex. Join the SlickText VIP Club for $10 OFF your next purchase. Simply fill out your information below and hit Sign Me Up!

Button Text

Define the text for the sign up button located at the bottom of the form

Button Target

This option allows you to redirect users to a specific website instead of the SlickText confirmation page (Step 4). Simply copy and paste the link here.

Fine Print

As with any fine print, this text will show up as small text at the bottom of the form.

 

Step 4 - Confirmation Page

Confirmation Page Heading

A Short and Simple "Thanks" works here

Confirmation Page Text

Following the completion of the form, SlickText will send your subscriber an opt in text to ensure the mobile number entered belongs to their device. It's a good idea to use the templated text shown here, telling subscribers to complete their subscription to the text that was sent out to them.

Confirmation SMS

This is the content of the text that hits the user's phone to opt them in (referenced above). While you can edit this text, keep in mind users will either need to respond back YES or Y to confirm their subscription to your text list.

 

Step 5 - Form Styles

Form Width - 550 pixels

Adjust the width of your form. The default is 550 pixels

Font

Change the font from any of the options available in the drop down

Background Color

Defaulted to White (FFFFFF), you are able to adjust the form to have a different background color. Your form can also be transparent by removing all text from this box.

Background Image

Instead of a background color, a background image option is available. Either upload an image directly from your computer, or use Unsplash.com, a royalty free website for images, searchable based on keyword. This has been directly integrated here.

Background Image Darkness

Adjust the darkness of your forms background. This is most noticable when a custom image has been uploaded

Text Color

Adjust the color of the text seen all throughout the form. This is highly recommended if using either the background color or background image options.

Button Color

This option is defaulted to green, as shown on the "Sign Me Up!" button located at the bottom of the form.

Button Text Color

This option is defaulted to white, as shown on by the text on the above button: Sign Me Up!

Error Color

When an error occurs with submitting the form, such as not entering required information, an error message will occur. This is defaulted to red, but can be changed.

Error Text Color

This option allows you to change the text color within the error pop up.

⚙️Advanced Settings

Custom CSS - Web developers will be familiar with using Custom CSS to further edit their web form to fit their needs.

 

Using Your Web Form

With your web form now created, it's time to put it to use. Depending on how you created the form, you will either receive a link or HTML coding upon hitting the Save Form button. Just post, advertise, and watch your list grow! And as always, test the opt in web form yourself to ensure you like the look and feel of the form.

 

Still have questions? Checkout our tutorial video here!

 

FAQ's

How can I embed the form into my website?

In order to embed a form into your website, make sure you select "Embedded on a website."  Upon saving your form, you will be presented with a snippet of HTML code which can be placed onto your website. If additional help is needed with this, feel free to reach out to your website developer or designer.