5 SECRETS TO FINDING SUCCESS ON THE SITE FIVERR

You may have heard of the site FIVERR. Fiverr.com allows you to sell your "gig" - which might be a service (such as writing a 500 word article), product (such as home made magnets) or just plain old entertainment (such as dancing around your bedroom in lingerie - hey, I'm not judging!) - for a mere five bucks.

Well, really four bucks after FIVERR takes their cut. (Maybe they should call the site FOURRER)?

No matter. FIVERR is one of the hottest new sites around, and it's growing in popularity right as I type! In this economy, it seems that people are looking to make a few extra bucks any way they can - or outsource jobs for more affordable labor. And no doubt, five dollars is certainly affordable for most people.

Here are some examples of gigs you might find on FIVERR:

I will dance to a song of your choice in a hot-dog costume.

I will draw you as a Barbie.

I will take a picture of my lizards dressed in a wedding gown and tux, with your message.

I will sing Happy Birthday and dance with my cowboy hat and diapers on. (You should see the picture that goes with this one. The words don't do it justice)!

I will make your friends/family/boss think they have a real online stalker.

I will be your pirate for hire.

You've probably figured out by now, that FIVERR is no ordinary site. This is the site to go to if you are very creative and have lots of wacky ideas.

Of course there are more "ordinary" type gigs on FIVERR, such as:

I will make a testimonial video about any subject up to one minute.

I will proofread any document up to 1000 words.

I will send you 100 diet tips.

There are also gifts and artwork for sale. For example:

I will send you 12 felt roses for $5.00.

I will send you a crochet cat toy.

I will draw you as a zombie on a piece of cardstock, and mail it to you.

It's so simple to "set up shop" on FIVERR. There's nothing to pay - no start-up cost, no credit check, no tax I.D. # required. All you need is an e-mail address, a paypal account, and an idea. Teenagers can do it (and they do)! You also may not need any inventory, if you plan to simply sell your "skills." You can also connect your FIVERR gig to your Facebook account.

Let's face it, there's something so appealing about running your own little business...you are the boss, in control. Hey, doesn't everyone want that?

And being able to start a business with absolutely NO MONEY DOWN - just relying on the wealth of ideas in your head - plus your natural smarts,specialized knowledge,experience, personality, looks, charm, artistic or musical ability - or perhaps recycled materials you already have around the house...what's not to like about that?

If you hit on the right gig, you can make lots of money. There are true stories of people making thousands of dollars on FIVERR. Well, maybe not all in one day, but still...as long as a gig is easy to produce and doesn't cost you much money (or no money at all - that's even better) you have a chance to make some much-needed extra cash.

Then, if your gig goes viral and you continue to produce as promised and deliver within the predetermined time-frame......well, guess what? You have a chance to make some serious coin!

Actually, I first read about FIVERR in a magazine. There was an article about "Making Money Online," and the article talked about a woman who lived on the coast in California. She writes messages for customers in the sand, and sends them a picture of the message. I remember thinking: What a cute idea! and What a nice way to make money - sitting on the beach!

There are also people writing messages with Jelly-beans and Scrabble tiles - advertising company names on various body parts and even on their pets...selling postcards from different parts of the world, and even one person who offers to send customers a real Russian doll!

How cool is that?

Well, it's not ALL cool. It's only cool if you're making money. And unfortunately, not all of these gigs make money.

Why do some gigs generate lots of sales... whereas others that seem like a really good deal, are not?

Maybe it's because those sellers who are cashing in, know these 5 secrets!

Now you can, too.

Following, are FIVE secrets to making money on FIVERR:

MAKE YOUR GIGS UNIQUE!

There are so many gigs on FIVERR that appear to offer the EXACT SAME THING! For instance, there are a million gigs (okay, a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea) for translating a page of text to English or offering English lessons via Skype. If you want to make money on FIVERR, you need to think out of the box. Come up with a product or service that is truly unique.

There is one gig I remember seeing, where the seller offers to create a cute stuffed "bunnyfish" for the buyer.

What's a "bunnyfish," you ask? Well, it's half bunny, half fish! And I've never seen anything like it before! However, last I looked, people were buying. Same goes for the "square stuffed animals."

So, take a lesson from the" bunny-fish." Sell something that is uniquely "you" - unless you want to drown in a sea of duplicates, and have your gig buried under dozens of other gigs that sound just like it.

USE ALL OF YOUR CREATIVE ADVERTISING SKILLS!

You have to make your product or your service sound so appealing, that people can't help but want it! Use those "key" selling words that always work so well: fun, flirty, hot, cute, sexy, rich, easy, younger...play on people's emotions and self esteem. Also, make it seem like your gig is a really good deal for the money!

Talk about your experience. Don't be afraid to promote yourself... heavily - that's what it's all about. This is not the time to be shy and humble.

Advertise your gigs on Youtube. Or tack up some hand-written cards and sell yourself on the supermarket bulletin board, or at the library. Join forums online - specifically, the FIVERR group on linkedin. I have heard that seller's sales have gone up after joining this group!

Some more advice: When it comes to advertising your gig on FIVERR, make sure you state exactly what you are selling, so there are no misunderstandings. If you are offering a "writing gig," for instance, state exactly what you are willing to do - how many words, etc....

Then...go for EXTRA gigs! If you are writing a 500 word article - offer to make it 1000 words, for the price of two gigs.

BE PROFESSIONAL, NO MATTER WHAT!

Unfortunately, no matter how explicit you think you have been, problems with your buyer sometimes arise. When they do, it's always best to remain professional - even if you feel the problem isn't your fault! Do NOT become all defensive. You will only end up hurting yourself.

In order to make money on FIVERR, you need to create a good reputation for yourself. If anybody looks at your gig's page and sees lots of negative reviews, such as "not good to work with" or "never received product", obviously they will not purchase your gig. For this reason, you need to treat every customer professionally and make sure that they are happy.

In other words, don't start a fight with your buyer. For example: BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WANTED! THIS IS YOUR FAULT, NOT MINE! is not the way to go!

Even if the buyer is "vague" about what they want, don't be afraid to ask questions. Hostile words like those above will quickly earn you a bad rating. Just like on a "real job," you must be polite and courteous in all your correspondence with customers - no matter what!

In addition to caring about how you treat your buyers, you need to make sure that you use proper spelling and grammar in all your posts. A misspelled word is a red flag that you are sloppy and careless, and buyers will avoid you.

Also, when it comes to estimating how long it will take to "get the job done," better to allow yourself some extra time. There's nothing worse than being late when delivering a gig! If you are mailing a product, give yourself at least a week for the item to reach it's destination. If a gig is "too late," the buyer has the option of cancelling the order.

If you keep your reputation up, you will get boosted ahead in the FIVERR pages. This is important, too, since most buyers never look too far back. Just like when you do a search in Google - you usually just look at the very first page of results, right? Okay, maybe the second, also...but no more!

I have heard of sellers setting up "dummy" accounts on FIVERR, just so they can order from themselves - and thus, give themselves a good rating. Is this wrong? It depends how you look at it. It helps to remember, though, that it's all about business. And business is about survival - and survival (especially online survival) means BEING SEEN! .

Of course, you can always get your friends to order from you to give you that much needed boost when you are brand new. Because yes...it can be hard to get the wheels turning...to snag that very first order. And buyers do like to see that you have produced previously, and that your PREVIOUS buyers were pleased with your service.

Asking your friends to "help you out" in this situation could give you that much needed boost (it's always good to have friends - especially online)!

After you have successfully delivered a gig, don't forget to employ some CUSTOMER SERVICE! Be sure to tell your buyer that you've enjoyed working with him or her, and check back periodically to see if they require your services once again.

ADD A PICTURE OF YOUR WORK (AND A VIDEO, IF POSSIBLE)!

Work hard on creating some samples and display them, along with any work you do for buyers, in high quality photos. Make sure your pictures are NOT blurry or pxilated. High quality pictures highly increase your chances of your gig being bought. If you sell jewelry, take the time to arrange your pieces against some rocks, for instance.

The easiest thing to do in order to attract people to your gigs, is add a video. If a potential buyer is "on the fence" about purchasing your gig, watching a video of you describing what you do (or showing!) just might close the sale for you. Also, like I said before, you can post your "gig advertising" video on You Tube. (Check out these Fiverr "sale" videos on You Tube: Stop Motion Minnie Mouse, and Happy Birthday Hamser)!

DO YOUR RESEARCH!

If you're new to FIVERR, go through the site and do your research. Find out which gigs are popular...what's selling - and more importantly, what's not!

HERE IS AN EXTRA TIP I WILL THROW IN FOR FREE (FREE? That's another good advertising word, such as "I will throw in an E-book for FREE")....SKIP THE SURPRISE ELEMENT!

"Surprise" may be a good word, most of the time. However, it's not a good word in advertising. Whenever someone offers a "surprise"on FIVERR - for instance, they show a big pile of jewelry in a picture and say they will "surprise" you with a piece of their choosing....I don't believe potential buyers respond well to this.

When it comes to spending money - yes, even a measly five bucks - people do NOT want to be surprised! They are afraid they won't like what they get, and they'll be stuck with it. So maybe you want to save the "surprise element" for real life.

Another good aspect of FIVERR, is that it can lead to bigger and better things. For instance, someone who orders your writing gig might like your writing style and decide to give you more work - outside of FIVERR, paying you more money.

Your best bet, is to either find something very simple to do, or very simple to make - or else sell products wholesale if you can get your hands on them, dirt cheap. It's easy to be taken advantage of on FIVERR...some buyers are very demanding, considering they are only paying five dollars. Automated jobs are great too, if you have the proper software.

Be especially careful when offering "writing gigs." If a lot of research is involved, you could end up working 8 hours for a mere five bucks! (I know, because this happened to me). YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT THAT!

However, if you happen to hit on the right gig idea, who knows? You might just discover your very own online gold mine!

And what about the flip side of the coin? Can FIVERR be a good go-to resource for buyers? Of course it can! A lot of the gigs on FIVERR are very unique - you just can't find them anywhere else! Not only that, most of the sellers really want to make money. They want to offer a quality product and they take pride in their work - because they know that is the key to their success. ( Plus, you can get a really super deal on all sorts of things)!

Following, are some examples of high quality FIVERR gigs you can either learn from, or order from:

ORANGECANDY: I Will Send You TWELVE unopened packs of refreshingly delicious Excitemint gum! Hi, my name is Orangecandy, and my sister works for the Excitemint gum company. Therefore, I have TONS of packages of unopened gum laying around that I can sell to you! Excitemint gum has exceptional long-lasting flavor, and really wakes up your mouth and your brain. It comes in all sorts of refreshing flavors, such as: Tropical, Spearmint, and Arctic Blast. Visit my gig under the name "Orangecandy" on FIVERR, and order up some delicious gum today, at an amazingly low, low price! (Will take about a week to deliver)!

ORANGECANDY: I Will Make My Cute Stalker Doll Tell Your Friend She is in Love With Him! I will make my cute "Stalker Doll" tell your friend she is obsessed with him, and that she will visit him at his home (you supply the address) and tap on his window. Then she will go on to say she will sneak into his bedroom and hide under his pillow. This video is a great prank - guaranteed to freak someone out! Order this disturbingly creepy prank from me, "Orangecandy," and have the laugh of your life.