Want to grow your contact database with new signups from your website? A website signup form is the simplest way to do it — every time someone fills it in, a brand new contact is created in Connect automatically, ready for welcome emails, loyalty signups, and future campaigns.

This guide walks you through creating a basic signup form with the fields most venues want to capture (name, email, mobile, and an optional birthday), and embedding it on your website so signups flow straight into your database.

If you haven't used the form builder before, see How to build a form in Connect for the full walkthrough.

Before you start

• Decide which fields you want to capture. The most common combination is First Name, Last Name, Email, Mobile, and Date of Birth.
• You'll need access to your website to add the form code, or someone on your team who can paste the code in for you.

Topics

• Add a new form and set up your fields
• Set up notifications
• Add a welcome email (optional)
• Publish your form and add it to your website
• Troubleshooting

Add a new form and set up your fields

1. In Connect, go to Forms
2. Click the + symbol to add a new form
3. Enter a name for your form (e.g. Website Signup) — this is for your reference only
4. From Available Fields, drag First Name, Last Name, Email, and Mobile into your form
5. Click each field to customise it. Set First Name, Last Name, and Email as required. Leave Mobile as optional.
6. To capture birthdays, drag in Date of Birth. Click the field and under Date Options, uncheck Year if you only want to collect day and month — great for birthday promotions where you don't need the year.
7. Arrange fields side by side or in a single column by hovering over a field, clicking the move icon, and dragging it where you want it

For step by step see how to build a form in Connect. 

💡 Tip — Keep the form short. Asking for too many fields upfront reduces signups. You can always collect more detail later through a preferences form sent via email.

Set up notifications

You can choose to get an email every time someone signs up, so you can welcome them or follow up personally.

1. Click Next to move to the notifications step
2. Toggle on Send notification to you
3. Enter the email address you want notifications sent to
4. Set your on-screen confirmation message — for example, "Thanks for signing up. You'll hear from us soon with exclusive offers."

Add a welcome email (optional)

A welcome email is a great way to introduce your venue to new signups straight after they submit the form.

1. Toggle on Send a Confirmation Email
2. Enter a From Name (e.g. your venue name)
3. Enter a Subject Line (e.g. "Welcome to [Venue Name]")
4. Write your welcome message — keep it warm, clear, and on-brand. Let them know what to expect from your communications.
5. Use Mailmerge to personalise the email with the contact's first name
6. Click Next

Publish your form and add it to your website

1. On the publish step, click Get JavaScript Code
2. Copy the code
3. Send the code to your web developer, or paste it into your website's HTML where you want the form to appear. 

That's it. From now on, every signup flows automatically into Connect, tagged and ready for your campaigns.

💡 Tip — Once the form is live, consider setting up an automation in Connect > Flows to follow up with new signups after a few days (e.g. an offer or invite to your loyalty program).

Troubleshooting

The form isn't showing on my website

• Cause: The JavaScript code wasn't pasted correctly, or the page is caching old content
• Fix: Check the code is pasted exactly as Connect provides it. Clear your website cache, then reload.

Submissions aren't appearing in Connect

• Cause: The form may be in draft mode, or submissions may not be linking to existing contacts
• Fix: Open the form in Connect to confirm it's published. If submissions are creating new contacts instead of updating existing ones, check that the Email field is included and required.

I want to capture more than name and email — what should I add?

• Cause: Different venues have different needs (date of birth, preferred location, dietary requirement, etc.)
• Fix: Set up custom fields under Settings > Contact Fields, then add them to your form. See How to add a custom contact field.

Related articles

• How to build a form in Connect
• Manage your forms
• How to capture guest preferences via an email campaign
• Getting started with forms in Connect
• How to add a custom contact field

Your website signup form should now be live, capturing new contacts straight into your database.

Any questions? Reach out to us via email at support@meandu.com