How I Won a Scholarship Using Fiverr, WordPress and Social Networking
Fiverr.com is one of the coolest sites that I’ve discovered in the last year. You can find people offering a LARGE variety of services and tasks, each available for a payment of $5. Of course, you do get what you pay for here, so some of the results aren’t worth the $5 you paid, while others are stellar and could have been sold for 10-15 times the price you paid.
I recently enrolled in a program where they offered a VIP scholarship and coaching. The only requirement was that I had to submit an application with an upbeat story of why I should be chosen. I thought that simply a written statement of a few paragraphs wouldn’t be enough to help me win. So, I began thinking outside to the box to figure out what would make my application unique and distinct. While I’ve used Fiverr for a couple of quick tasks, I’d never really fully investigated the “crazy” side of Fiverr, where people will do strange and kooky things for five bucks. I realized that I could probably find 3-4 people on Fiverr to do something out-of-the-ordinary for me to promote myself as a scholarship candidate.
Here is my 5-step strategy that I used to win a scholarship using Fiverr, WordPress, and social networking:
1. Review Fiverr gigs. I was looking for gigs that ranged from unusual to outrageous. Because I had a 3-day time constraint, I wasn’t able to always go with my first picks. I ended up choosing a puppy that “barked” my message, a tortoise who carried a sign, a fairy who held a sign, a spray-painted message on the moon, and someone in a pea pod costume who delivered my “pretty peas” message. Total spent for my unique promotion? $25. I really would have loved to have had the skydiving guy make a video for me, but he had too long a waiting list for this project, but I’ll definitely consider him when I have a longer turnaround time. I found these gigs by simply perusing Fiverr and taking note of the ones that appealed to me, along with how many gigs they had in queue and how long it would take them to deliver the gig.
Here are the Fiverr folks I used:
2. Buy a related domain. Since this site was going to be used only once and I really didn’t care about it being found in the search engines, I went the cheap route and bought a .info name for $1.99. The .info domain works as well as any other, so why bother paying $10 for a domain that I’ll probably never use again?
3. Install a quick WordPress site. Since I use a hosting service that permits hosting of an unlimited number of sites, I quickly installed WordPress on my new .info domain. Then, as I own the developer’s right to a number of themes (I can upload them to an unlimited number of sites), I picked my go-to theme, Socrates, and uploaded it to my hosting account. I installed only 2 plugins, Smart YouTube and Facebook Comments for WordPress, since I wanted a quick way to embed the videos I uploaded to Youtube on my blog and wanted my followers on Facebook to be able to comment on those on the web site. I created a quick header for the site using a program that I own, X Header Pro.
4. Add your content. I created a one-sentence introduction for each of the Fiverr gigs, and then wrote a 308-word post about why I wanted the scholarship. I decided to place each gig on its own page, rather than placing them all on one page. I used my handy graphics editor, SnagIt, to create the “next” page graphics at the bottom of the page.
5. Request help from social networks. I sent out a request on my newsletter and blog for support for my scholarship, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Facebook got me better results than Twitter, and considering that this was a last-minute effort that started late on a Friday afternoon, I was quite pleased with my results. I sent out personal messages to all of my Linkedin contacts, as well, directing them to Facebook and Twitter. I used SnagIt to grab screen captures of my Facebook and Twitter support and used those images on the site as social proof of my support.
The result? I won! And, I’m enrolled in my first VIP coaching call on Friday. And, you can see my site here: https://www.PickDonna.info.
So, if you’re not entering a contest, how can you use this information in your business? Have someone on Fiverr:
- create an unusual video for you for an upcoming product launch that’s placed on the product launch page
- write a jingle song for your business that plays on your web site
- post flyers for your business on a college campus
- write a press release for you that can be submitted to press release sites
- get 500 Youtube fans for you
- design a mini-magazine post card for your business
If you’re not so creative in your promotional efforts, find people who are. Fiverr offers great opportunities to find unique ways to promote your business at only $5 a pop!
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About the Author Donna Gunter
Best-selling author Donna Gunter works with successful business owners who are experts in their fields and established in their industry and are seeking a way to stand out from their competitors. Using her Ideal Clients on Autopilot System©, she helps them determine the exact strategies to generate more qualified leads and better-paying clients with automated systems. This proven system makes all their marketing easier and more effective and they find themselves positioned as the only choice for their clients.
