Introduction
In the dynamic world of digital marketing, seamless data integration is critical for creating consistent and personalized customer experiences. Pardot, a leading marketing automation platform, offers a robust solution for this—Pardot Form Handlers. These tools allow marketers to capture data from custom website forms and integrate it smoothly into Pardot, ensuring that no valuable information is lost. This blog provides an in-depth tutorial on setting up and optimizing Pardot Form Handlers for your marketing strategy.
Understanding Pardot Form Handlers
Pardot Form Handlers act as intermediaries between your website’s forms and the Pardot database. Unlike standard Pardot forms, which are built within the platform, form handlers allow you to use custom forms from your website, offering greater flexibility and brand consistency. By mapping specific form fields to corresponding Pardot fields, you can ensure that all captured data is accurately organized and ready for use in marketing campaigns.
Step-by-Step Guide: Creating a Pardot Form Handler
Step 1: Create a New Form Handler in Pardot
- Navigate to Marketing > Forms > Form Handlers in Pardot.
- Provide the necessary information:
- Form Handler Name: Choose a descriptive name.
- Folder and Tags: Organize your form handler.
- Campaign: Select the appropriate campaign.
Custom Settings:
- Kiosk/Data Entry Mode: Decide if you want the prospect to be cookied.
- Enable Data Forwarding to the Success Location: Determine if data should be submitted to another database.
- Disable Visitor Activity Throttling: Decide whether to disable Pardot’s spam protection.
- Success & Error Location: Set URLs for the thank you and error pages.
- Completion Actions: Define actions triggered when a form is submitted.
Step 2: Add Fields to Your Form Handler
Map the fields you want to capture, ensuring that the external field names match the corresponding Pardot field names without spaces to avoid mapping issues.
Note: Name the external field name the same as your prospect field name, but without the spaces, to avoid mapping issues while passing the information to Pardot.
You can add custom error message text under the advanced tab.
Step 3: Create the HTML Form
- Copy the endpoint URL from your Pardot form handler summary page.
Use the following HTML structure:
- Replace “YOUR_ENDPOINT_URL” with the actual endpoint URL. Ensure the field names in the HTML code match the external field names specified in Pardot.
- Action: This must be the endpoint URL of your Pardot form handler.
- Method: Must be POST
- Input: Add all the form fields you mapped while creating your Pardot form handler.
- Name: This must be the same as the external field name you specified while adding the fields in the Pardot form handler.
- Type: Specify the type (text, email, etc) as per the requirement.
You can add your styling/structure that matches your website.
Testing and Troubleshooting Your Form Handler
If your data is not passing into Pardot through the form handler you added? So you can try some troubleshooting steps below to solve the issue:
- Firstly try to submit the form with just the email address required. If the prospect is created in Pardot without any issues, you might have a field type or a field mapping incorrect within your form handler.
- Try checking or unchecking the option for “Enable data forwarding to the success location” within your Pardot form handler settings. Depending on how you are connecting your form handler to your web form, this may or may not need to be enabled.
- Confirm again your field names are correct in the HTML code. The external field name you set within your form handler needs to be the EXACT SAME as what is in your HTML. So check that the HTML code of your form fields is using the same name and remember.
- Use the HTTPS endpoint if your website is HTTPS. Using an HTTP endpoint for your form handler when your website is HTTPS will cause the browser to give security warnings. Update the form handler endpoint to HTTPS to resolve the issue.
Testing Tips
- Start by submitting the form with only the email field to confirm basic functionality.
- Double-check field mappings in both Pardot and your HTML code.
- Ensure the endpoint URL uses HTTPS if your website is secured with HTTPS.
Benefits of Using Pardot Form Handlers
Pardot form handlers offer several benefits that make them a popular choice among marketers who require more flexibility in their form-building processes. From ease of integration to enhanced control over lead data, form handlers can significantly improve how businesses capture and manage lead information.
Flexibility and Customization
One of the major advantages of using Pardot form handlers is the ability to customize forms outside of Pardot. Whether you have existing forms on your website or need a more customized solution, form handlers allow you to integrate seamlessly without rebuilding your forms within Pardot. This level of flexibility makes them an excellent choice for businesses that have complex data requirements or prefer using third-party form tools.
Seamless Integration with Third-Party Tools
Pardot form handlers also enable smooth integration with third-party systems, allowing businesses to collect data from various sources and funnel it into Pardot for processing. This can include integration with custom-built forms, content management systems, and other marketing automation platforms. The ability to sync data across systems ensures that no lead information is lost, and all data remains consistent.
Pardot Form Handlers vs Pardot Forms
While Pardot form handlers provide flexibility for integrating with external forms, native Pardot forms have their own set of advantages. Choosing between these two options depends on your business’s specific needs and how much customization your forms require. Let’s break down the differences to help you decide which tool is best for your lead capture strategy.
Choosing the Right Tool for Your Business
Pardot forms are built directly within the platform, making them quick to set up and easy to use for marketers who don’t require heavy customization. These forms automatically integrate with Pardot’s lead tracking and automation tools, offering built-in functionality such as progressive profiling and lead scoring. If your business needs simplicity and full integration with Pardot’s features, using Pardot forms might be the best option.
On the other hand, form handlers are ideal if you already have custom forms or use third-party form builders. They allow you to keep your existing form structure while still collecting and processing data through Pardot. This makes form handlers more suitable for businesses with unique form requirements or those that rely on external systems. Ultimately, the decision should be based on your form complexity and whether you prioritize ease of use or customization.
Tracking and Reporting with Pardot Form Handlers
One of the key benefits of using Pardot form handlers is the ability to track form submissions and measure their effectiveness in generating leads. Pardot provides several reporting tools that can help you monitor form handler performance, optimize lead capture, and make data-driven marketing decisions.
Monitoring Form Handler Submissions
Pardot’s built-in tracking features allow you to monitor form handler submissions in real-time. This data is captured in Pardot reports, where you can view metrics like the number of submissions, conversion rates, and lead sources. Tracking these submissions helps you identify which forms are performing well and which may need adjustments to improve lead capture.
By analyzing the data from form handler submissions, you can also identify trends in user behavior and optimize your forms to better align with your audience’s preferences. This can lead to improved engagement rates and a more effective lead nurturing process. Additionally, Pardot allows you to create custom reports that focus on form handler performance, giving you detailed insights into how your forms are contributing to your marketing efforts.
Summary
Pardot Form Handlers are essential tools for marketers looking to maintain seamless data integration across platforms. By capturing and syncing data accurately, they empower businesses to execute personalized and effective marketing campaigns. As digital marketing continues to evolve, mastering tools like Pardot Form Handlers will be key to staying ahead of the competition.
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