At one time or another, you may have wondered if you could send out a form in an email.

It’s possible that you then hesitated because you didn’t know how to do it or you had “send fear” because you have heard that forms don’t work in email. This is very common.

The Best Use of Forms in Your Email Campaigns

Read on to discover answers to the most common questions about using forms in your emails.

What is an email form?

An email form is an online form used to collect information from subscribers, especially to help build a relationship with these subscribers.

Forms come in a myriad of types, depending on the purpose of the form. Some come with as little as 2 fields for the name and email address, while others come with a lot more fields, as their purpose will be to gather as much information about the subscriber as possible. Others, like a feedback form, serve the purpose of gathering information from subscribers relating to their experience with your product or service.

Done properly, forms are a very secure way of collecting information from customers, and they form an integral part of every marketer’s toolbox.

Online forms in email

You’ve likely encountered forms all over the web when signing up for an email list, making an online purchase, or providing feedback about a recent customer service experience or product purchase.

And, while online forms are commonplace on websites, blogs, and landing pages, they aren’t so common in emails, and there’s a reason why.

What’s the challenge with using forms in email?

Forms are important because they are a secure way (when done correctly) to share important data from subscribers and customers with your company.

The challenge is that a form in email is not secure and, even if you have some way of making it so, the email clients your subscribers are using may see the form as a security risk and pop up an alert to the subscriber, which can discourage him or her from completing it. The possibility of the form popping up a security alert is one of the main reasons we recommend not using forms in your email campaigns.

Including an HTML email form also runs the risk of ending up in the spam box, as most email clients consider forms as spammy.

Alternatives to using forms in your email marketing

While some email clients will warn your subscribers of potential danger, others outright disable the forms. So, if you want to send out a form in your email, be aware that some recipients won’t be able to use it. And, of those that may be able to see the form, they might think twice about submitting data when they see a warning from their email client.

Can I embed a survey in an email?

Survey response rates are usually not great. Any marketer will tell you this is one of the areas they see the least engagement. Many factors contribute to that, including surveys simply being boring. But perhaps the biggest dissuasion comes from the fact that your targeted participants have to go to another website or platform to answer your survey questions.

Source: Really Good Emails

That is why it would be great to be able to embed a survey into an email. An embedded survey would allow your subscribers to quickly answer your pertinent questions without having to be redirected to another platform.

But is it possible to embed your survey in an email?

The short answer is yes. The long answer, however, is not as straightforward.

If you’re planning on making life easier for your subscribers by embedding your survey into an email without running the risk of tripping spam triggers, you will have to tread carefully.

To embed your survey into an email, you will need a good email service provider and a third party application to create the survey. One such app that connects seamlessly with Emma (and many other services) is GetFeedback.

GetFeedback allows you to easily embed a survey into your email body using Emma’s drag-and-drop email editor. All you have to do is open your email editor, drag the GetFeedback button into your email body, and customize your survey.

Wrap up

As a savvy marketer, it’s important to gather as much intel about your subscribers as possible. A wealth of information will help you to segment your list properly, personalize well, and send out relevant information and promotions.

But gathering that data requires the participation of your subscribers by way of their filling out forms and surveys. Done well, your participants will furnish you with all the information you require. This is why you need to master the art of driving reader engagement, even where forms and surveys are concerned.

Emails and forms have an unsteady relationship. Here’s what you need to remember to keep that relationship stable in your email marketing:

• Email forms are a critical component of your marketing

• Embedding HTML forms in your email can be a marketer’s nightmare, as they are the top spam triggers

Looking to improve the impact of your email marketing? Here’s an article we created just to help you increase the open rates of your email marketing campaigns.