Fiverr is the place for human automation
Automation isn’t just about online systems and processes. Using the right people, and delegating is all part of having an automated business. One of our favourite online places for finding an expert for a job is Fiverr.
If you’re not familiar with Fiverr, it was founded in 2010 in Israel as a place to connect with freelancers across the world.
The original concept was that you could get a job (or ‘gig’) done for a ‘fiver’, or five bucks. This could be something like editing an image, fixing a piece of code, or helping with an online form. Since its inception, though, it has turned into a formidable online marketplace to find someone to do almost any imaginable virtual service.
We use Fiverr a lot in our business, and have learnt some lessons along the way, so we came up with our top five tips for finding talent on Fiverr.
1. Imagine it, and it’s probably possible on Fiverr
Since its inception, Fiverr has turned into a formidable online marketplace to find someone to do almost any imaginable virtual service. Although you can still find people to do very small, quick turnaround gigs, you can also engage experts for larger projects, especially those requiring a very particular skillset.
Here’s some of the recent Fiverr gigs that we, or our clients, have ordered:
- Creating a musical jingle for a business ad
- Building a website (this website, in fact)
- Doing a podcast voice intro
- Creating a custom illustration
- Writing some code in a very obscure programming language
- Doing quick edits on some logos (turned around in <10 minutes)
- Carrying out a full SEO audit on a website
- Creating a promotional video
- Editing and optimising Facebook ads
- Designing a virtual Zoom background
- Fixing Google document templates
- Writing cold email copy
- Speeding up a WordPress website
- Building a chatbot
- Creating landing pages
- Coming up with a business name
2. Be Very Clear On Deliverables
This tip holds true when you’re engaging any contractor, but especially on Fiverr. Each gig will have specific inclusions, and you should make sure that what is included in the gig is exactly what you need. Otherwise, you risk not getting what you want, or worse still, a dispute with the freelancer.
It can be as simple as having the right word limit on a piece of writing, or as granular as knowing exactly what will be included in an illustration (i.e. how many figures, colours, background, etc).
Even if a gig seems perfect for your requirements, never purchase it without first contacting the freelancer to let them know what you’re thinking and making sure it fits into what they are offering. Sometimes it helps do do a mockup of what you need, creating walkthrough videos or brief documents to help explain your project.
Be reasonable, though, and don’t expect the freelancer to spend hours just to review what you need – it should take them less than five minutes to check out what you’re after.
3. Don’t Be Pressured
At times, a freelancer will offer to start, or even complete, work before you actually order. They might do this for a few different reasons:
- They are genuinely nice and just want to make sure you’re happy before ordering
- They want to create what you need risk-free (if you don’t order, you can’t give a bad review)
- They would like to test what you need to make sure they can do it
- They want to complete a small sample before you commit
- They want to pressure you into buying (if they complete it all without an order, you will feel bound to pay for it, whether you like it or not)
It is also possible that they will seek you out, outside of Fiverr, to offer to complete the work directly. It’s up to you whether you want to do this, but keep in mind it doesn’t necessarily come with the same protections that you would get through Fiverr.
4. Negotiate The Price
It’s ok to negotiate on Fiverr, and often it’s expected. There are some things to consider, though:
- Most gigs have fixed prices for a reason – the freelancer does so many of them that they know exactly how long it will take, and how much effort is involved. Don’t try to negotiate on small, one-off jobs
- Keep your negotiation for larger gigs, or where you need multiples of a gig (e.g. 50 image edits)
- Be clear on why you want a lower price, and communicate that with the freelancer. For example, it’s better to say “I saw other similar jobs for $5 and you’re charging $10. Can you help me understand the difference you offer?”, than “I want a discount just because I want to pay less”.
- Many freelancers are from developing nations, and they rely on Fiverr as their primary source of income. Be reasonable, kind, and compassionate
5. Build Relationships
Even though you might only use the bulk of freelancers once, there may be some that you engage over and over again. By building good relationships with freelancers on Fiverr, you have the opportunity to have an extra pair of hands when you need them the most.
By working long term with someone, you can get quicker turnaround on jobs, more value, and often preferred pricing. Even if you don’t reengage a freelancer, there might be the opportunity to ‘pay it forward’, and refer them on to a client or friend.
There are some Fiverr freelancers we’ve worked with for years, and they have provided an invaluable as-needed resource without us needing to invest in long term employees or contractors.
To learn more about how you can leverage automation in your business, book an Automation Strategy Call for a 1 on 1 diagnostic session with one of our small business automation experts in Australia.