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How to Create and Send an HTML Email Form Using PHP
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I was a little sceptical of what email format (html or text)
most people use to read their email. Most recent surveys
suggest html email, however I thought it would still be text.

My own survey results showed subscribers still preferred html email
over text based email by a few votes.

My conclusion is that it is still best to use both methods so you can
still please everyone.. If you only use html email you will surely lose
many subscribers.

Today's newsletter issue gives you the step by step process on

"How to Create and Send an Interactive HTML Email Form"

I hope you find it useful for your marketing efforts.

Best Wishes,
Herman Drost

An HTML email form is often used in email marketing to generate
a greater response from potential customers. However their is
not much information on how to actually create an interactive
html email form or template to achieve this.

Part 1 of this article discussed how to create and send simple
html email. In this article we will create an interactive html email form.

Benefits of creating an html email form

*generate immediate interactivity with your customers.
*use of visually appealing graphics, icons and forms.
*all the most popular email software now support html email.
*ability to track responses
*create interactive questionaires, surveys and newsletters.

Here is the step by step process how to create an html email
form:

1. Create your interactive html email form page in your favorite
html editor including any graphics, icons to make it look
attractive.

Make sure you always use absolute urls for graphics
(ie http://www.ihost-websites.com/htmlmail/header.gif ) and an
absolute link for your formmail script
("http://ihost-websites.com/htmlmail/formmail.php"), otherwise
they won't appear correctly.

Here's an example of an interactive html email form viewed as a
web page.

http://www.ihost-websites.com/htmlmail/newsletter.htm

If you want to see the html code used for the form, click on
Internet Explorer and go to: view - source.

2. Name your html formmail page (ie newsletter.htm) and save it.

Keep your html email simple by eliminating the meta tags (ie
title, description, keywords). Don't use large graphics as
these will slow down the loading time of your email plus quickly
fill your customer's inbox capacity.

3. Obtain a copy of the php formmail script and save it to the
same directory as your newsletter.htm page.
(You can get a copy of this script by sending an email
to htmlemailform@ihost-websites.com).

4. Name this script.. formmail.php - this script will process
the html form (newsletter.htm) you created above. You can also
use this script in combination with an html form on your web site.

5. Edit your newsletter.htm page - make sure you have the correct
form action otherwise your form won't work ie

<form action="http://www.ihost-websites.com/
formmail.php" method="post" target="_blank">

Insert different titles and images for your newsletter or contact form.

6. Edit the php formmail script.
Replace the title, email and confirmation comments with your own.

7. Create a new directory on your current web site called
htmlmail (ie www.ihost-websites.com/htmlmail/).

8. Place your html formmail page, graphics and script into the
html directory. This will help keep all your files organized.

If you don't currently have a web site, then register a domain
name first, design your html email form and upload all files
(form, graphics, script) to your new web host (make sure your
web host carries the php feature).

9. Upload the html directory to your web server.

10. Test the new html email form on your server first. Check that
your html email form page works corrrectly when submitting your
form - you should receive a confirmation immediately upon
submission.

You are now ready to send your html email.

11. Open your Email Software - in outlook express (since it's the
most popular) go to:

Create mail
Fill out the to and subject fields
Place your cursor in the body of your email message
Check insert - text from file
In "files of type" box scroll to "HTML Files"
In the "look in" box scroll to the saved html page on your computer.
(newsletter.htm)

12. Email a test to yourself and friends who have different
email programs before you send it to your subscriber list. This
will ensure your html email will appear correctly to all your
customers.

Now you have a template you can use to send out your html
emails. You then won't have to repeat this process again.

You can also alter the look of your html email template by
changing the graphics and/or fields, then uploading the changes
to your server.

Try using an html email form for your future questionaire,
survey, ad or newsletter.

You will be pleasantly surprised!

Resources

PHP formmail script
Send an email to: htmlemailform@ihost-websites.com
to receive a copy of the script.

Groupmail
http://www.infacta.com - free version allows a list
of up to 100)

Add2it
http://www.add2it.com/scripts/mailman-pro.shtml

Free HTML Templates
http://www.sparklist.com/services/htmltemplates.html

5mb of disk space (most small web sites only use 3mb)
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Does your Web Site Sell?
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Get a Free Evaluation from:
Herman@isitebuild.com or visit
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Once your Web site is up, you must maintain it. Maintenance
means changes, and each time you make a change, you may make
a mistake. If your visitors get a link that doesn't work or incomplete
instructions, or if your copy is lackluster instead of passionate, they
will leave your site and not bookmark it.

Before you invite Web potential customers to see your masterpiece
you need to check and correct all parts of your site, especially the
home page. Use these 9 tests to maintain your Web site.

1. Test your headlines. You have 4 seconds to get your visitor's
attention. Test your title or opening sentence. This one item alone can
make a huge difference in the responses you receive.

Instead of the wasted words "welcome," put a benefit
with a link to either a story about your product, a sales message,
or straight to the order page for your product.

When I made "Quadruple your Web Sales in Just Three
Months "a hyperlink to my sales piece for "High Traffic = High Web
Sales", my Web sales increased ten times from the original one,
and this is only 7 months time. If your headline doesn't do it, the
game is over.

2. Test your offer. People perceive more value when you add an
incentive to buy. Give them a bonus FREE report or a tips list
with the order. It takes little time and effort to create, but
it increases sales ten-fold.

For the holidays, I sent out a half price notice for my nine eBooks.
The results amazed me.

3. Test your promotion piece by emailing your preferred audience several
choices. Which one would they buy? Emphasize different benefits,
try different phrases, power words and metaphors. Appeal to their
different senses like smell, touch, emotions and visual.

4. Test your price. A price that is too low is as bad as a price
too high. Too low a price devalues your product or service.
Potential clients or buyers might think, "If it's that cheap,
it must not be good."

One myth is that eBooks have less value than print books. If your
book has information your one particular audience wants, it has high
value and you must price it accordingly. My eBooks are in 8 ½ by 11"
format. That means they have twice the information as a regular size
book. They can be purchased by regular eMail or put into Portable
Document Format (PDF).

5. Test your copy. Change testimonials or pictures every so often.
Redo your opening page and closing page. Instead of "Subscribe
to my ezine," put a short testimonial from a famous person in
your field right before the "click here" to subscribe. Always
give your visitors a reason to buy. Make your copy "you"
oriented. Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual,
said this about my free monthly ezine "The Book Coach Says...
ezine is chock full of useful information - totally worth your
time."

6. Make your Web pages easier to read by using bullets.

On my home page I put these statements in bullets:

"Book Coach Offers These Book Writing and Marketing Outcomes"

· Crystallize your book concept for absolute clarity.
· Know your book's best publishing options.
· Organize a model compelling chapter to apply to all chapters.
· Know the first steps to writing a great selling book.
· Know your book's best promotion after it is finished.
· Know your book has value and will sell, before you invest time
and money

7. Test your Web site paragraph length. In general, keep them
short, around 1-4 sentences. Imagine looking at a long line of print
before getting to the meat? Discouraged, you would probably
leave the page, and possibly the site! Check for passive sentence
construction too. Your spell and grammar check gives you those
percentages at the end. If your sentences are more than 3-4%
passive, you need a professional coach to check your copy.

8. Test your Web site layout. Know where visitors are entering
your site and exiting. Many companies out there can give you this
counting service. If potential buyers keep leaving at a
particular page before they go to products and ordering page,
your words deceive you-and some changes are in order. You can
track: where your traffic is coming from, what pages visitors
like, and how long are they there, even which Web visitors signed
up for your eNewsletter.

9. Test your order process. Ask certain people to run through
different parts of your site (show your appreciation by paying
them for it with free product or service). Tell them you have a
thick skin, and appreciate their honesty.

One would-be customer couldn't finish the order for one of my
teleclasses. It took a lot of effort to get that mistake rectified with
some free product. I know a famous eBook author from which I
tried and tried to buy a book. I even emailed him about it. He said
he didn't take email orders and sent me back to where the problem
was. It's much better to have all links work, so your customers
will have an easy ordering experience. Then they will return to your
Web site over and over again.

Know that your job of testing never ends. It's what we call
maintenance. 80% of life is maintenance! Just experimenting
with these tests will bring more sales. Keep testing to know
what your potential buyers really want.

===============
Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach
Helps entreprenurs manifest their book and web dreams
eBk: "Ten Non-techie Ways to Market Online"

Send an email to subscribe@bookcoaching.com
FREE The Book Coach Says... includes 2 free eReports
Judy@bookcoaching.com
Ph:619/466/0622

Search engine optimization and submission is an absolutely
essential marketing strategy to attract traffic to your site.
Without people visiting your web site, no sales can be
generated.

Just submitting your site will not guarantee a place in the
search engines. You must first optimize your web site for the
search engines before it is submitted.

This promotion package eliminates the need to learn all the
strategies and the great amount of time it would take, if you
would do it yourself.

Here is what you will receive in the package.

1. Search Engine Analysis of your website
Research Appropriate Keywords
Check Link Popularity
Link Validation
Keyword Density

2. Recommend Changes - I recommend the changes to be made
to your web site (metatags, web copy and /or design)
based on my research above.

3. Hand Submission to all Major Search Engines (this does not
include paid inclusions), plus 30 or more smaller search
engines using submission software.

4. Generate a report of all submissions

5. Monitor Site Rankings

6. Suggest other strategies you can use to gain more traffic to
your site.

Side note:
Your site should be monitored on a monthly basis to
be listed, stay listed and gain higher rankings. Search engines
take several weeks (or months) for web sites to get listed.

Disclaimer: Although there is a chance for your site to gain
top rankings in the search engines, there are no guarantees,
since search engines often change their strategies from time to
time. You must stay up to date with current search engine
strategies to stay listed.

Please contact me for a free quote.

Herman Drost
promotion@isitebuild.com

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Thank you,
Herman Drost
Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) and President of
iSiteBuild.com Site Design, Hosting and Promotion
http://www.isitebuild.com

Author of “Marketing Tips” Newsletter and the NEW ebook
"101 Highly Effective Web Site Promotion Strategies".