One of the greatest challenges that face would-be digital nomads is how to gain a client base.
It’s a tedious practice and takes a whole lot of trial and error.
Luckily, there are tools out there that make it easier than ever to find and secure buyers for your freelance services! One of those tools is Fiverr.
If you want to compare other tools, check the best freelancing websites to work from home, a selected list of 37 platforms for 2022 that are similar to Fiverr.
Now, it’s safe to assume that if you are reading this you likely know what Fiverr is already. But just in case, let’s go over briefly what the platform is.
Fiverr is an online platform that allows freelancers to sell their services and expertise to clients. You can sell your skills, knowledge, expertise, and more.
Anyone from full-stack developers, to copywriters and SEO experts, can sell their skills on Fiverr.
It may sound like a dream scenario to gain money on Fiverr. In the old days of freelance work, you used to have to make thousands and thousands of cold calls and send out hundreds of cold emails.
You would have to spend days or weeks following leads, with the hope that one of them bites. So, Fiverr seems like the perfect solution to a hopeful freelancer’s problems!
Well, the going isn’t always extremely smooth. You are going to have to learn how to gain clients on Fiverr just like anywhere else.
The task is just a bit different on Fiverr than it is out on your own sailing the digital seas. Luckily, that’s exactly why we are here.
Now without further delay, let’s just dive right into the matter at hand, shall we?
Familiarize yourself with Fiverr
The first thing you want to do is really take the time to explore the platform. This doesn’t just mean how it works. You want to take the time to really explore your competition as a freelancer, how the ‘gigs’ work, what people are offering, and how to make a profile. This will all make setting up your Fiverr account a lot easier.
Set aside a day, and spend a few hours looking around the platform. Search for sellers who offer similar services to what you hope to offer, and examine their profiles closely. Look at top-end sellers, as well as bottom-end sellers, and note what sets them apart from each other.
Take the time to see what courses and perk Fiverr have to offer for your services. See if they add any value to you and if you should use them for yourself.
Take the time to learn how a gig is created, as well as how to share your gigs with others. Once you have a firm grasp of how the platform functions and works, you can get started on your actual profile.
A great gig goes a long way
On Fiverr, your primary source of orders will come from your profile gigs. Note, these are not the only way you can gain orders (more on that later). You will need to make a top-notch gig in order to entice buyers to view them and hopefully make a purchase.
A great gig is one that is clear in its intent, offers concise descriptions of what is being offered, and comes at a compelling price point. You need to make sure that you are offering the right amount of services and add-ons to make your product look interesting to potential buyers. You also want to make sure the price is right!
Your Fiverr gig pricing and set-up
Pricing your gig is tricky, and will take some time to get right. You will need to be realistic, and humble yourself in the early days of selling on Fiverr.
Without a review history or reputation, you may need to undersell your skills a bit in terms of price. But with time you can slowly increase the cost until it matches your skillset and quality.
Now, as far as setting up the gig is concerned, that is going to take a bit of time. You want to use imagery that showcases who you are and what you offer. Make it eye-catching without being cheesy. If necessary, spend a few bucks and hire someone (on Fiverr), to design your gig images professionally.
You can set about providing descriptions for the different ‘tiers’ you offer within your gig. Make sure your pricing makes sense and that you are offering a fair amount of return for each different price point. Also, never forget to upsell with additional addons! These include fast delivery, extra revisions, etc,.
Setting up a killer gig is the most important place to start. It’s literally the foundation that your entire seller profile will be built on!
Positive reviews are a must early on
On Fiverr, your reputation is your honor. This means that buyers are going to go straight to your reviews before they order from you. This, of course, can be a bit of a pain when you are starting out. You can’t get buyers without reviews, and you can’t get reviews without buyers.
It’s a vicious cycle!
Now, this is the point where most new sellers would do one of two things:
- Wait and hope they get lucky.
- Give up.
One is obviously better than the other, but neither is ideal. On Fiverr -and with freelancing in general- you need to take initiative and have the gumption to go out and get it! So, you are going to need to go and get clients to come to you.
Getting clients to come to you happens in one of two ways on Fiverr:
- You find them on the platform.
- You bring them to the platform from elsewhere.
Finding buyers on-platform is simple.
You can utilize the function of the ‘community boards’ to your advantage. This is where buyers will post what they need done, and sellers can make an offer. This is a great way to get a conversation going with potential buyers. They may reject you, but at least you get the chance to have a dialogue going on.
Rejection is par for the course on the community boards. But eventually, you will get a bite. This bite will be extremely valuable in that it now gives you a chance to get a real review. So, utilizing the community boards early on is necessary to succeed long term.
The other way to gain buyers is by bringing them to you from elsewhere.
Fiverr makes it easy to share your gigs with friends and connections via social media. You can share your gig on Facebook, LinkedIn, you name it! Find groups or pages on social media where you think your services might be wanted or needed. Then, simply post your Fiverr gig there and try to gain buyers that way!
The reality is that you are going to have to take initiative and go out and get some buyers. Otherwise, you may be waiting for weeks or months for someone to choose you out of the sea of other sellers who already have reviews.
Generate trust with buyers
Once you get a few buyers, you are going to want to find a way to retain those buyers. It’s far too inefficient to try and capture brand new buyers each and every day. You want to keep the buyers you already have in order to continue to generate revenue, reviews, and reputation (the three R’s of Fiverr!).
In order to build a great relationship with your clients, you need to offer them a service that is worth coming back to.
This isn’t just a great product. Lots of people can offer great code, or development, or photography. You need your clients to want to work with you specifically.
The best way to do this is to keep a good line of communication open. Update them on the status of the project and how it is coming along. Make sure to let them know they can always ask you questions and be as engaged as possible.
Next, offer package guarantees.
Package guarantees are a way that you can ensure your client is happy. This can include free revisions, additional services, faster delivery for special orders, etc. These make it easier for a buyer to choose you. If they know that their investment into purchasing your services is protected in some way they will feel more secure moving forward.
Next, you should always make a promise to make it right.
Mistakes happen, and sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Miscommunications and misunderstandings can lead to a product that the client didn’t want or enjoy. You should always make a concerted effort to revise and redo their order in these cases–within reason. Most sellers offer a free round of revisions or guarantees for each order, you should too!
Lastly, reach out to your buyers!
It never hurts to reach out to buyers who have ordered from you in the past. Let them know that you have some open space in your queue, and you would like to fill it with whatever they may need. This doesn’t mean you should annoy your buyers daily. However, every once in a while it won’t hurt to let them know you are making space for them and you have the time to work with them again!
Stay on top of things
The most important aspect of gaining–and retaining–clients, is staying on top of your game. Fiverr rewards sellers that are diligent and offer a great product. You should keep this in mind if you want to get a new client and retain the ones you have.
Once you start a new Fiverr account you’ll notice some metrics on the sidebar of your profile.
These metrics show how fast you respond to new messages, how often you respond, how many orders you have completed, and how many were completed on time. These metrics are seen by all potential buyers who view your page.
One thing to note is that these metrics affect your seller rating. This is the rating that is displayed on your profile next to your picture. There are currently four separate seller levels that can be achieved:
- New seller
- Level one
- Level two
- Top seller
Each level opens new doors and offers new perks to the seller.
They also show that you are someone who has been working hard, as well as meeting the minimum metric requirements to get ‘leveled up’ over time.
A higher seller rating allows you to post more gigs at a time, gives you access to new tools, and you can get away with charging a bit more than sellers ranked lower than you.
The best way to stay on top of things is to use the Fiverr App and respond to messages as soon as you can. The quickest way to lose a level or set yourself back from leveling up is by not responding to new inquiries on time. The Fiverr app makes it easy to reply to potential buyers, as well as message buyers on the community board wherever you are.
Patience will pay off in the end
Finally, it’s important to remember that success doesn’t come overnight on Fiverr.
It takes time to build a client base and to grow as a seller on the platform.
You will do well to remember that and be patient as you set up your account as a seller.
Being successful on Fiverr takes a lot of trial and error.
You will face a lot of rejection, as well as times of feast versus famine. The roller coaster can be wild, but it does pay off in the end with due diligence. Take your time, learn what works for you, and eventually, the clients will come to you all on their own.
Then you can start earning real money as a freelancer on Fiverr.
