Ion Integration: Act-On

You have two integration methods to select from when exporting data from ion to your Act-On instance (also known as an “Add Lead” integration): the REST API method and the Post to Web Form method. Both methods can work seamlessly with your ion creatives.

REST API

A REST API integration directly adds contacts in a specified Act-On list. Visitors will see a form you built in ion (and data is saved to your ion console), and then behind the scenes we pass designated data to your Act-On list. Maintenance for this method can be complex, as it requires updates to custom scripting should you want to change or expand the exported fields in the future. You will not be able to trigger automation in Act-On based on form completion, since there was no Act-On form submitted.

Post to Web Form

A Post to Web Form integration is what it sounds like: data collected in ion is re-posted to a form you’ve published in Act-On. While the visitor sees a form you built in ion (and data is saved to your ion console), Act-On treats it like someone completed the Act-On form directly. Future updates or expansion of your integration typically require changes to both your ion integration and your Act-On form(s).

Check out the table below for a more detailed comparison of the methods.

	Act-On REST API	Act-On Post to Web Form
How does it work?	A connection is established between your ion console and your Act-On instance. Next a field mapping is completed in ion to define which ion fields should be exported and how they correspond to your Act-On list fields.   Note: Act-On integrations require a custom configuration; server-side scripting is used to define your field mapping. When the integration runs, an Act-On contact record will be added to the specified list.	A form is published in Act-On to receive your ion data. Next a field mapping is completed in ion to define which ion fields should be exported and where that data should be submitted in your Act-On form. You can configure your integration to post to a single (“master”) Act-On form for processing ion leads, or leverage a dynamic destination to support posting to multiple Act-On forms from a single ion integration.   When the integration runs, data collected in ion is re-posted to the designated Act-On form.
What kind of data can be sent to Act-On?	All types of data can be seamlessly passed to a contact record in Act-On. This includes Basic Lead Data, ion Core Data, data passed on the query string (like tracking parameters), and interaction data (like a calculator input or an assessment result). Note: Integration services may be limited to certain data types. Check with your Customer Success Manager if you are unsure what you’ve purchased.	All types of data can be seamlessly passed to a contact record in Act-On. This includes Basic Lead Data, ion Core Data, data passed on the query string (like tracking parameters), and interaction data (like a calculator input or an assessment result).   Note: Integration services may be limited to certain data types. Check with your Customer Success Manager if you are unsure what you’ve purchased.
What are my options to manage sensitive data?	Field-level security controls are available. The sensitive data expiration setting allows you to mark data in a given field for automatic deletion at a specific time interval (e.g. delete 72 hours after last contact).	Field-level security controls are available. The sensitive data expiration setting allows you to mark data in a given field for automatic deletion at a specific time interval (e.g. delete 72 hours after last contact).
How will I build the form my visitors see? Can I change the styling?	You will use ion’s form building components. This gives you maximum control of the look, feel, and flow of your form experience, and allows you to leverage the branded theme built for you in ion.	You will use ion’s form building components. This gives you maximum control of the look, feel, and flow of your form experience, and allows you to leverage the branded theme built for you in ion.
Can my forms be pre-populated with known lead data?	Forms can be pre-populated based on ion data or (if a Get Lead integration is setup) based on Act-On + ion data.   Note: Integration services may not include a Get Lead integration. Check with your Customer Success Manager if you are unsure what you’ve purchased.	Forms can be pre-populated based on ion data or (if a Get Lead integration is setup) based on Act-On + ion data.   Note: Integration services may not include a Get Lead integration. Check with your Customer Success Manager if you are unsure what you’ve purchased.
How often are my leads sent to Act-On?	Leads are immediately sent to Act-On each time the integration runs. Most ion users apply their integration to run on the submission of a form in their ion creative.	Leads are immediately sent to Act-On each time the integration runs. Most ion users apply their integration to run on the submission of a form in their ion creative.
What happens if there is an Act-On service interruption?	Visitors will still be able to submit forms and form data will be saved according to your configuration in ion. We’ll retry the post once an hour until successful, up to the maximum number set in your integration. (default: 50 retries)	Visitors will still be able to submit forms and form data will be saved according to your configuration in ion. We’ll retry the post once an hour until successful, up to the maximum number set in your integration. (default: 50 retries)

The Ion platform seamlessly integrates with Act-On through a REST API integration or by posting data to Act-On forms. This document provides a summary of how ion integrate adds contacts to an Act-On list in real time. If you’d like to post data to Act-On forms, please check out our post to web form’ External service: Post to web form. 

Ion offers custom services to design and build this integration type, based on the required use of advanced platform features. Please contact your account manager if interested in this service. After ion creates the REST API integration, you’ll be able to add ion lead data to a dedicated Act-On list with a simple form-level rule. Read on to learn more about the items needed to build a REST API integration with Act-On along with an outline of the steps we’ll take. 

Before we begin

There are few items you’ll need to round up from Act-On before we can set up the integration, listed below:

You’ll need to create an Act-On developer account to generate the client id and secret.

• Act-On username & password
• Act-On Client ID
• Act-On Client Secret
• REST API endpoint URL
• List ID
• Act-On field names (list column labels)

There are few items you’ll need to have ready in ion prior to setting up the integration, listed below:

Check out the “Before you begin“  for guidance in creating these items.

• Create data collection fields
• Create ion form(s)
• Set-up testing creative

Integration build summary

1. Add your Act-On username and password in ion’s secure credential storage
   • authorizes API connection
2. Create look-up table that stores Act-On authorization token and timestamp
   • stores required authentication token until expiration
3. Write a server scriptlet that manages the authorization token request and runs the data integration with a valid token
   • makes token request only when current token expires
   • makes createLead request
4. Create integration field mapping
   • defines data points to add to Act-On list
   • maps ion data fields to proper Act-On list column
5. Create integration
   • defines endpoint URLs for authentication and createLead
6. Add integration to testing ion experience
   • add form-level rule to run integration to testing experience
7. Test integration
   • submit test leads from ion experience
   • ensure all data points are successfully received in Act-On

Once the integration has been tested and approved by you, we’ll provide simple instructions around how to add the integration to your ion experiences. Please reach out to your dedicated customer success manager to get the ball rolling!