Using Cookies and Triggers Together
Overview
- Create Your First Popup -- Summary Guide
- Add a Popup Trigger'Triggers' option settings
- 'Cookies' option settings
- 'Targeting' option settings
The examples below build on the ideas and explanations presented in the documents recommended above. Once you acquaint yourself with them, come back to this document. The ideas will make more sense.
Article Contents
- Example #3 -- Offer Value in Exchange for a Visitor's Email Address
- One Trigger Linked to Two Cookies
- Integrate a Mail List Service
- Set an On Popup Close Cookie Linked to the Trigger(s)
- Add a Second Cookie When a Form is Submitted
- Confirmation Messages Following Form Submit Success
- Avoid Subscription Form Conflicts When Using the Same Form
- Analyze the Results of the Popup Campaign
Example #1: Call-to-Action Popup Linked to a Header/Footer/Widget/Sidebar Area
Set One or More Click Open Triggers Without a Cookie
Because Click Open triggers display based on visitor demand, they don’t require the same level of control as a Time Delay / Auto Open trigger. Popups set with a Click Open trigger will not display repeatedly unless a visitor intentionally clicks on the same link more than once. Therefore, the use of a cookie to control the redisplay of a Click Open popup is neither required nor recommended.
When setting up a Click Open trigger in the Popup Editor, users are prompted with the option to set and link a cookie to the trigger. This option can be ignored and the trigger set without a cookie.
Related article: Trigger: Click Open -- Overview & Methods
Manage Subscription Forms Within Popups
Call-to-Action popups that include an email subscription form are a particular use case that can require the use of a cookie depending on how the popup is triggered. Visitors that select a link that fires a Click Open trigger do so voluntarily. By comparison, a Time Delay / Auto Open, Scroll, or Exit Intent trigger activates a popup based on visitor behavior while on the page. These triggers fire based on visitor time, vertical scroll, cursor movement, or visitor intent detected within a web page.
If a visitor chooses to provide their email address in a subscription form, then a cookie is required to control the redisplay of the form after it is submitted successfully. Go to Example #3 below for details on how to set a cookie to manage that process.
Example #2: Limited Time Offer
One Trigger Linked to One Cookie
Let’s say you want to run a popup campaign with the intent of displaying an exclusive, limited-time offer to as many visitors as possible. In this case, set a popup using a Time Delay / Auto Open trigger. This trigger will display the popup to visitors while they remain on the site. An Exit Intent trigger could also be added to display the same popup to visitors upon leaving the site ( you can use both; see related articles below ).
Related article: Trigger: Exit Intent Introduction
Cookie Settings
The topic of cookies is discussed in detail in the related article link below.
Related article: 'Cookies' option settings
After setting a trigger on a popup, the next step involves the setup and linking of a cookie to a trigger.
- The recommended cookie option is 'On Popup Close' ( the default plugin option ). Visitors will continue to see the popup until they select the 'close' button and dismiss the offer.
- Set the Cookie Time to ‘2 hours’. Consider this is a limited-time campaign. If the user closes their browser or returns to the site after 2 hours, the popup will display again.
- Inspect and confirm that the Sitewide Cookie feature is enabled (checkbox = 'checked'). To limit the effect of the cookie to a single post or page, disable the feature (checkbox = 'unchecked').
To target the pages on which the popup displays, see the related article link below. Unless popup targeting conditions are defined, a popup will activate to display on every page and post of a site.
Related article: 'Targeting' option settings
Example #3: Offer Value in Exchange for a Visitor's Email Address
One Trigger Linked to Two Cookies
Offer visitors something that they value (for example, announcements of coming events; or a product discount ) in exchange for their email address. The offer is intended to persuade a visitor to join your email list. Display the offer in a popup when a visitor attempts to leave the site by using an Exit Intent trigger.
Integrate a Mail List Service
For this type of campaign, add an email signup form inside a popup to collect, and when possible, transfer the form data to an email list service. Many choices are available.
Related article: Popup Maker Integration with WordPress Form Builder Plugins
Set an 'On Popup Close' Cookie Linked to the Trigger(s)
Setup a cookie as follows:
- Add or edit an existing cookie and set it to On Popup Close ( the default plugin option ). Visitors will continue to see the popup until they select the 'close' button and dismiss the offer.
- Change the Cookie Time from the plugin default of '1 month' to ‘7 days'. A shorter time of 7 days is a reasonable period to give frequent visitors to the site who choose not to opt in to the offer.
- Inspect and confirm that the Sitewide Cookie feature is enabled (checkbox = 'checked'). To limit the effect of the cookie to a single post or page, disable the feature (checkbox = 'unchecked').
- Link the cookie to the trigger used within the popup.
Add a Second Cookie When a Form Is Submitted
The On Popup Close cookie targets visitors who close the popup with the Close button. However, if a visitor enters their email address, the popup will continue to display. A second cookie is required to target an email form submitted successfully.
Note: Popup Maker version 1.9 introduces the Form Submission trigger and cookie. Recommended good practice is to use the new trigger and cookie together when either a Popup Maker subscription form or WordPress form plugin that integrates with Popup Maker is placed inside a popup.
The form submit success cookies for Ninja Forms, GravityForms, and Contact Form 7 described below remain valid. They will be deprecated in a future version of Popup Maker, and eventually removed as cookie menu options from the Popup Settings box. The plugin-specific form submit success cookies will continue to work through the Popup Maker version 1.x series.
Related article: Popup Maker Integration with WordPress Form Builder Plugins
For users of the following form builder plugins, refer to the related articles below on how to set a cookie on form submit success. This cookie will be used in combination with the On Popup Close cookie described previously.
| Form Builder Plugin | Documentation Link |
| Ninja Form | Close/Open Popup and Create Cookie After Ninja Forms Submission |
| GravityForms | Close/Open Popup and Create Cookie After Gravity Forms Submission |
| Contact Form 7 | Close/Open Popup and Create Cookie After Contact Form 7 Submission |
| All other form builder plugins that do not integrate with Popup Maker |
Close Popup and Create Cookie When a Form is Submitted |
Related article: 'Cookies' option settings // Go to the section 'Set A Browser Cookie When Submitting A Form'.
Confirmation Messages Following Form Submit Success
Confirmation messages after form submission are managed by each form plugin. See the following article on how to display a confirmation message using Ninja Forms, GravityForms, or Contact Form 7. For all other WordPress form plugins, consult their respective documentation for guidance.
Related article: How To Set Form Plugin Actions Following Form Submit Success
Avoid Subscription Form Conflicts When Using the Same Form
On occasion, we receive support requests from our plugin users about a form plugin that was previously working just fine. The form was initially added by shortcode to the editor of a page, post, or widget area. Then the same form shortcode was added to a popup activated to appear on a page/post that contains the same form plugin ID. Most form plugins do not allow copies of the same form to run on the same page.
See the following related article link on how to avoid this type of conflict.
Related article: Why Is A Form Not Working in My Popup?
Analyze The Results of the Popup Campaign
Congrats! You now have your first popup conversion campaign off the ground!
To optimize your popup campaign, add the Popups Analytics plugin extension to Popup Maker. Get conversion data, time data, graphs, and URL stats for all of your popups!
Related article: Popup Analytics documentation index page
Example #4: Use of Multiple Triggers with One Cookie
It’s possible to use multiple popup triggers to deliver a specific message and control each trigger using a single cookie. For example, a popup could be displayed using the following triggers:
- Time Delay / Auto Open
- Click Open
- Exit Intent
- Scroll
A cookie linked to each trigger can control the repeat display of the popup. The cookie will remain in effect until the expiration time is reached, or the visitor removes cookies from their browser, whichever occurs first.