How to Use Fiverr and Skyrocket Your Startup's Growth Do you know about this site? If not, and you work as a freelancer, then you should.
By Nathan Resnick •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Starting a business is not an easy endeavor. There are a ton of moving parts -- infrastructure, client acquisition, website traffic, money management and more. For a new business leader, this can be overwhelming.
However, utilizing a bigger platform can be a way to growth hack your startup.
Getting on a platform like Fiverr, a site where freelance workers can connect with employers looking for their skills, is one of the best ways to jumpstart your service business. The site's success stories show how normal people have been able to use the platform to create massive success.
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Damian Pros was only 19 when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. His mother's income was reduced by about 50 percent and his dad didn't have a job then. Any savings they had went toward his mother's medical bills, so he didn't really have any other choice but to succeed.
He jumped on Fiverr and built an empire where he now makes five figures a month from that platform alone. If you're looking to leverage a bigger platform to skyrocket the growth of your startup, here are three reasons to do so:
1. Gain instant access to customers
Most startups face the problem of having little-to-no customers when they first start out. This is normal. However, when you utilize a platform like Fiverr, you suddenly have access to whoever uses their platform. Whether those users are vendors or customers not directly looking for your product, you still get the benefits of having an influx of eyeballs on your product or service.
Once you've grown to a solid base of customers, you can then re-invest a good chunk of that revenue in advertising for acquiring more customers. Fiverr is a big enough platform that gives you access to millions of business owners around the world.
However, you shouldn't be limited to what a platform provides. Pros uses Fiverr as a pre-qualifier to acquire bigger clients who can afford his agency's high-end services.
Since he often starts working with these clients on Fiverr, it's easier for him to close high-end deals. In the psychology of influence this is called "commitment-consistency" bias. By getting business owners to commit to a smaller purchase of $50 to $200, they are more likely to be consistent with their past decision and buy a higher-end service from you.
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2. Develop key customer service practices
Common sense isn't always straight to the point. It's proven by the hundreds of businesses with poor customer service. You can be great at closing sales but if you lack in customer service, then you won't retain clients.
In fact, it's extremely important you get customer service right on Fiverr, because if you don't, the customer can write a bad review which leads to less business. People buy products and services on Fiverr based on quality. Quality is perceived by reviews. If you have good reviews, you'll get business and Fiverr will promote you by ranking you higher on their site. It's their own SEO system.
That's why Damian has two full time support agents for his business on Fiverr. Even though they're not always needed, it's important they're there to give a timely response to potential customers.
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3. Utilize a strong infrastructure
Being on a larger platform like Fiverr eliminates the need of having your own website. Though a website should be one of the first steps in your startup's development, Fiverr enables you to have a strong presence without one.
With Fiverr, there's no website issues you have to work around. Fiverr also has their own integrated payment system. Many online business owners struggle at first by not knowing which payment processor to use and how to implement one on their site.
Using what Fiverr has on their site eliminates the need to find a payment processor. These are only some of the ways using a bigger platform can help eliminate many problems a startup faces when getting started.
With dozens of marketplace platforms out there, it's just a matter of finding the one that fits your startup. Once you've found a marketplace where you can sell your product or service, it's time to build an infrastructure, develop incredible customer service practices and start attracting customers instantly.
