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SharpSpring Forms Overview

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Cris Echeguren
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Lead generation relies on forms. With so many forms out there, it is important that your forms stand out.

You can build, customize, and reorder fields with SharpSpring's drag-and-drop form editor.

This article will detail how to create a SharpSpring form.


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Creating and Editing SharpSpring Forms

Forms are the main way that SharpSpring receives information regarding a potential lead. In SharpSpring, form information is posted to a lead's contact record, as well as the lead's individual Life of the Lead timeline. This information can then be used to send an email to the lead, which begins the lead nurturing process.

 

Creating Forms

To create a SharpSpring form, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. On the right side of the screen, click
    cog.png  Options > Add a Form.
  3. In the modal window that appears, enter a name for the form.
  4. Select SharpSpring Form.
  5. Choose the appropriate lead status to assign to leads that fill out this form.
  6. Click Continue.
  7. Click the Fields drop-down menu.
  8. Select a field to add to the form.
  9. Click Save Changes.

Once created, a modal window will appear that contains the form's embed code. This is the code that you paste into a webpage to place created forms on a page. For more information on embed codes, refer to Form Embed Code Overview.

  


Click to enlarge.
Important: As forms establish tracking, it is considered best practice to include the GDPR Consent field to be in compliance with The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Important: You must have at least one field before you can save a form.



Editing Forms

To edit an existing form, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. In the left panel, click
    cog.png   Options > Manage Forms.
  3. Click the name of the desired form.
  4. On the right side of the form page, click
    cog.png  Options > Edit Form.
  5. Edit the form as necessary.
  6. Click Save Changes.
  


Click to enlarge.

 

Copying Forms 

There might be times where you would like to have similar forms with only slight differences. You may also want to have identical forms on different pages to trigger different workflows. In any event, you do not need to recreate a form from scratch—you only need to copy an existing form. To copy a created form, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. In the left panel, click
    cog.png  Options > Manage Forms.
  3. Click the name of the desired form.
  4. On the right side of the form page, click
    cog.png  Options > Edit Form.
  5. Click  cog.png  Options > Save As a Copy.
  6. Click Close.
  7. Click the General tab.
  8. Rename the form.
  9. Click Save Changes.
  


Click to enlarge.
 
Note: Forms can only be copied within the same instance.
 

 

Deactivating Forms

While you cannot delete forms outright, you can deactivate them. To deactivate forms, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. In the left panel, click
    cog.png  Options > Manage Forms.
  3. Ensure the Form Activity drop-down menu is set to Active Forms.
  4. Click the name of the desired form.
  5. Next to the form's Last Active entry, click
    cog.png  Options > Deactivate Form.
  


Click to enlarge.

Once deactivated, the form will be moved to the Inactive Forms menu.



Reactivating Forms

To reactivate a deactivated form, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. In the left panel, click
    cog.png  Options > Manage Forms.
  3. Click the name of the desired form.
  4. Ensure the Form Activity drop-down menu is set to Inactive Forms.
  5. Next to the form's Last Active entry, click
    cog.png  Options > Activate Form.
  


Click to enlarge.

Once reactivated, the form will be moved to the Active Forms menu.


Adding Form Fields: The Fields Tab

The Fields tab contains the options necessary in inserting, modifying, and customizing form fields.

You must have at least one field before you can save a form. To add fields to your SharpSpring form, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. Create or edit a form.
  3. Click the Fields tab.
  4. Click the Fields drop-down menu.
  5. Select applicable fields to include in your form.
  6. Click the Elements drop-down menu.
  7. Select appropriate elements to add to your form.
  8. Click the Referral Fields drop-down menu.
  9. Add appropriate referral fields to your form, if necessary.
  10. Click the Special Fields drop-down menu.
  11. Add appropriate Persona and GDPR Consent fields.
  12. Rearrange fields as needed.
  13. Optionally, click the Ask How Did You Hear About Us checkbox.
  14. Click Save Changes.
  


Click to enlarge.
Important: An email address is required for SharpSpring to be able to gather form data.
Note: The first time you save a form, an embed code modal window will appear. To continue editing the form, click Close.

For information on editing custom field content, such as custom drop-down field selections, refer to Creating Custom Fields.



Rearranging Fields

At any time during the form creation process, you can rearrange or otherwise modify the fields inserted into the form. Hovering over a field will display the following three icons:

Icon Modifier   Description
compass.png Reorder   Drag-and-drops fields to reorder their placement in the form.
xgongiveittoya.png Delete   Removes the field from the form.
caret.png Options   Additional options, including hidden specification, default value,
and lead type.




Fields Best Practices

When adding fields to SharpSpring forms, it is important to keep the following in mind:

  • Forms should contain a maximum of four or five fields. Listing more fields is usually too much, as too many fields bloat the form in both style and substance.

  • You can choose how fields show. Some fields can be set to always show or only show if a lead has not filled out that field before. 

  • Check the Autofill Data toggle to fill data automatically. This lets associated fields auto-populate with a visitor's information if they have already filled out that field.

  • Utilize the Create Custom Fields link. Custom fields allow you to better customize and specialize forms.

  • When using referral fields, be aware that the fields do not establish tracking. Referral fields do create a second contact record for that referral.  When using referral fields, send an email to that referral stating that they were referred. This  encourages the referred visitor to visit your website and/or fill out a form to establish tracking.

  • When using the How Did You Hear About Us feature, the option will add a field at the end of the form where your visitor can add themselves to a campaign in SharpSpring. This feature is available just in case one of your current campaigns did not catch them.

  • You can integrate SharpSpring forms different webinar platforms. SharpSpring has integrations with both WebEx and GoToWebinar. This allows you to add events or webinars as form fields. This way, when visitors fill out your form, they are also registered in WebEx or GoToWebinar.


Editing Form Metadata: The General Tab

The General tab contains options to edit metadata and other important pieces of form information. To modify a form's metadata, do the following:

  1. In a SharpSpring form, click
    cog.png  Options > Edit Form.
  2. Click the General tab.
  3. Change the form name in the Form Information section.
  4. Adjust settings in the Thank You Page section.
  5. Adjust settings in the Form Data section.
  6. Toggle the switch in the Invisible reCAPTCHA section to add security protection to your form.
  7. In the Settings section, choose one of the following Form Language options:

    •   English
    •   Spanish
    •   French
    •   Italian
    •   German    		 •   Dutch
    •   Portuguese
    •   Romanian
    •   Turkish
    •   Slovak 
  8. Click Save Changes.
  


Click to enlarge.
Note: Google's invisible reCAPTCHA tool protects your forms from spam and other types of automated abuse. This happens behind the scenes without requiring a user to click a checkbox. Only the most suspicious traffic will be prompted to solve a captcha.



Thank You Page Settings

The available Thank You Page settings are as follows:

Setting   Description
Thank You
Page URL		   Insert the desired URL that you want the form to redirect to upon submission. This page is typically hosted on your website or a
landing page and usually says "Thanks for filling out our form."
The page redirects the user to your website. By default,
SharpSpring will automatically display a generic Thank You page
for anyone who fills out the form if the Thank You Page URL field
is left blank.
Submit Data
to My "Thank
You" Page		   This setting will generate a postback URL to the Thank you Page
designated for the form. This postback URL will allow for a
developer with code knowledge to implement code that can utilize
the form data from the postback URL accordingly.
Show "Thank
You" Page
within iFrame		   Choose for the Thank You page to open in a new page, or in an
iFrame on the same webpage.
Use Custom
"Thank You" Page		   Click  pencil.png  Edit to modify the HTML for the default Thank You
page. This allows you to still utilize the basic Thank You page
while modifying it to your liking if you choose to not insert a
Thank You page URL.




Form Data Settings

The available Form Data settings are as follows:

Setting   Description
Lead Status   Give visitors who fill out this form a lead status.
Double Opt-In   Clicking this checkbox enables the double opt-in feature. This
feature sends a confirmation email to those who fill out this
form, allowing them to explicitly opt-in to receiving emails.
Postback URL   Enter a Postback URL if you have a third-party service you
want SharpSpring to post the form data to.

 


Editing CSS: The Styles Tab

The Styles tab contains a list of options pertaining to using CSS stylesheets and buttons with a form.

To modify Styles settings, do the following:

  1. In a SharpSpring form, click
    cog.png  Options > Edit Form.
  2. Click the Styles tab.
  3. In the Form CSS section, do one of the following:

       •   Paste an External CSS URL.

       •   Create, edit, or delete Current
            Stylesheets    .
  4. In the Submit Button Style section, do one of the following:

       •   Create a custom Submit button.

       •   Choose from any of the existing default
            buttons.
  5. Click Save Changes.
   


Click to enlarge.
Note: When modifying existing buttons, click  
pencil.png  Edit to modify the button, or  close.png  Delete to remove the button from the list of choices.
 
Note: External CSS URLs are necessary only if you have a stylesheet that is already associated with your site and want the form to have the same look and feel.
 
Note: SharpSpring offers Professional Services to assist with custom coding.



Creating Stylesheets

To create a stylesheet and apply it to the form, do the following:

  1. Click Add Stylesheet.
  2. In the window that appears, name the stylesheet.
  3. Edit the stylesheet as necessary.
  4. Click Save Stylesheet.
  5. Select the created stylesheet radio button. 
  


Click to enlarge.



Editing Stylesheets

To edit existing stylesheets, do the following:

  1. Hover over an existing stylesheet.
  2. Click  pencil.png  Edit.
  3. Edit the stylesheet as necessary.
  4. Click Save Stylesheet.
  


Click to enlarge.



Deleting Stylesheets

To delete stylesheets, do the following:

  1. Hover over a stylesheet.
  2. Click  close.png  Delete.
  3. In the modal window that appears, click
    Delete Stylesheet.
  


Click to enlarge.

Be aware that stylesheets cannot be recovered when deleted. Also, stylesheets cannot be deleted if they are associated with any form, even ones you are not currently creating or editing.


Native and Third-Party Forms

In addition to SharpSpring forms, SharpSpring also allows you to create two other types of forms: native or third-party. For information on the processes involved in creating these forms, refer to Connecting Native and Third-Party Forms.


Adding Auto-Responder Emails

To add an auto-responder email to SharpSpring forms, do the following:

  1. In SharpSpring's top toolbar, click
    Content > Forms.
  2. Create or edit a SharpSpring form.
  3. Click the General tab.
  4. Locate the Auto-Responder section.
  5. In the No email selected... field, type the name of the email to be sent when leads fill out this form.
  6. Click Save Changes.
   


Click to enlarge.
Note: Auto-responders can only be used with SharpSpring forms. They cannot be used with native or third-party forms.
 


Five Forms to Increase Lead Conversions

While there are many different types of forms, consider the following forms to best increase lead conversions:

  • Limit content with gated content forms. When maximizing your content strategy, you can limit what content a lead can access by gating the larger content—or even all content—behind a form submission. This is a great way to validate qualified leads and confirm that your content is something your targeted demographic would find valuable.

  • Give readers subscription options with subscriber forms. Create a basic email-only form to allow leads to subscribe to blog content. Link multiple form submissions together in a list and enable RSS emails to automate content delivery to these subscribers.

  • Allow visitors to contact you with schedule request forms. Include a date/time picker custom field on a form to allow leads to request or schedule a specific time to speak with a member of your team. Use the custom field in conjunction with time-based workflows to automate follow-ups unique to the requested date.

  • Provide targeted content with promotional and offer forms. Whether you are offering a free assessment, discounted consultation hours, or a consumer commodity, promotional forms are a great way to have leads submit information to receive the offer. Once the lead is in your funnel, you can follow-up with strategic marketing.

  • Let visitors be themselves with persona forms. Add a field to your form that includes a self-identification question to allow leads the ability to identify as demographic you are targeting. This will help to improve dynamic messaging.

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