Below is a written summary of what’s included in the video tutorial.
I go through how to set up a webinar without any fancy software. So many people are mystified by webinars, how they work, what technology to use, etc. etc. If you are a beginner, you don’t need to concern yourself with all of that. You can do a webinar TODAY with all the tools in your hand right now.
As you advance, you may want to get special equipment, tracking software, etc. but don’t let all that research distract you from the best teacher out there…experience.
So here are the 12 steps to creating a webinar without anything other than:
- A Google + account
- A Mailchimp Account
- A WordPress Site
- Chatroll Account
All [FREE]
- Pick a topic
- Write up your outline/slides
- Create a mailing list in Mailchimp
- Customize the forms
- Create a page on your website or with leadpages to advertise your webinar
- Require a signup that links into your list
- Advertise your webinar
- The day before, set up the webinar page itself
- Send out a reminder
- The day of, send out another reminder
- Get your Google hangout set-up
- Do it!
Step 3 is where the tutorial begins and this is the overview.
Set up a custom list in Mailchimp and then customize all the sign up forms and confirmation email.
You’ll need to customize it so all the wording sounds like a sign up for a workshop, rather than just a simple sign up to a newsletter. To customize the forms, you click on LISTS > LIST NAME > SIGNUP FORMS > GENERAL FORMS > and then choose the four forms, which are:
- Sign up form
- Sign up “thank you form” which I call the ALMOST THERE page
- Sign up confirmation email
- Confirmation “thank you” email which I call the THANK YOU page
You can use the Mailchimp forms and have everyone go right to those forms, or, you can create these pages on WordPress and have it redirect. This is the method I recommend!
- Create a webinar workshop advertisement page in WordPress. Put all the information about your webinar here.
- Embed a sign up form at the bottom {using the Mailchimp embed form} OR, create a button or link that leads to the general sign up form. Then publish the page.
- Then, create an Almost There page instructing the reader to check their email. Publish this page on WordPress, copy the link, and paste it in the redirect field on Mailchimp for the sign up thank you form.
- Do the same thing with the Thank You page. Publish is on WordPress. Copy the link and paste it in the redirect field on Mailchimp in the confirmation thank you.
Now you can advertise your webinar!
People will land on your site, read about your webinar, hit the sign up button, get directed to the almost there page where it instructs them to check their email, they’ll check their email for a confirmation email that you’ve customized, they click on the activation link, which sends them to the thank you page. BOOM. Done.
{This is the part where you add a tracking pixel into the thank you page – I don’t cover that in the video, it’s in the full course}.
The day before your webinar begins…
- You are going to go to YouTube, click on LIVESTREAMING, click on events, and create the event. You will set the time to the right date and time, and you will choose unlisted on the setup.
- Google + will create the event page for you. That’s the entry portal for you on the night of the webinar. On that page will also be the embed code you need to create your webinar page.
- Copy that embed code. Go over to WordPress and create a new page {or I suppose you can overwrite your webinar advertisement page if you wish}.
- Embed the video code into your page.
- Go to Chatroll and create a new event. Grab that code as well {by clicking on the installation module} and embed that code underneath your video.
- Publish your WordPress page, copy the link, and send out a reminder to your email list.
- You can send additional reminders 15 minutes or 5 minutes before.
Get your Google hangout open
- Go back to youtube and open the event you created.
- Make sure you are using some sort of microphone (iPhone headphones are fine!).
- Plug your computer directly into the modem.
- Create a lower third with the Hangout toolbox if you wish.
- If you don’t want to show your face, start the screenshare (the green button).
- Then click Start Broadcast!
During the broadcast:
- Make sure you don’t have your live feed open.
- Keep all other programs closed except your slides.
- Use another computer screen to check the chatroll or just simply have it in a separate window.
- Have fun and be yourself!
After it’s over:
- Send a follow up email with an offer and the link to the page and tell them how long it’ll be up.
- Send one last email urging them to opt-out if they don’t want to be merged into your master list.
- Go to YouTube and set the video to Private, then download the MP4 so you can repurpose it!