Build Amazing HTML Email Campaigns With WordPress

Using HTML templates in conjunction with your WordPress plugins and site can significantly strengthen your site’s long-term performance. While there are hundreds upon hundreds of different plugins that you can choose from, sometimes there are tasks that are simpler to perform with HTML.

Knowing how to integrate HTML templates with your WordPress site offers you the ability to work outside of the box and create something new and unique for your WordPress site. There are two ways that you can integrate HTML templates with WordPress: Through manual insertion and with plugins.

Before We Begin

While knowing how to do something is important, knowing why to do something is even more important. Having the skills to manually manipulate your forms and templates allows you to customize your WordPress site in new ways.

Knowing how to do that plus use the premade plugins gives you complete and full control over what your WordPress can do.

What are Mailing List templates?

A mailing list template is a form that adds an email address to a list. When you create a mailing list, you have the ability to contact many users at one time. You can use these lists to notify them of special offers, send them newsletters, and encourage them to purchase goods or subscriptions from you.

Wufoo offers a broad variety of different templates that can be integrated into WordPress. There are two ways to work with Wufoo: You can install the plugin or you can manually work with the HTML Templates. You will want a Wufoo login in order to benefit from all of their offerings.

Note: Using Manual Integration, you can create HTML mailing templates outside of what Wufoo offers, but Wufoo is a good starting point for anyone knew to HTML/CSS/Database template creation.

Manual Integration

Step 1: Modifying the Template

In order to take advantage of an HTML Template in WordPress, you need to customize the code. While the output of the template is in HTML, the truth is, most mailing list templates use a combination of CSS and javascript to function. This gets complicated.

The most important element of mailing list creation is being able to add new email addresses to your lists.

Those without a Wufoo login must configure this manually. This requires a little bit of HTML and coding know-how.  You’ll need a database to store the email records.  I recommend skipping the complicated coding and get a login. You can customize the scripts for your site in a friendly WYSIWYG fashion and Wufoo will handle the database element of the Mailing List Template.

Step 2: Integrating the Template

Once you have customized the template, you will need to insert it into your post or page. For this to happen, you must have the HTML call to the appropriate folders and files on your domain. Then, you need to use the HTML Coding section of the New Post or Edit Post functionality in WordPress to copy-paste the code.

Step 3: Test the Template

Since you’re doing manual integration, you need to test the template. A successful test will add a new email address into your database.

Automated Integration

Step 1: Configure the Template

This must be done through Wufoo’s website and automated tools as a user with login. Configure the template as you desire and take note of the completed template’s code.

Step 2: Install the Plugin

Using WordPress’s Plugin Manager, install Wufoo’s plugin.

Step 3: Insert the Shortcode

Make certain you include your username and formhash whenever you use the shortcode to automatically configure the form to the settings you created in step 1.

That’s it! While this is one of the more complex methods of expanding your WordPress operations, there are many ways that you can take advantage of integrating HTML templates. Wufoo alone offers many different template solutions. Outside of Wufoo, there are thousands of ways that you can use custom forms with databases to enhance your website’s functionality and performance.

Enjoy,

-Seth C

Tags:

• HTML
• email