How many things have you been putting off in your business because they’re too tedious, time-consuming or because you don’t have proper skills?
How many things do you do in your business now that you’d rather avoid but feel like you can’t outsource because you don’t know where to find someone or feel like it will be too expensive?
If these two questions cause you any stress at all, I have the perfect resource for you. It’s called fiverr. Fiverr is a place that’s free to join for either buyers or sellers. You’ll find hundreds of vendors willing to do writing, graphics, video, social media as well as some pretty off-the-wall things for just $5. One popular seller offers to eliminate stress and make you feel better for, you guessed it, $5.
Some of the sellers are offering silly things like to take their picture holding a sign with your name or business on it or do other wacky things but there are many serious sellers here and, judging by the feedback on the site, they’re getting results.
You can browse the offerings by category, popularity or date added and see feedback from other buyers.
Here’s a list of 10 things you can get done for your business today.
- Get a custom WordPress Theme for your website or blog.
- Get the services of a virtual assistant for a week.
- Get a custom logo.
- Get a PowerPoint presentation created.
- Get 500 back-links to your website.
- Get a 250 Word Article written.
- Get a Professional Intro for your YouTube Videos.
- Get a professional voiceover for your website, voicemail or podcast.
- Get 100 Fans to your Facebook Fan Page.
- Get 15 blog comments with SEO backlinks to your website.
This is just a fraction of what you can find for $5 on the site. And it’s not just for business. Here are ten other things to consider, some practical and some pretty wacky.
- Get a classical guitar lesson over Skype.
- Get professional film & stage acting advice and training.
- Get a remake/remix of any song in any genre.
- Get a cartoon version of your photo.
- Get an original sculpted 4″ toy to your specs.
- Get up to four photos touched up in Photoshop to make you look better.
- Get one generic medical question answered by a retired doctor.
- Get a personalized video of someone cracking eggs over their head while singing Happy Birthday.
- Get your home movies or footage edited into a story with music.
- Get a sexy answering machine recording.
To get one of these items or to browse all the available projects, go to Fiverr.com. It’s free to join as a buyer or seller but you don’t have to join to browse the site. The site accepts major credit cards and PayPal. Fiverr keeps $1 and sends the seller’s PayPal account $4 within 48 hours of the job’s completion.
Also consider how you could use this site to advertise your own products or services. For example, if you currently offer a free consultation, consider turning into a $5 offering on Fiverr. If you have a low-cost ebook in your product line that’s designed to move buyers to a bigger sale, try offering it and see what happens. It might become a new solid traffic source.
What could you outsource on Fiverr? Or what service or product could you offer on Fiverr to generate new business? Share your ideas by leaving a comment. And if you’ve used Fiverr as a buyer or seller, share your experience below.
I’m thinking one of my e-books. Or Outlook end user support question answered.
Good idea, Misty. The ebook would be totally passive. If you decide to try the support question route and got traction with that, you could turn the questions and answers into yet another ebook.
This is very cool. Thanks, Bill. I had not heard of Fiverr before, and have been mulling over options to offer proof-reading services – as well as getting said service up and running as an online business.
You’re welcome, Barb. Come back and let us know what kind of results you get.
Thanks for this , Bill. I have tons of little stuff that I need to do, but just don’t want to do. Will check it out.
Hi Bill!
fiverr is a pretty cool site. of course, there’s a lot of junk and frivolous stuff on there, but if you take some time to sift thru it, you can find some real bargains!
seems to me it’s a great way for freelancers to attract some business, by offering a “sample” of their work for cheap…kinda like a good opt-in page on your website…;-)
Mtn Jim
Thanks, Jim. There’s definitely a lot of junk on the site many of which at least gave me a laugh. But there were plenty of gems, too. I think the best use of it for a freelancer is to offer some kind of white paper or small ebook that provides true value and leads people back to your website. If you built wordpress websites, you could give some how-to info that’s followed by say copy that says ‘hey, if any of this sounds too complicated, hire me to do it for you….’
Hey Bill,
I’ve had some great success with this site. Had a voiceover done, an illustration drawn of myself, backlinks to several sites, etc. Another site like this that I just found and am starting to explore is http://www.fiveones.com. You can spend $5, $10, or $20 for a lot of the same types of things, but also some other pretty cool options.
Tony
Hey Tony,
Thanks for the tip on Fiveones.com, I’ll definitely check it out.
Bill
This is just what I am looking for. Just something to try out. Should I worry about spamers? Do I need to worry about infections on my computer?
Hi Cindy, I’m not sure why you think spammers or infections would be an issue. What things are you seeking to outsource?
I’ve had good luck with Fiverr. One of the things I like about it is that I can find reviews from previous customers.
Hi Bill!
I’ve been using Fiverr for about two years – first as a buyer and then as a buyer/seller.
As a long time marketer, curiosity got the best of me & I created a few “gigs” (what Fiverr calls the services/items one sells). I was able to generate income instantly via Fiverr & also meet some really cool people. I think Fiverr has excellent potential for people wanting to generate additional income.
I mainly use Fiverr as a buyer for author admin type projects such as research etc. I think one does need to be selective (and realistic) when selecting gigs to purchase but overall, I’ve been able to utilize the help of many quality sellers.
Sincerely,
Diana Loera
Hi Diana,
I’m not sure how your comment is just now showing up but better late than never. 🙂 I’m glad you’ve found success with Fiverr both as a buyer and a seller. I’m actually about to test a project there myself.