Starting a Fiverr Business with absolutely no experience
When you start a business on Fiverr, it starts out with an idea, which can blossom into reality. What is it you like to do for fun, or what are your talents? When you think about that, it is easier than you can imagine coming up with an idea that will sell. When you research Fiverr before you start, you will see what already sells. See what people are offering, then differentiate yourself from them and sell things that people want to buy.
Working on Fiverr requires you to help people get what they need accomplished. When you are thinking about others, it will make it easier on both you and the client. There are many ways to find out what your potential clients want. See what is selling already, and look at the buyer requests.
Once you have all your research done, then it is time to create your gigs. Make sure everything is clearly written and you describe your services exactly as you are going to perform them. Once you are sure of everything you wrote and you have a clear plan of action, it is time to find the clients.
Before You Setup an Account
There are some things to consider before setting up your Fiverr account. These may seem like small tasks, but they will help you in the long run. First, you want to have an action plan figured out ahead of time. This plan can be anything like your target market and how many clients you can handle and how much time is needed for each project etc.
When you first start out, you will not have any credibility on Fiverr, but this is all how you can begin to build it. Most people feel more comfortable with someone who has the experience and can listen to instruction and satisfy their needs and wants.
Freelance sites such as Fiverr are for the service aspect of business. When you want to do business on this site in particular, you have to think about the customer’s needs first. So take some time to research the site and see what people are already offering to customers. Are those services something you are interested in doing and can actually complete? It is better to know this ahead of time then to come up with a service and not be able to accomplish it.
You want to think of things for the long term, so it is best to plan everything now and really consider any obstacles. In fact, it is a great idea to do a S.W.O.T. analysis before you dive in and take too many risks.
If you are not familiar with a S.W.O.T. Analysis, it is an evaluation of a company or niche’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. An example of a S.W.O.T. analysis is shown below. It gives you examples of things you can think about before beginning this business.
S.W.O.T. Analysis
Here are a few examples of doing a S.W.O.T. Analysis for Fiverr and the service gigs. First let’s think of a niche. Most people need marketing for their business, so I’ll start with an example for marketing.
First of all, the strengths for running a marketing gig are that there are many businesses in the world. In order for people to find out about the business, there needs to be marketing. So how does one start a marketing gig? First, research different marketing strategies. Then devise a plan of action as to how you will execute the strategies involved.
For the marketing gig, you have a lot of strengths. Businesses always need marketers and they depend on it to help their business grow. Here is your chance to set a great price for your marketing gig. You will take note of what other people are charging and can either beat the price or make your gig comparable.
The weaknesses may be that you do not have as much experience as others. To help offset your experience level, you can offer an introductory price. Make sure they know it is an introductory price. If they love the experience and what you did for them was exceptional, then they will come back for more.
Opportunities for your marketing gig are many. You are in a very competitive niche if you do marketing. This is good because you can differentiate yourself from the rest and you can specialize in a certain area of marketing. Sometimes people need an expert in a specific area of marketing so it is to your advantage to specialize in it.
Some threats to having a marketing gig are there are many people in the same area competing for the same thing. If you do not have the experience, that is another threat because people may use someone who has done it before.
What you need to get Started
There are no upfront costs to do business on Fiverr. That is what makes it a great place to start if you have a creative mind and want to capitalize on your ideas. The only costs you will have is for anything that you choose to invest in as you are creating products or services. The investments may be for software or materials.
So it is great that you can start a business with virtually no money. You do not need to invest a dime if you are good at writing or data entry, or creating presentations. Most of the things you will need for that you most likely already have such as a computer and a spreadsheet or word processor program.
Terms of Service
Fiverr is very strict on their terms of service. Make sure you understand and follow everything the way it is written. Fiverr takes these terms seriously and you do not want to jeopardize any future you have as a business owner.
Once you have read them and are comfortable with them and understand everything, you can begin to think how you are going to set up your gigs. Since Fiverr makes it easy for you and for the buyers to understand what is going on, then there should be no shadow of a doubt that you will do well with this business.
Your Niche
If you are already an Internet entrepreneur, then you likely have a niche in mind or have already started a business around your niche. Most people believe they have to come up with a niche idea that is so unlike everything else, or have a state of the art idea that no one else ever had.
The truth is most people do not gravitate toward new ideas very well. They like familiarity and would rather do something they know rather than try something too new. The reason they do this is because when people already know how to do something, they feel they have a better chance accomplishing their tasks.
How to come up with a Good Gig Idea
First, every business needs to research the market. It is wise to know what is out there and what people want to buy. You should also know what people have to offer so you can model around that. Do not ponder on how to do this, as it is very simple. You can go right onto Fiverr’s website and learn a lot about what sells.
First type in a service that you are interested in doing, and then when you have search results take note of what the results are. What is selling the most and what has the ratings are the types of gigs you want to model after. It should not be hard finding a niche to get into as there are millions of gigs out there.
It starts with an Idea
After you have an idea of what people want and what sells, you can now come up with some ideas of your own. What you want to do is differentiate your idea from the rest. Give the benefits of what you are selling in the gig description. You also need to describe what you are going to do for the client and do exactly what you say you will do.
Fun Hobbies can turn into Cash
Think about some hobbies you have or are interested in doing. If you are an artist, you can paint a picture. If you are a writer, you can create articles. Don’t think of it as job or a chore because if it feels like work, then it is something you probably should not do. Fiverr is meant to be fun and engaging, so tailor your gigs around that notion.
Make sure you are charging a fair price for the gig so that it is something that will reward both you and the client. When I tell people about Fiverr, they often think, why would I do that for five dollars? Now it is time to think outside of the box, as you are not simply charging fiver dollars for one gig. For instance, say you are making a video and you know that making videos can be time consuming. They are also rather pricey on other sites.
So if you want to make a video, then you will do something like charge five dollars for every thirty seconds of video. Most of the time people will need longer videos than that. Or sometimes, people just need video intros done, in which you can charge the same price and the time may be shorter. It is all about being fair and doing what is best for your client and yourself.
Tell others about your Goals
On a side note, when you have goals, it is a great idea to tell other people about it. It is best to tell people who are in the same line of work as you are so there is an equal understanding of what your goals are and what you are doing to accomplish them.
Once you are able to share your goals, you will feel happier and more excited once you reach them. You will also have the support you need to back you up. There is no such thing as too much support. You will need the support to help you get through any hurdles that come with having your own business.
Communication Really Helps
Communication is one of the most important factors when doing business online, as you may know. All of your work will be done through the Fiverr website and therefore, you will need to be very articulate. Make sure you tell your client exactly what you are going to do and make sure they are in agreement with what you are doing.
Do not be discouraged if there are some errors at first. People will know if you are just starting out or if you have some experience. If you are not sure exactly what your client needs, most of the time they will give you an example of what they need. Remember they are hiring you to do the work because they do not always have the time to do it. This is a win-win for both you and your customers.
Respond as quickly as you can because many times people are asking more than one person if they can do their task. Also be very polite and communicate with them if there are any problems completing the task. You can always tell them you want to ensure they are getting the best service from you, which helps break the ice in many situations.
One of the best things you can do to help put them at ease is offer their money back if they are not satisfied. It is best to give them that cushion and helps build some rapport. Most of the time they will be satisfied with what you are doing, so very rarely will they ask for their money back.
Be Confident in your Brand
Having confidence in your brand and everything you do on Fiverr is a key to your success. Your brand should be about creating a solution for every customer or potential customer that comes by your gig. Pretty soon it will be like second nature and after so many clients, you will be able to take on more work and your quality will improve.
Another way to show confidence in your brand and image is to be clear on your goals. Communicate with the buyer what goals they want accomplished and lay out a plan and show them what you are going to do. The more they can visualize what is going on, the better. Most people learn visually and so having a plan they can see will help build their confidence in you.
Always keep Trying
Things will not always run as smooth as you like. That is why you need to keep trying until you can satisfy the needs of your clients. People do make mistakes, but do not think that you can just make mistakes and other people will understand. People do understand that mistakes happen, but you need to put the effort in to check your work and make sure it is the best it can be.
When you are just starting out, offer unlimited revisions until you get the work done the way your customer wants it to be done. If you are not sure what they want, then you can rephrase what they are saying in your own words to find out what they want. Always ask until you are sure.
Making a few mistakes here and there does not ruin your chances of being a good seller. You can always learn from your mistakes and the next time you make a sale, you will be more experienced and stronger than you were previously.
Since Fiverr does a great job at getting clients who want to buy, even if that one person who didn’t use your service made you a little sad, always know that there are way more clients and people out there who will want to use your services. As an entrepreneur, you know that there will be a lot of no’s but even so there will always be yeses.
How to set up your Account
Now you know a little more about Fiverr and what you need to do to begin, when you are finished your plan, you can go back to the website to begin setting up your account. At the top you will see the “Start Selling” button to the right. Once you click on that, you will be asked to create a username and password. Make it something that is relevant to what you are selling.
Once you complete that task, it will send a link to your email in which you will need to click on to activate your account. Now it will ask you to complete your profile and you will want it to be as complete as possible before moving on. Do not leave anything blank. The more there is to verify you as a user, the more confident the clients will be in using your services.
Don’t put any information on there that you do not want the world knowing, so a description of what you do and who you are and how you got your start will be great. There is not a lot of room in the description box, so make it as precise and to the point as possible while still telling people a lot about who you are.
Setting Up A Gig
The next step is to set up your first gig. In the top right hand corner, you will see your user name. Click on that and a drop down menu will appear. Next click on “Selling” and it will open up more options. Then click on “My Gigs” and when the page loads, you will see a blue button that says, “Add a New Gig” and you will click on that.
Now you will need a gig description in which you cannot make more than 1200 characters. This gives you plenty of room to describe what you are going to be doing and most of the time you will not need that much space. The best way to write a gig description is to use bullet points and also highlight important parts of the gig that you want to stand out to the customer so they know exactly what you are offering and will notice it right away.
Categories
Now you will need to choose a category for your gig. If you are going the marketing route, you will put it under “advertising” or “digital marketing” and it will have sub categories to choose from. Just choose the one that is best for you.
Gig Photo
All gigs require a photo. It should be something that advertises your gig and also shows people a sample of what you will be doing. You can have more than one photo for each gig, but do make sure it is clear and not crooked or pixilated. If the picture is not clear, Fiverr may ask you to revise it until it is clear enough.
One of the best things you can do is either take a picture of yourself or take a picture of you completing a gig. For example, you can take a picture of yourself in front of your computer. I understand that most people are not too comfortable taking a picture of themselves for the entire world to see, but people want to see a real being behind the gig.
If you think you cannot take a photo on the spot, then you can consider using one that you have on your social media account. Something that looks clean and professional. Use the best photo you can or if you really do not want a picture of yourself, then a graphic of what your gig is about will work.
Tag Words
Now it will ask you for tags. These are also keywords that will help people find you. When someone searches Fiverr for a gig, they will use a keyword and if you tag your gig with they keyword that people use, the better chance you have at people finding you.
When you start out, you will have a limit of three tags and then when you move up levels, you will be able to use more. The more tags does not necessarily mean the easier someone will find you because you are also using keywords in your description. So as for right now, do not worry too much about tags but use very specific ones to start.
Duration
It is important to set your time for your gig to something that you are comfortable with. To start, you can set it to a higher time period and then lower it, as you feel comfortable. For instance, the duration is the amount of days it will take you to complete the task. If you cannot complete a task in three days, then put the longest amount of time possible.
If someone needs something done sooner and you can accomplish this, then you will at least have a cushion if something happens and you cannot complete it within the time frame expected. Make sure if you cannot complete something in the time frame, let the customer know and work things out with them first.
Instructions
Now come the instructions. You most likely want to set this up, even though it is optional. You need your customer to let you know exactly what they want done before they do it. For instance if you are editing their document, they should attach the document to the instructions area so you have it within the order screen. This makes it easy for both you and the customer, as the communication will now be through this screen.
Gig Video
Having a video for your gig is not required, but it has been proven that gigs will sell better with a video. In the video you can tell people what you will be selling. If you are not shy, you can make a video of yourself or make a small cartoon describing exactly what the gig is and what the customers will get from it.
When you are just starting out, the video cannot be longer than a minute, so make sure you are able to describe what you do in that short amount of time. Also, you must mention that your gig is offered exclusively on Fiverr, as the video will be rejected. Tell people your name in the video as well. If you are doing business with someone, you want to know their name, so therefore they want to know your name.
Gig Extras
So if you thought you would only make about five dollars per gig, think again. There are options called gig extras and this is where you can make more money on one single gig. You have to make the gig compelling enough but make it even better with the gig extras. For instance you can offer a basic gig for five dollars but with the gig extras it will add more features. As long as people see the value in it, they will be more likely to get the extras.
There is also another option to have your gig delivered fast. If people need this gig faster then there is an option to charge more. If your customer wants the gig within twenty-four hours or so and you can accomplish this, then you can have that as an option to charge more. The faster you can complete a gig, the more people will be willing to order from you.
Gig Delivery
Now after you finally have an order, it is time to begin working on it. Make sure you follow instructions and communicate with the buyer if you have any questions. With my own clients for my other business, I always communicate with them and tell them any issues I may be having.
If you need to, you can show them what you have so far so they can visualize it. Then they can offer feedback before you complete your gig. If everything is okay then you can complete the gig and deliver it. Once you have delivered your gig, it is best to remind your client that you either offer money back or multiple revisions. This will help make things go smoothly for you and your client.
Optimization
Since we are using marketing as an example of the niche of choice for Fiverr, you know the importance of optimization. Just as you will offer optimization for your clients, you will also optimize your gigs. This is something that will help you turn one order into more orders and have a steady stream of income over and over again.
Below I will talk about a service you can offer and can optimize that is really easy to do and will take very little time to complete. When you have more experience doing this, it should only take a couple hours of your time to do.
So what will you be doing and what do you need to complete the tasks? Think email marketing. This is something that everyone wants and desires for their business. It is very simple to do and there are many programs out there designed to help with just that. So below I will use an example of a program that is very popular.
Autoresponder
There are many Autoresponders out there in the world, but one that is very easy to use and set up is Aweber. It will literally take you only an hour or so to sign up for the account and have everything you need for it set up. You can sign up for it yourself as it has a thirty-day free trial and you can learn all about it during this time.
Once you become very familiar with it and are comfortable enough with it, you can begin to offer services to help other people set up their accounts. Since email marketing is a big thing, you should not have a problem finding clients who are willing to ask you for help.
As they say, the money is in the list. The more people you have on your list, the more money you can make. If you do not have a product of your own to sell, you can use any affiliate program you are a part of and advertise it in the emails. There are many ways to capitalize on marketing through your email, but those are a couple of the ways to make money.
Marketing Website
If you are creative and you want to offer more for your marketing services, you might want to consider creating small one page websites that market your client’s products or services. These websites are not hard to make and only need to be one page. There are many templates out there that were created for this purpose.
When you create the website for your client, have lead generation in mind. Every businessperson needs a way to get leads. This is what makes their business survive. The more leads they have the better chances are that they will make a sale. Just as you are using Fiverr as a lead generation system, you will create on for your client.
The one page websites can be a squeeze page or just have a form for people to fill out that want more information. Now after the page is created, let your client know they may want to offer a free gift for anyone who signs up through their website. If need be, this can be something else you can offer for them.
You do not want to offer too much as the client might only need one thing at a time. Once they have the website in place, give them some time. They may come back and ask you for other services after they receive the finished product.
Once you are Comfortable with your Gig
Now that you have one gig that you are comfortable with, you can start to add more gigs to the mix. Make sure that you have all the necessary tools and ideas laid out before you start. If it is something that you cannot do as efficiently as the others, but really want to get started with it, then practice with is until you get a system going.
The more gigs you have that you can optimize, the more money you have in your bank. It is not really about making the most money but making everyone happy. You are in the business of service so think about what satisfies other people.
Don’t try to take on more than you can handle though. The best thing to do is to start out with little, get the tasks done so you have experience and then you can go from there. Once you have experience and you know what it takes to get the projects done, then you will be able to add more gigs.
For Added Inspiration
Fiverr is great with people. In fact, they have a message board that you are encouraged to join. Within this board there are many buyers and sellers that are active. If you are new and are stuck on an idea, this is where you can get involved.
Ask other sellers about experiences you have had and see if there is anyone out there that has experienced similar things. Most likely there will be some people who have. Ask them what they did and how they handled the experience. They may have a way of handling the situation that you were not aware you could do, or they may be able to help you prevent a situation that will cause more trouble down the road.
Help when you need it
Fiverr has a great customer service team and if there are ever any issues or you are stuck and do not know what to do next; you can rest assured that someone behind the scenes will know how to help you.
They are great for answering questions and will normally get back to you within twenty-four hours or so. There is no need to anticipate a problem occurring, so you will most likely not need customer service for any website problems. They update things on a regular basis, and the site is always improving.
Get the App
For extra leverage and to be able to keep in touch with your clients, the app for your smart phone is a great addition for your communication. The faster you are able to respond to a customer, the better chances are that you will get their business.
People love instant gratification, so the faster you can respond the happier they will be. If you cannot respond so quickly, then there is an instant response option for both the site and the app. You will be able to create a message before hand and then if you cannot type out your email at the moment, you can send a quick response message and say something like “thank you for your inquiry, I will be with you shortly” and get back to them ASAP.
Nine times out of ten, the quick response feature will help you because the client or potential client will know that they will be taken care of shortly and as soon as possible. That will also help them feel more secure using you for their service.
Conclusion
So with everything you learned by reading this report, you have the basic skills to get everything set up and ready to start your own business on Fiverr. You do not need much but an idea and a creative way to deliver the service. If there is any doubt in your mind that you cannot do a service, then it is best to keep trying to come up with an idea that will work for you.
Get to know as much as you can about the website and creating gigs as you can before you start. Know what niche you are getting into and do a S.W.O.T. analysis to get to know more about your niche before you get started.
Read the terms of service before selling and use proper etiquette with customers and other members of the site. Always be courteous and keep trying as much as you can before you decide if this is not right for you.
There is no harm in trying, so it is better to try and fail than to never try. Reach out for help when you need it, as there is a great community of people who are very active on the message board. Customer service is always great, reliable and responsive. Whenever you need something, you can depend on them.
Now that you are ready to start selling, and you have everything planned the way you need it to be that will benefit your client, I wish you all the luck and success. Starting a business is not always easy, but once you have a system going, it will become easier. Enjoy!
