Email Engagement with Interactive Forms in SFMC

The Interactive Email Form Block is one of the most powerful out-of-the-box features available in Marketing Cloud Content Builder. This feature allows you to receive subscriber information like profile data, product reviews, feedback, short surveys, and sales leads directly from embedded forms in an email.

Allowing subscribers/Customers/leads to submit forms without leaving their mailbox increases customer engagement.

1. How to create the Interactive Email Form block.
2. What types of information can be captured through this form?
3. Where does the response from customers or subscribers get stored?
4. How can marketers access this information and leverage it for better next steps?

1. How to create the Interactive Email Form block

Follow these steps to create an email form block in Marketing Cloud Content Builder. Ensure that you have the Data Extension > Create, View, and Update permissions and that Email Form is enabled in Setup > Content Builder Settings.

1. In Content Builder, click Create > Content Blocks > Email Form. Alternatively, create an email and drag the Email Form block in the editor.
2. Choose a template.
   • Empty Form – Start from scratch and create any type of form you want.
   • Review – Allow subscribers to complete product reviews and other surveys.
   • Progressive Profile – Collect or update subscriber preferences and demographic data.
   • Case Form – Allow subscribers to create or update a support case.
   • Lead Form – Capture or update subscriber information from your leads.
3. Complete the CloudPages Destination fields by searching for a collection and selecting an Interactive Email Page.
4. Complete the Response Capture field by selecting an existing data extension or creating one.
5. To add visible fields, click New Input and select a field type. You can delete and duplicate fields using the icons. To sort, click and drag fields.
6. To label and map fields to data extension attributes, click the edit icon on each field. Configure other field options as necessary.
7. To add hidden fields, click New Hidden Field and complete the Data Attribute and Field Content fields. Hidden fields pass to the data extension values that you want hidden from the submitter, such as order number or product ID.
8. Review and resolve incomplete required fields.
9. To adjust the General Form Styles, including defining the Fallback State, and Input Styles options, select the Design tab
10. Select the Block Settings tab and complete the options as necessary.

2. What types of information can be captured through this form?

There can be visble and hidden fields can be added to the form. Here are some common field types you can create in SFMC interactive forms

:

1. Text Field: Allows users to enter alphanumeric characters.
2. Email Field: Specifically for capturing email addresses, often with validation.
3. Date Field: Lets users select a date from a calendar or enter it manually.
4. Dropdown List: Provides a list of options, and users can select one from the list.
5. Radio Buttons: Presents a list of options, and users can choose only one.
6. Checkbox: Allows users to select one or more options.
7. Textarea: Offers a larger area for users to enter longer text or comments.
8. Hidden Field: Keeps information hidden from the user but can be used for tracking or default values.
9. Profile Attribute: Pulls in data from the Marketing Cloud Contact model, such as First Name, Last Name, etc.
10. CloudPage Lookup: Allows you to look up data from another Data Extension within the form.

3. Where does the response from customers or subscribers get stored?

As shown in the picture above, responses from the email interactive form can be captured in an existing data extension or a new data extension. This data can then be accessed, analyzed, or used for future marketing campaigns within the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. This data extension acts as the destination where the data submitted through the form is stored.

4. How can marketers access this information and leverage it for better next steps?

By effectively using SFMC’s features for data management, segmentation, personalization, automation, and analytics, marketers can access valuable information and tailor their strategies for better engagement and results.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_ceb_interactive_email_display_faq.htm&type=5