What’s the best way to implement Marketo forms on your website? In this post, you will learn 5 different ways to implement Marketo forms on your website and the pros and cons of each method.
Marketo Forms on Non-Marketo Landing Pages
Marketo provides HTML code that you can embed on your website when you setup a form using the Forms 2.0 editor. This is the most straightforward way to implement a Marketo form your website.
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Advantages
- Keep the same URL as your main website.
- The form can be modified in the Marketo editor and the changes will appear on your website as soon as the form is approved.
- Progressive profiling will work.
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Disadvantages
- Form pre-fill will not work.
- Requires a developer to embed the form code on the page.
- Form styling (CSS) will need to be added in Marketo.
Marketo Forms using the SOAP API
The SOAP API gives you access to leads, actions, and more. Use it for functions such as adding leads to your lead database from CRM systems, or extracting leads for your lead database for use in other systems.
Example
You have a web application for customer registration that captures new customer information. With a bit of programming, you can also have lead information for those users captured in Marketo.
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Advantages
- Great for complex websites or web applications.
- Complete form customization (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Integrate the existing forms on your website with Marketo.
- Ability to submit data to more than one database upon form submission.
- Custom code can be created for progressive profiling and form pre-fill functionality.
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Disadvantages
- Back-end developer is required.
- There is a limit to the number of SOAP API calls Marketo can handle (default 10,000/day).
- The form can’t be modified in the Marketo editor. A developer is required if any fields need to be added/modified.
Marketo Forms using the Munchkin API
The Munchkin Javascript API allows you to integrate a third-party web system with your Marketo account. With some web development, you can capture new leads or update current leads with existing applications on your website.
Example
You have a web application for customer registration that captures new customer information. With a bit of programming, you can also have lead information for those user captured in Marketo.
** This technique requires the Munchkin tracking code to be implemented on the page. **
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Advantages
- Great for web applications or complex websites.
- Complete form customization (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Integrate the existing forms on your website with Marketo.
- Ability to submit data to more than one database upon form submission.
- Custom code can be created for progressive profiling and form pre-fill functionality.
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Disadvantages
- Requires a front-end developer.
- JavaScript can be blocked on the client side.
- The form can’t be modified in the Marketo editor. A developer is required if any fields need to be added/modified.
Marketo forms using the REST API
The REST API gives you access to leads, actions, and more. Use it for functions such as adding leads to your lead database from CRM systems, or extracting leads for your lead database for use in other systems.
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Advantages
- Great for web applications or complex websites.
- Complete form customization (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Integrate the existing forms on your website with Marketo.
- Custom code can be created for progressive profiling and form pre-fill functionality.
- The REST API is the primary focus for Marketo’s API development at this time.
- Ability to submit data to more than one database upon form submission.
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Disadvantages
- Requires a back-end developer.
- There is a limit to the number of REST API calls Marketo can handle (default 10,000/day).
- The form can’t be modified in the Marketo editor. A developer is required if any fields need to be added/modified.
Marketo forms using the Forms 2.0 JavaScript API
The core functionality of a Marketo web form can be extended using Forms 2.0 JavaScript API. The forms 2.0 API allows you to add custom logic to your forms using javascript.
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Advantages
- Ability to add custom logic using Javascript.
- Ability to submit data to mutiple databases.
- No limit on how many calls you can make per day.
- The form can be modified in the Marketo editor and the changes will appear on your website as soon as the form is approved.
- Progressive profiling will work.
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Disadvantages
- Requires a front-end developer.
- Form pre-fill won’t work.
Comparison
Still not sure what technique will work best for you? Here’s a comparison of all the functionaly for each implementation method.
| Functionality | Standard Marketo Form | SOAP API | REST API | Munchkin API | Forms 2.0 API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep the same URL as your main website | |||||
| Progressive Profiling | Custom | Custom | Custom | ||
| Form Pre-fill | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
| Form can be modified in the Marketo editor | No | No | No | ||
| Complete form customization (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) | Some | ||||
| Integrate with existing forms | No | No | |||
| Submit data to more than one database | No | ||||
| Daily API Call Limit | No | No | No | ||
| Custom logic | Limited | ||||
| Requires a back-end developer | No | No | No | ||
| Requires a front-end developer | No | No |
Questions?
Email me, send me a tweet @jennamolby, or leave a comment