How To Add an Opt-In Form to Your Facebook Page

Posted by Justin Premick

Given Facebook’s continued growth, you’re likely to see even more discussions of how marketers can and should be using it to connect with customers.

For those of you who are running Facebook pages (or want to), there’s now an easy way to add fans and visitors to your email marketing campaigns…

Adding an Opt-In Form to Facebook Pages

Alex at the Return on Subscriber blog offers an excellent tutorial (complete with screenshots) that walks you through the process.

In a nutshell, it comes down to adding an application to your page that lets you insert HTML, then pasting in signup form HTML just like you would on any other web page (not sure how to add a signup form to your website?).

Go check out the Facebook tutorial.

Please Note: This is for adding a form to a company Facebook page, not your individual/personal profile. (What’s the difference?)

What To Do With Your Facebook Page Opt-In Form?

I’m sure you have some creative ideas on what kind of offer you would make to Facebook visitors and fans.

I’m still brainstorming ideas for our own use; for now, the form on the AWeber Facebook page (which I set up immediately after reading the tutorial above) is for this blog’s newsletter:

(Click above to see the form on our Facebook page.)

What ideas do you have for incorporating an email marketing campaign into your Facebook page?

Update: a lot of you have called us with questions about this, so we made a video to show you how to do it. You can watch it here or in our Knowledge Base.

Watch a Video

Tags list building, social media, web forms

Karin H.

Hi Justin

I’m using a different ‘widget’ which allows me to create two different webforms in Facebook (one on personal page and one on our business Page).
Got the tips and how to from here: http://www.newward.com/articles/?p=93

Uses a different Facebook app: Profile HTML, but works as good too – and I found it quite easy to set up.

You can create one form in the Profile Tab and on form in the Profile box. So, 1 plus 1 makes….
6/24/2009 10:38 am
Charles

I have attempted to follow this strategy but I can’t seem to find the "Static FBML" application. I have gone to the browse more applications link while in "edit this page" after adding my fan page and the search never returns anything. Can you help with where or how to find the "static fbml" application?
6/24/2009 12:30 pm
Justin Premick

Charles,

I believe you can find the application directly from this page.

Once you add the application, it should show up in the list of editing options when you edit your Facebook page.
6/24/2009 3:07 pm | Follow me on Twitter
Alan

The Aweber form is a java script. The FBML box does not seem to recognize it – I get a box built OK, but the contents are blank
6/24/2009 3:14 pm
Justin Premick

Alan,

In the "Get HTML" box, you should have the option to copy the "Raw HTML" version instead of the JavaScript. (This will be present for inline forms only; popover or popup forms cannot go on Facebook). Use that instead.
6/24/2009 3:31 pm | Follow me on Twitter
Chris Burbridge

One thing that would be obvious, is to add something of value that you can only get through the email newsletter. If I can get exactly the same stuff through FB, I might not sign up.

This of course could be the same type of thing you’d normally have, such as a free e-book.
6/25/2009 10:24 pm
Shun Jian

It doesn’t only work for facebook pages… you can place an aweber opt-in form in your facebook profile as well…

I spent half a day tweaking and finally managed to place an opt-in page into my facebook profile… check it out here…

http://www.facebook.com/shunjian?v=app_19540106280
7/1/2009 1:02 pm
Jonathan

Response forms in HTML email?
I was wondering if you can create a response form embedded/ built-in directly to the HTML email versions of our newsletters?
It would be great to be able to poll or get immediate responses for voting, requests or feedback from within the email body.
If its the HTML form uses the method="post" will this cause any problem on the customer side?
(I’m making the assumption the majority of those that can read HTML emails are using webmail)
7/8/2009 11:29 am
Paul Easton

Anybody know how to do the same to Squidoo.com ?
7/14/2009 12:28 am
Douglas

I have the same problem as Paul Easton. Can not get my opt-in web form embeded in my Squidoo lens.
7/15/2009 8:31 pm
Justin Premick

Paul and Douglas,

Looks like Squidoo doesn’t permit forms to be added:

http://www.squidoo.com/basichtml#module1957984
7/16/2009 10:38 am | Follow me on Twitter
Kerri

VERY helpful tutorial – thank you! If you ever do a re-do, mention to people that you can change the title of the box from FBML to whatever you want.
7/17/2009 6:59 am
Ryan G

Alan,

If you do not have an option for raw HTML then I suspect you chose a form such as pop-up or light box. This is supported only by Javascript. You may need to choose the default in-line form.
7/21/2009 1:07 pm
Judith Auslander

I tried to create this application on Facebook that would link directly to signing up for my newsletter. However, neither I nor my computer geek friend could figure out how to make it work. Help! I think it is a great idea, Thank you
8/2/2009 1:14 pm
Neil Smith

I give up. I’ve got the My HTML tab. I clicked on the tab and it does nothing. I click on the edit pencil and it does nothing. I click on the Tab Options and it does nothing. No. The computer is not frozen.

Anybody got any ideas?
8/9/2009 8:04 pm
John Belchamber

Is there anything available to add a subscribe form to my Linkedin Page?
8/11/2009 3:14 am
Justin Premick

Neil,

I’m not sure why Facebook would handle that differently for you than it did for us in the video. Maybe something is happening on a part of the page that you don’t immediately see when you click to edit? (maybe you have to scroll somewhere?)

John,

I’m not aware of any way to do that in LinkedIn.
8/11/2009 8:16 am | Follow me on Twitter
Karin H

@ John
Perhaps this might give you an idea: http://1plus1makes3.screenstepslive.com/spaces/previewtoolbox/manuals/previewawst/lessons/4193-Preview-TACTIC-S4-5-Using-AWeber-with-WordPress-com

If you use one of your profile links (website, blog etc) to direct to the AWeber hosted broadcast it should work IMHO (not ideal, but still)
8/11/2009 8:18 am
James Espey

The steps were easy enough to follow, but I still get a blank page when clicking the FBML tab, in both IE and FF. Any ideas?
8/14/2009 10:06 am
John Belchamber

Thanks guys, I got this working on my Invoke Results Facebook once I read the blog comments properly – it was Alans Comment that did it:

"In the "Get HTML" box, you should have the option to copy the "Raw HTML" version instead of the JavaScript. (This will be present for inline forms only; popover or popup forms cannot go on Facebook). Use that instead."
8/16/2009 8:16 pm
Luluh

I have a campaign adds inFacebook, I did found the static FBML but i don’t have page . what i need to do to have a page of my campaign?
8/17/2009 12:48 am
Aaron Morton

Hi,

I have tried to follow the steps but come up short when I go onto static FBML and instead of having ‘Add to Page’ all it has is ‘add to my favourites’.

So I do that but doesnt have anywhere where I can place my code. I have no idea why it works for others but the option isnt there when I do it! Any ideas?
8/23/2009 4:56 pm
CJ

OK – I’ve logged into my Facebook page, searched for and found Static FBML, but, when I click on ‘add to my page’, I get a window with this message:

Select which Page you wish to add Static FBML to.
No results

There’s nothing there to click on.

I’ve even become a fan, thinking this was the catch, but this made no difference.

What’s wrong?
10/7/2009 7:03 am
Justin Premick

CJ,

Does your business have a fan page to add the Static FBML application to? If not, that’s the issue. This tutorial and that application are for Facebook fan pages, not your personal profile.
10/7/2009 1:08 pm | Follow me on Twitter
Julie

This is driving me insane!! I?ve logged into my business Facebook fan page, searched for and found Static FBML, but when I click on ?add to my page?, I get a window with this message:

Select which Page you wish to add Static FBML to.
No results it is blank.

There?s nothing there to click on. I am administrator for two business fan pages but nothing shows. Is there an issue with this or am I just missing something major?
11/7/2009 9:05 pm
Julie

okay figured it out. I had already added them to my pages (when i didn’t know what it was) and therefore the dialog box was blank. LOL
11/7/2009 9:28 pm
Kurt

On my facebook account, I promote my music…I wanted to know how do you add the ‘become a fan’ icon on the video blogs?
12/1/2009 4:59 pm
Jeff

I am having a similar problem to others here. When I try and use Static FBML I do not have the option to add to my page, only to add as a favorite. In addition I tried using Profile HTML and I get an error message.
Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array in /home/mtjfnet/public_html/fbook/profile/html5/functions.php on line 44

Any ideas?
12/15/2009 12:25 pm
Jodi

Thank YOU! I have never dabbled in FB stuff but this non-profit was really needing my help and they don’t have any money (hence needing me to help). I have found digging for FB code/protocol tidbits like finding a needle in a haystack……….
12/16/2009 1:34 am
Mary Smith

Does anyone know how to add an order form to a facebook business page?
1/23/2010 6:33 pm