Is Fiverr worth it?

You may have heard of Fiverr, a site that facilitates social services. People posting gigs are willing to work for you for a price ... $5. Yes, really. All you need is a PayPal account.


Unfortunately, Fiverr is filled with money-wasting gimmicks. However, the site can be worth your time if you are trying to gain publicity for your business, provided that you know how to pick the deals from the steals. 


Here are five quick guidelines for the Fiverr initiate interested in publicity services. 


1. Don't use Fiverr services that will add Facebook friends or Twitter followers for you


The idea of paying $5 to add a thousand FB likes for your cause or add 700 Twitter followers might seem tempting, but you get what you pay for. The majority of these FB and Twitter followers are zombie accounts -- they have been created for the sole purpose of following others. They add nothing to your FB or Twitter profile except numbers and it is easy for anyone to tell that they are fake if you look at them a little closely. 


Granted, it may look good to have 10,000 FB likes, but what really counts is that people are talking about your brand, not just likes or follows. I'm of the opinion that having more followers and fewer conversations is actually worse than having a handful of followers taking part in a good dialogue. 


2. Don't use Fiverr services that promise to add backlinks


Backlinks are the backbone of good SEO. A major factor in how well your site ranks on Google is the number of links directing to it. It would thus seem that a Fiverr gig promising to add many high value links is worth it.


Think again. Adding too many backlinks too quickly can actually penalize your site. A good backlinking strategy takes time and patience. It is much better idea to find and employ an expert through oDesk or Elance. It will cost more, but it will give better results in the long run.


3. Do use movie making services


Having a movie clip produced can be well worth $5 Video testimonials get more attention than articles. If you don't know how to edit video and want a professional sounding clip, Fiverr can provide some very interesting solutions, provided you keep the following in mind. 


The first thing that needs to be clear in your mind is whether the video is going to be clearly an advertisement or a testimonial. If it is supposed to be a testimonial, you are better off not going down this route. You will be found out and it is not very ethical. 


Secondly, you need to be sure about your Fiverr employee's stage presence. Sure, it's just $5, but you don't want to throw your money away. More importantly, you want to work with someone who understands what your product is and how to pitch it, not make your product look bad.


Third, you want someone who has a good work ethic and high reviews. The most simple way of doing this is to organize gigs by video, or whatever other service you want to use, and then select the "top-rated" tab. Make sure that your Fiverr employee really does have positive feedback and not spam comments by happy customers.


4. Do use language services


If you are trying to reach a market that speaks a different language, it can be difficult, especially if you are working with a smaller or cash-strapped organization. One way around this is to employ a Fiverr service that will film a statement in a different language. You can then post and publicize the video.


Statements range from one minute to 30 seconds. Some Fiverr gigs will translate your statement into another language, others will simply state the service on film. Make sure that you are getting what you want. 


5. Do use multiple services in tandem for added value


Fiverr is most valuable when multiple services are chained together. Take the example in the last tip. You might end up paying $10 or $15 bucks, but compare that to how much you might pay otherwise. 


Most Fiverr gigs are set up to be completed in 30 minutes are less, otherwise they are a waste of time for the service provider. Keep this in mind and don't expect too much out of any one gig and you will be more likely to find that your expectations and expenses will be reasonable.