Should I Use Global or Local Forms in Marketo Engage

Delivering success with Marketo requires best practice knowledge and expertise for marketing automation teams. This ongoing Marketo Essentials series shares tips and expertise you can put to use in Marketo to do more and perform better.
This is a common question Marketo users ask when creating programs inside Marketo Engage. Today I am going to walk through the pros and cons of global and local forms in Marketo Engage so you can decide which option is best for you. 

When To Use a Global Form in Marketo Engage

I recommend using global forms in your Marketo programs whenever possible. Here’s why: 

• Using a global form creates a consistent workflow
• A global form allows for consistent scoring and reporting
• You can expect reliable data by managing the input options available (select vs text box)
• You have less room for errors
• A global form saves you time and resources. You aren’t spending your time creating new local forms for each program.
• Global forms are easily managed in one centralized location
• They are easy to update. You don’t have to update individual local forms within each program if you are changing your data capture requirements.

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Disadvantages of Global Forms
There are a few downsides to using global forms. They really aren’t a big deal, but you should be aware of them before you use them. The cons of global forms are:

• You have less flexibility for choosing fields across your forms
  • If you are using a global form, you can’t change the fields on the form for a unique program need
• Tracking embedded form conversions is a little more complicated
  • If you embed the form, tracking campaigns require “Fills out Form and Web Page and Referrer Is,” rather than just “Fills Out Form”

Now let’s look at the pros and cons of local forms. 

When To Use a Local Form in Marketo Engage

• Use a local form when you want flexibility with your field choices. If a form is local, you can display whatever fields you want, regardless of what fields are on other forms. 
• Local forms allow custom stylization for each form
• Embedding local forms is easier due to the simplicity of referencing the unique form for tracking campaigns 
• When you want the convenience of the form living right inside the program

Disadvantages of Local Forms
The downsides of using local forms are:

• Spending valuable time creating new forms 
• Creating new forms opens the door for data inconsistencies and requirements across your organization as well as potential data mistakes due to net new form creation
• If you need to make a change across all forms, like for GDPR, it can be time-consuming to accomplish
• Local forms make it more complicated to keep track of each asset

Understanding the impact of using global or local forms in Marketo is critical for marketing automation pros. Was this helpful? Get more Marketo tips in our Marketo Essentials series.