Create a Subscription Management Page

Step 1: Create a Web Content Record

To get started, navigate to Web & Events > New Web Content

A new Web Content record will appear.

In the new record, enter the following fields:

Name: This is the reference name of the subscription page. You could use the title of the page that will contain the subscription page – for example: ‘Subscription Preferences’, ‘Newsletter Sign-up’.

Type: Choose Subscription.

Domain: Select a domain you want to use for the Subscription Management Page. Make sure that the Domain record also has the Sub Domain Alias field populated - if it is not please see this article to set that up.

Create New Visitor As: Determines whether a new Lead or Contact will be generated in Dynamics if the email address included in the form submission does not match any existing records. When an Anonymous Visitor fills out a subscription page and his or her email address does not already exist in a Lead or Contact record in your environment, ClickDimensions automatically creates a record with the email address provided on the page.

NOTE: If Create New Visitor As is left as blank, the form will treat that as the field being set to Lead.

Campaign: (Optional) If you link a Campaign to this Subscription Page record, all associated Posted Subscription records will be linked the campaign you specified. You will be able to view all of the Posted Subscription records in the Campaign record.

Category: This field is required and by default is set to Marketing, but you can select any of the default categories (Marketing, HR, or Other) or add your own custom options to choose from. The value selected here will not display on related Posted Preferences records but you can still use reference it in an Advanced Find or the Intelligent Dashboards.

Lead Generation Form: This field is required and set to Yes by default. Its primary purpose is for use in Intelligent Dashboards but you may query on it in an Advanced Find, however, it will not appear on related Posted Preferences.

Submissions: Once the subscription page is submitted, relevant Posted Subscription records will be listed here.

Page Views: Page Views for people accessing the subscription page will be listed here.

Once all of the required information is entered, click Save.

Step 2: Add Subscription Lists

The Design button in the ribbon is now active. Click on the Design button to open the designer window.

2a. Add Subscription Lists

In the Designer window you will see a list of your Subscription List records on the right. Simply click on the Subscription List and drag it to the Subscription Design block to add the list to the Subscription Preferences page. As you drag the list over, the space where it will go will turn blue and will have a red line above it. Below that you'll see the Submit button and will have the ability to move that to a different column.

You can also change the look of the Subscription List name on the page. To do this, select the Subscription List that has already been added to the Subscription Page and click the Properties button in the List section of the ribbon.

2b. Remove Lists

You can also remove a list from the Subscription Design Box by selecting the list and then clicking Remove from the List section of the ribbon.

Step 3: Set List Properties

You can double-click on a list or click your list and then click Properties in the List section of the ribbon.

3a. Display

Under the Display tab, the name of the Subscription List will already be in the Label field, and you can change the text to anything you like (it will not change the name of the Subscription List record, only the label that appears on the page). You can also set a default value for the Subscription List (whether the box is checked or unchecked). A checked box will opt a recipient into the list while an unchecked box will unsubscribe them from that list, and it is not possible to alter this behavior at this time. If the person has already submitted a subscription management form, it will show their current preferences as a default. In the Font Properties section, you can change the color, font, text size, and text weight of the Subscription List label.

3b. Formatting

In the formatting tab, you can specify the number of columns the Subscription List label will span (one, two, or three).

Step 4: Subscription Page Properties

Click on the Properties button in the Subscription section of the ribbon. This will open the Properties window for the entire subscription page. You will be able to change the font and size of the individual lists, as well as adding margins.

 

The Subscription Properties also give you access to the option to "Limit to one submission" for each visitor. Please note that if the visitor deletes their browser cookies or submits the form from a different browser, then they will be able to submit again.

 

Step 5: Button Properties

You can click the submit button and then the List Properties button or double-click the submit button to edit it. You can change the text on the button (label), color/background image, alignment of the button, and more.

Step 6: Add Components

Components are non-field items that can be added to a Subscription Page to expand its functionality or styling options. Click here to learn about Components.

NOTE: As of ClickDimensions version 9.2.0 (8.2.2 for CRM 2011), we have added several new components to the Subscription Page builder to aid user compliance with GDPR and other anti-spam regulations.

NOTE: The Unsubscribe All - SMS and Phone Number components will only be available to organizations who have updated to our ClickDimensions Opt-In Subscription Management style in ClickDimensions Settings.

Step 7: Add Actions

The Subscription Page Builder also gives you the opportunity to specify some actions to take once someone has submitted their Subscription Preferences. These Actions are detailed here.

Note: You may choose to use the "Add to Marketing List" Action to set up your Opt-ins. Click here for more information on managing subscription opt-ins with an Action. The other option is to manage opts-ins with a workflow.

Step 8: Confirmation Text

When a user submits their preferences, it is good practice to show confirmation text to indicate your user’s submission is submitted and received successfully. You can enter text or redirect the user to a new page by selecting the Confirmation Text button in the Subscription area in the ribbon.

A new window will open that contains an HTML editor and a field for the redirect URL. You may enter any text, images, links, etc… into the HTML editor, and it will be displayed as soon as the user clicks on the Submit button. You may also enter a URL into the Post Redirect field at the bottom. If you do enter a URL, the user will be redirected to that URL instead of seeing the Confirmation Text.

NOTE: The URL in the Post Redirect field must include http:// or https:// in order for the form to redirect on submission.

Step 9: Preview

You can preview your Subscription Page by clicking on the Preview button in the Subscription section of the ribbon.

This will open your Subscription Page in a new window where you can see how it looks. You can enter information and see the page respond. However, since it's only a preview, any information submitted in this window will not be submitted to Dynamics.

Step 10: Code Editor

If you would like to edit the CSS properties or JavaScript related to this Subscription Management Page, click the Code Editor button.  This will open a new window that allows you to edit or include your own CSS and JavaScript code to be associated with this Subscription Management Page.

You will also see a pane in the window to view a read-only version of the HTML and a preview of what your Subscription Management Page would look like with the changes to the CSS and JavaScript code. You can always reset the CSS and/or JavaScript back to what it was to begin with.  The changes will be applied to the Subscription Management Page once you click Save.

Step 11: Embed button

Below are embed options for the Subscription Page. You can create a Custom URL for it, obtain its direct embed link or the embed code to use it elsewhere than a ClickDimensions email.

If you want to manually copy the URL for the Subscription Page, click on the Embed button in the ribbon.

This window contains the URL to the Subscription Management Page, the Iframe code, and the Widget code for you to insert into your website.

To learn more about the ways you can Embed your subscription management page click here.

Step 12: Insert Subscription Page in a ClickDimensions Email

When you are ready for your email recipients to use the Subscription Page, you can link to it in a ClickDimensions email using the Unsubscribe option in the Link Manager to quickly insert it.

Make sure to use the Link button in the Email Template editor to insert the link rather than the "Embed as Link" option explained above.

Step 13: Set up Opt-ins

Now you'll just have to set up the opt-ins.

You can do this either with a workflow (which can use Dynamic Marketing Lists), with an Action (which can only use Static Marketing Lists), or with a Campaign Automation.

Opt-outs are handled automatically.

(Dynamics 2013/2015) Step 1: Create a Web Content Record

To get started, navigate to ClickDimensions > Web Content

Here, you can see a few System Views. Active Web Contents will show by default, but you can also change the view to display Active Subscription Pages only, if you prefer.  You can also create a Personal View if you would like to create your own criteria to show here.

Click New to create a new Web Content record.

A new Web Content record will appear.

In the new record, enter the following fields:

Name: This is the reference name of the subscription page. You could use the title of the page that will contain the subscription page – for example: ‘Subscription Preferences’, ‘Newsletter Sign-up’.

Type: Choose Subscription.

Domain: Select a domain you want to use for the Subscription Management Page. Make sure that the Domain record also has the Sub Domain Alias field populated - if it is not please see this article to set that up.

Create New Visitor As: Determines whether a new Lead or Contact will be generated in Dynamics if the email address included in the form submission does not match any existing records. When an Anonymous Visitor fills out a subscription page and his or her email address does not already exist in a Lead or Contact record in your environment, ClickDimensions automatically creates a record with the email address provided on the page.

NOTE: If Create New Visitor As is left as blank, the form will treat that as the field being set to Lead.

Campaign: (Optional) If you link a Campaign to this Subscription Page record, all associated Posted Subscription records will be linked the campaign you specified. You will be able to view all of the Posted Subscription records in the Campaign record.

Category: This field is required and by default is set to Marketing, but you can select any of the default categories (Marketing, HR, or Other) or add your own custom options to choose from. The value selected here will not display on related Posted Preferences records but you can still use reference it in an Advanced Find or the Intelligent Dashboards.

Lead Generation Form: This field is required and set to Yes by default. Its primary purpose is for use in Intelligent Dashboards but you may query on it in an Advanced Find, however, it will not appear on related Posted Preferences.

Submissions: Once the subscription page is submitted, relevant Posted Subscription records will be listed here.

Page Views: Page Views for people accessing the subscription page will be listed here.

Once all of the required information is entered, click Save.

Step 2: Add Subscription Lists

The Design button in the ribbon is now active. Click on the Design button to open the designer window.

2a. Add Subscription Lists

In the Designer window you will see a list of your Subscription List records on the right. Simply click on the Subscription List and drag it to the Subscription Design block to add the list to the Subscription Preferences page. As you drag the list over, the space where it will go will turn blue and will have a red line above it. Below that you'll see the Submit button and will have the ability to move that to a different column.

You can also change the look of the Subscription List name on the page. To do this, select the Subscription List that has already been added to the Subscription Page and click the Properties button in the List section of the ribbon.

2b. Remove Lists

You can also remove a list from the Subscription Design Box by selecting the list and then clicking Remove from the List section of the ribbon.

Step 3: Set List Properties

You can double-click on a list or click your list and then click Properties in the List section of the ribbon.

3a. Display

Under the Display tab, the name of the Subscription List will already be in the Label field, and you can change the text to anything you like (it will not change the name of the Subscription List record, only the label that appears on the page). You can also set a default value for the Subscription List (whether the box is checked or unchecked). A checked box will opt a recipient into the list while an unchecked box will unsubscribe them from that list, and it is not possible to alter this behavior at this time. If the person has already submitted a subscription management form, it will show their current preferences as a default. In the Font Properties section, you can change the color, font, text size, and text weight of the Subscription List label.

3b. Formatting

In the formatting tab, you can specify the number of columns the Subscription List label will span (one, two, or three).

Step 4: Subscription Page Properties

Click on the Properties button in the Subscription section of the ribbon. This will open the Properties window for the entire subscription page. You will be able to change the font and size of the individual lists, as well as adding margins.

Step 5: Button Properties

You can click the submit button and then the List Properties button or double-click the submit button to edit it. You can change the text on the button (label), color/background image, alignment of the button, and more.

Step 6: Add Components

Components are non-field items that can be added to a Form to expand its functionality or styling options. Click here to learn about Components.

NOTE: As of ClickDimensions version 9.2.0 (8.2.2 for CRM 2011), we have added several new components to the Subscription Page builder to aid user compliance with GDPR and other anti-spam regulations.

NOTE: The Unsubscribe All - SMS and Phone Number components will only be available to organizations who have updated to our ClickDimensions Opt-In Subscription Management style in ClickDimensions Settings.

Step 7: Add Actions

The Subscription Page Builder also gives you the opportunity to specify some actions to take once someone has submitted their Subscription Preferences. These Actions are detailed here.

Note: You may choose to use the "Add to Marketing List" Action to set up your Opt-ins. Click here for more information on managing subscription opt-ins with an Action. The other option is to manage opts-ins with a workflow.

Step 8: Confirmation Text

When a user submits their preferences, it is good practice to show confirmation text to indicate your user’s submission is submitted and received successfully. You can enter text or redirect the user to a new page by selecting the Confirmation Text button in the Subscription area in the ribbon.

A new window will open that contains an HTML editor and a field for the redirect URL. You may enter any text, images, links, etc… into the HTML editor, and it will be displayed as soon as the user clicks on the Submit button. You may also enter a URL into the Post Redirect field at the bottom. If you do enter a URL, the user will be redirected to that URL instead of seeing the Confirmation Text.

NOTE: The URL in the Post Redirect field must include http:// or https:// in order for the form to redirect on submission.

Step 9: Preview

You can preview your Subscription Page by clicking on the Preview button in the Subscription section of the ribbon.

This will open your Subscription Page in a new window where you can see how it looks. You can enter information and see the page respond. However, since it's only a preview, any information submitted in this window will not be submitted to Dynamics.

Step 10: Code Editor

If you would like to edit the CSS properties or JavaScript related to this Subscription Management Page, click the Code Editor button.  This will open a new window that allows you to edit or include your own CSS and JavaScript code to be associated with this Subscription Management Page.

You will also see a pane in the window to view a read-only version of the HTML and a preview of what your Subscription Management Page would look like with the changes to the CSS and JavaScript code. You can always reset the CSS and/or JavaScript back to what it was to begin with.  The changes will be applied to the Subscription Management Page once you click Save.

Step 11: Embed button

Below are embed options for the Subscription Page. You can create a Custom URL for it, obtain its direct embed link or the embed code to use it elsewhere than a ClickDimensions email.

If you want to manually copy the URL for the Subscription Page, click on the Embed button in the ribbon.

This window contains the URL to the Subscription Management Page, the Iframe code, and the Widget code for you to insert into your website.

To learn more about the ways you can Embed your subscription management page click here.

Step 12: Insert Subscription Page in a ClickDimensions Email

When you are ready for your email recipients to use the Subscription Page, you can link to it in a ClickDimensions email using the Unsubscribe option in the Link Manager to quickly insert it.

Make sure to use the Link button in the Email Template editor to insert the link rather than the "Embed as Link" option explained above.

Step 13: Set up Opt-ins

Now you'll just have to set up the opt-ins.

You can do this either with a workflow (which can use Dynamic Marketing Lists), with an Action (which can only use Static Marketing Lists), or with a Campaign Automation.

Opt-outs are handled automatically.