Trouble with forms and lists

Product Support
1

I am having so much trouble with using forms to add users to different lists.



Essentially what I want is your typical email sign up form, where someone can select the different lists that we want to be on. I want ONE form with 5 check boxes, and based on the values of those boxes, the user will be added to a certain list.



I’ve tried several different ways of doing this and can’t find a workable solution. I’ve tried:

-creating a custom field for each list as a boolean data type (i.e. Event List: yes or no). Then creating a campaign workflow where based on the user’s input (a filter based on form field value) their lead list is altered.

-I’ve also tried mapping the form field to a custom field as a select data type. Not sure how that’s supposed to work but I can get it to. And although the user can select more than one option in a select field, it’s not completely obvious (our users are older and probably won’t know to CTRL + click)

-I’ve tried having the email options all in one form field (as radio boxes) and all the options in separate form fields.



Will I really have to create a different form for each list?

2

I am having so much trouble with using forms to add users to different lists.

Essentially what I want is your typical email sign up form, where someone can select the different lists that we want to be on. I want ONE form with 5 check boxes, and based on the values of those boxes, the user will be added to a certain list.

I’ve tried several different ways of doing this and can’t find a workable solution. I’ve tried:
-creating a custom field for each list as a boolean data type (i.e. Event List: yes or no). Then creating a campaign workflow where based on the user’s input (a filter based on form field value) their lead list is altered.
-I’ve also tried mapping the form field to a custom field as a select data type. Not sure how that’s supposed to work but I can get it to. And although the user can select more than one option in a select field, it’s not completely obvious (our users are older and probably won’t know to CTRL + click)
-I’ve tried having the email options all in one form field (as radio boxes) and all the options in separate form fields.

Will I really have to create a different form for each list?

3

I believe I solved my problem. Posting my solution for anyone interested:

  1. Create a custom field called “Email Lists”. It should be a “Select” data type.
  2. Enter in field options as the names of your email lists (i.e. Promotional, Blog, Events)
  3. Create a standalone form and create a checkbox group.
  4. Add options for this field that match your email list titles (Promotional, Blog, Events)
  5. Match the form field to the “Email Lists” lead field.
  6. Create a Smart List for each list type by filtering the “Email Lists” lead field for the appropriate value.

The cool part is, if someone completes this form and then goes back to update their preferences, whatever boxes they check the second time will override their previous options. I added an “Unsubscribe from all lists” option so when they select that, they’ll be removed from all other lists.

My only concern is that if they accidentally select the Unsubscribe option in conjunction with another option (this will rarely happen, but it’s possible) they wouldn’t be completely unsubscribed. It definitely works for us right now, though.

4

This is probably obvious, but how are you linking this form to the specific user? Are you asking them to enter their email address? Or are you using a cookie?