Webinars are becoming a very significant part of many industries in modern times. Using the internet to conduct webinars with an audience sitting in remote locations is an excellent way to engage people who would be tough to reach for an offline meeting or event during this existing COVID-19 pandemic. Now that we are experiencing the covid-19 emergency, the importance of remote meetings and online events has taken a whole new meaning. It has become clear that we all need to learn to adapt to a lifestyle that makes continuous digital world use.
That is why live webinars have gained so much popularity and now becoming the custom for events and meetings in various markets. Many people have started to acclimatize to this kind of interaction, which could become the custom even after this pandemic. The process of creating a webinar used to need a substantial amount of technical knowledge and difficult setups that could take hours to fine-tune and test before going live. This process is no longer required using a reliable service that permits you to host a webinar with minor technical knowledge and optimal results. So how do you create a webinar? In this blog, TechNinjaPro will provide you with a detailed guide that will show you the steps to create a webinar for free.
What is a webinar?
A webinar is a recorded live video that you share with your audience. Generally, webinars teach something like how to grow a podcast audience or sell digital products. Think of webinars as a part of your marketing strategy. They help you get more attention from people hanging out in your corner of the internet. With a webinar, you provide free value in return for getting to plug your products.
Your webinar can either be a 30-minute course or a series of 5-30 minute videos teaching an in-depth concept. Sometimes webinars are hosted at certain times. Other times, they can get accessed through a signup form that delivers the webinar to the subscriber.
Why create a webinar?
Webinars are not one size fits all digital creations. They come in all sizes and are shaped depending on their purpose. Content creators make webinars to:
- Grow their email audience
- Sell their digital products
- Get pre-orders on their products
For example, if you are a marketing expert, you could have a webinar called marketing your business 101: Everything you need to grow your business. Your webinar will talk about the foundations of your business and helpful tips on taking business up a notch. At the end of your webinar, you will let your audience know that you have three spots open to take on new business customers.
Different ways to use webinars
1. Use webinars to grow your email list
You can use a webinar to grow your email list by providing a special experience for subscribers who sign up in advance. People that sign up get free access to your webinars. Once they are signed up, you will add them to your email list and use ConvertKit‘s tag feature to remember what sparked them to join.
2. Use webinars to get pre-orders
Webinars can get your audience excited to pre-order your digital or physical product. If you are a writer, you can use a webinar to talk about your new book. If you aim big like New York Times bestseller, those pre-orders are important to get on the list. You can also use those pre-orders to land spots in Amazon’s book categories like fashion, business, or psychology.
Select a topic from your book to get in-depth on a live or pre-recorded webinar. At the end of your webinar, ask all your attendees to buy a copy.
3. Use webinars to sell digital products
Sell digital products with webinars is a perfect way to show your audience that your product is not another course or PDF. It is something you put thought, expertise and energy into, and it is highly helpful. Webinars can help people get familiar with your business, and they can also help people on the fence about buying your products.
Create a webinar training on a topic related to your digital product and show your audience how it is valuable.
How to Create a Webinar for Free
1. Select a specific topic
Your webinar can be about anything that your audience will find helpful. For example, if you are targeted people interested in ecommerce marketing, you can host a webinar on ecommerce in particular. To find out what will possibly resonate with your audience, try one of these methods:
- Analyze your social media pages: Look for images and posts with the most shared; these will lead you to the marketing content that could convert perfectly into a webinar.
- Review your FAQs: Do your clients and prospects always ask the same questions? Discover any gaps in knowledge that you might be able to address.
- Research your client’s queries: Use a platform to find out what people are asking. Look through the results and select the questions you could answer through your webinar.
2. Choose a webinar format
Identifying the perfect way to present your topic can help you structure your webinar more effectively. This comes down to selecting a format that will complement your personality and goals. Here are some popular formats:
- Presentations: Presentations are the most used webinar format. Presentation webinars include a single presenter delivering a PowerPoint presentation with video or audio running in the background. You can select this format if you are targeting a small audience.
- Pro tip: Add poll and questions and answers to create a more visually stunning webinar and engage your audience.
- Pro tip: Add poll and questions and answers to create a more visually stunning webinar and engage your audience.
- Interview: Another choice is to invite an expert from your field to discuss a particular topic and answer attendee questions. This could be a thought leader, a professional, or an influencer with first-hand knowledge of your field. To get the most out of this helpful webinar, provide your experts with a list of questions beforehand, asking them to prepare answers in advance.
- Product: Product webinars permit you to demonstrate how to use your product or service efficiently. You could show the participants how to use a product on camera or with tools such as screen sharing if it involved software.
3. Choose a Webinar Tool
There are many free and paid webinar tools you can use to create your webinar. You also have YouTube Live, which permits you to host webinars for free. Then there are live-streaming platforms that allow you to deliver many types of webinars.
When deciding between the choices, consider your requirements. How many participants are you expecting? Do you need a record function? What is your marketing budget? Based on these questions, select a webinar software that makes sense for you and start using it.
Professional tip: Use a free tool to record your first webinar. Doing so will help you understand how webinars practically work and what extra features you need to improve the attendee experience.
4. Set up the right equipment
It is perfect for recording your webinar in a quiet room as it is possible to be free from outside disturbance and noises. Before the recording, talk to your team members and explain the work you have to do and do not need to be disturbed for the next few hours. Also, put your device on silent.
Having the right equipment is another essential prerequisite for conducting webinars; while you do not want to invest in a lot of gear, ensure you have access to the following:
- Camera: You do not have to jump straight into buying an external HD webcam for your webinar. You can also test your camera for the webinar recording.
- Microphone: TechNinjaPro recommends investing in an external unit. Buy an external microphone that is easy to set up, and you need a USB cable to connect them with your laptop.
When planning a webinar checklist, ensure to add these important under the equipment section.
5. Advertise and Promote Your Webinar
To ensure your webinar gets maximum participation, it is important that you promote it as much as possible beforehand. Here is how TechNinjaPro suggest you promote it:
- Start by forming a landing page that introduces the webinar topic, the speakers, and a call to action for people to sign up to attend the event.
- Create a banner or display an ad on your site’s homepage to make visitors aware of the upcoming event.
- Use social media to spread the word. Create an original and dedicated hashtag to promote the event. This hashtag will benefit you at the event, as you will use it to interact with the attendees.
- Send multiple reminders email showcasing the countdown to your webinar.
- On the day of the event, ensure to send emails with the direct link to your webinar.
6. Send out invitations
You would not have any webinar attendees if no one knew about it, right? Why should they attend? Send an invitation email to your marketing list to let your audience know. When you write an invitation email, focus on the benefits. In general, showing your target audience the advantages will be much more efficient than just listing the details of the webinar.
Best Marketing Tools to Promote your Webinar
A webinar is just like a seminar that you do on the web to build and engage trust among users. However, it will help if you have the proper marketing tools to promote your webinar. This can be hard because not every marketing tool is effective, and you should look for a tool to take your webinar to the next level. In this blog, TechNinjaPro will share some of the best webinar marketing tools to promote your webinars.
1. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is the finest lead generation software in the market. It allows you to develop your email list to connect with more potential clients and share your webinars. OptinMonster comes with an excellent technology that you can use to convert site visitors into subscribers and clients. You can also set up several campaigns to advertise your webinar and grab leads from your site.
OptinMonster offers A/B testing to find out which content is converting more visitors into clients. It shows detailed analytics and insights to keep you updated about the performance of your marketing campaigns. You can easily set up lead capture forms with pre-made templates to get new user signups on your webinar.
2. ConvertKit
ConvertKit is an email marketing tool best suited for influencers and small businesses, who need a robust tool with many resources but cannot invest too much in it. It is developed to help people build an audience and make a living from it. ConvertKit makes it simple for clients to start a conversion with leads and finish a purchase right from their inboxes.
ConvertKit is specifically developed with ecommerce businesses in mind and provides many tools to help companies sell more online. It is one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use marketing automation tools that provides a visual interface to help businesses create unique email campaigns.
3. SendInBlue
SendInBlue is another powerful email marketing tool with a complete set of software to automate your marketing efforts and grow. This tool helps with your email marketing requirements and helps automate SMS, easy landing pages, and ads. Once set up, it works automatically, allowing you to segment, retarget and reach clients easily.
SendInBlue is perfect for both individuals and businesses. It is easy to use and has a fast learning curve, even if you have never used email automation marketing tools before.
4. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is one of the leading marketing software that automates how your business reaches clients. It provides a complete kit for marketers, including a choice to sell your products for customers without them having to abscond their email platforms. Constant Contact features landing page builder software, integration with Google Ads, and automated email resend to ensure your readers’ attention.
Constant Contact comes with a drag and drop email marketing tool to design completely customized emails with videos, images, links, and more. It sends tailored emails to users based on their activity at your site so that you can focus on the creation of your webinars. Constant Contact also provides social media marketing features to get more visitors to sign up and join your webinars.
5. GetResponse
GetResponse is a perfect tool for businesses that are getting started with marketing automation. This tool offers a workflow to help you know the buyer’s journey and build better offers with these insights. GetResponse helps your business gets more leads. It provides intelligence tools along with email marketing tools at a very low price.
GetResponse comes with the perfect timing software that helps predict the best time of the day to have your emails sent to your customer’s inboxes