Capturing Leads with a Webform

BIGContacts provides a "webform connector" feature enabling you to link a webform from your website to the BIGContacts system. This connection ensures that when a contact completes and submits the form on your website, it instantly creates a new contact record within your BIGContacts account.

PLEASE NOTE:  To successfully connect your webform, you'll need someone proficient in HTML code. This person will insert the unique form code (along with merge fields) into your form to establish the connection with BigContacts.

In addition to adding the lead to your account, you can also choose to:

  1. Assign the new contact to a team member.
  2. Assign a task to a team member for follow-up.
  3. Create a sales opportunity.
  4. Initiate automated email communication with the new contact.

1) Here's how to activate a new web form in your BigContacts account:

  • Click on the "Admin" Tab, then navigate to the "Manage Templates" section and click on the "Webforms" link.

Add Webform

  • Click on the "Add WebForm" button 
    • In the "Name" field, provide a name for your webform (e.g., "Free Trial Form").
    • In the "Assign to" field, use the dropdown menu to select the team member responsible for the contact when it's created.
    • Check the "Assign Task" box (recommended for tracking purposes).
    • In the "Task Name" field, enter the task subject line you want to see when a contact submits this webform (e.g., "New Web Lead").
    • Use the dropdown menu labeled "Assign task to" to select the team member responsible for this task.
    • Check the "Create Opportunity" box if you want to automatically create a sales opportunity for contacts submitting this webform.
    • If you've checked the "Create Opportunity" box, use the dropdown menus labeled "Opportunity stage" and "Opportunity product" to specify the stage and product for the opportunity.
    • Once you've reviewed your webform settings, click the "Add WebForm" button to save your changes and generate your unique form code.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you select the "Check referrer" option, ensure that the URL precisely matches your web form URL, including any "www" or "/" characters; otherwise, the form submission will not be allowed.

 _______________________________________________________________________________

2) Build Your Web Form

Below is an example of HTML code for a basic form:

<form method="POST" action="https://app.bigcontacts.com/webforms/process">
 <p></p>
 <p> &nbsp;<input type="hidden" name="form_code" value="ec7a5f4e7394d9f8365982d176ecd2f5" class=""></p>
 <p> &nbsp;<input type="hidden" name="lead_type" value="Web Site" class="">&nbsp;</p>
 <p> &nbsp;<input type="hidden" name="lead_source" value="Information Inquiry" class=""></p>
 <p> &nbsp;<input type="hidden" name="contact_type" value="Prospect"></p>
 <p> &nbsp;<input type="hidden" name="return_url" value=" <a href="http://www.mywebsite.com/process_form.html">http://www.mywebsite.com/process_form.html</a>" class=""></p>
  First Name: <input type="text" name="first_name"><br>
  Last Name: <input type="text" name="last_name"><br>
  Email: <input type="email" name="email"><br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form><br>

Important: In the sample HTML code provided above, certain fields are intentionally concealed. Whether to display or hide these fields depends on your webform's specific purpose. However, it's advisable to hide the "form_code" field by employing the appropriate tag.

 

   

 

 

 

 First Name

 Last Name

 Email

_________________________________________________________________________________

3)Choose Data Fields for Your Form

You can select data fields from your form to pass into your BigContacts account. Here are standard data fields and their merge values:

Standard Data Fields

  • First Name: {{first_name}}
  • Last Name: {{last_name}}
  • Address: {{home_address}}
  • Address 2: {{home_address2}}
  • City: {{home_city}}
  • State: {{home_state}}
  • Postal Code: {{home_zip}}
  • Home Phone: {{phone}}
  • Email: {{email}}

Business Information Fields

  • Business Name: {{business_name}}
  • Address: {{business_address}}
  • City: {{business_city}}
  • State: {{business_state}}
  • Postal Code: {{business_zip}}
  • Country: {{business_country}}

Note: When crafting HTML code for your webform to capture data, ensure the correct use of the merge fields mentioned above. You can utilize these merge tags as input types for your webform fields to gather information from the contact. For instance, if you need both the personal and business names of your contact, consider using the following code as an example: 

<!--First Name-->
<p>First Name <input type="text" name="first_name"></p>

<!--Last Name-->
<p>Last Name <input type="text" name="last_name"></p>
			

<!--Business Name--><br><p>Business Name <input type="text" name="business_name"></p>

Custom Data Fields and their merge values

To merge data from the web form into custom fields, follow these steps:

  • Click on the "Admin" tab.
  • In the "Manage My Account" section, select the "Customize Account" link.
  • Under the "Custom Fields" sub-tab, configure your custom fields as needed.
See Image below

Custom Fields

Related Articles