Fiverr's Global Head Of Digital Explains How To Be 'Strategic' In Growing And Marketing Your Brand
In a time when entrepreneurship is broadly defined and essentially anyone with a laptop and an idea has the ability to start a business, the need for outsourced talent has grown exponentially.Creative founders may require the assistance of those more financially minded, whereas business savvy executives may need the imaginations of skilled artists.In bridging this gap, Fiverr has spawned one of the largest freelance marketplaces for the “lean entrepreneur.” The company’s Global Head of Digital, Chris Lane, sat down with TechDay to discuss the nature of entrepreneurship and how Fiverr utilizes this understanding to continue to grow and foster the community.
Fiverr seems to be able to successfully distinguish itself from competitor sites through directly appealing to the entrepreneur community. How does integrating Fiverr into explicit startup discourse foster visibility and prominence?
While there’s always been a discussion around the “startup culture,” the reality is that entrepreneurship is much wider than what we just define as startups. Entrepreneurs who may not consider themselves as startups are still starting, promoting and scaling their businesses, and those people exist on both sides of our marketplace.From a raw numbers perspective, there are 53 million freelancers and 28.8 million small businesses in the U.S. alone. Many of these people are strapped for creative and financial resources, but even now in 2017 it’s not widely known that the online freelance economy can be a solution to their problems.Speaking directly to entrepreneurial audiences increases visibility by raising awareness of our marketplace and our brand. With so much opportunity out there, we’re well positioned to be the go-to marketplace for entrepreneurs to get the high-quality services they need or to build their businesses on the marketplace.
As startup culture has grown more and more mainstream over the years, how has this boom influenced Fiverr's marketing tactics and advertising strategies?
We live in an age where anyone can start a business and where anyone can market their skills or talents. When services are available at the touch of a button from across the globe, less and less are considered as being only for big companies or for established brands. Our brand is hyperfocused on speaking to the people taking these opportunities, conveying how our services give them access to the resources they need to easily get things done so that they can thrive in this economy.
Is there an archetype Fiverr has established for what an entrepreneur is? How was this determined and how does this character function in influencing all of Fiverr's subsequent branding?
The truth is that our marketplace showcases just how diverse the entrepreneur community is. Entrepreneurs don’t look one way or talk one way. They’re not from one specific city or town. The one uniting force that connects all of them is an ethos of doing. They recognize that they’re in charge and it’s their responsibility to deliver. They aren’t afraid to take risks or to tap all of the resources available to them to make things happen -- whether that’s building out a steady content marketing program or utilizing a graphic designer to rebrand their business. We’ve reimagined and aligned all of our brand assets and language around this mentality of doing, from our homepage to our blog and all of our social channels.
What was the thinking behind the #InDoersWeTrust campaign and how does this rhetoric work in fostering Fiverr's growth?
‘In Doers We Trust’ represents the bootstrapping entrepreneurs who will do whatever it takes to grow their businesses. The provocative copy in the ads and videos, such as “Thinking Big is Just Thinking” or “Got an Idea, Isn’t That Cute,” is a rallying cry to those in our community and prompts entrepreneurs everywhere to make their business aspirations a reality. This messaging is also supported by the entrepreneurs featured in the digital video ads, who are making things happen for themselves by any means necessary. The high-quality visuals position Fiverr as a reputable marketplace that empowers fearless entrepreneurs to succeed.
How do the video testimonies embedded on Fiverr's site play into the company's overall branding and help attain new users?
We decided to embed video testimonies on our website to help illustrate the benefits of our marketplace to new users. By featuring actual Fiverr sellers and buyers, the videos bring to life the “hustle” mentality that is central to our ethos and new ad campaign. Lastly, video is currently one of the most popular digital mediums, and this format is an alluring and simple way for new users to access information about Fiverr.
What general insights could you provide to startup founders with a relatively wide target audience trying to grow their user base via clever marketing?
Ultimately, it’s not so much about being clever as it is about being strategic. My advice is to start by recognizing the “why” of your brand and your business. People may pay for whatever it is you make once, maybe even twice. But what will make them adhere to your company and remain engaged and active consumers is an emotional connection between why your business exists and why they as a consumer exist. This recognition of the “why” should run through all aspects of your communication and marketing, creating a single and powerful identity for your company.
What do we have to look forward from Fiverr in the near future?
We’ll continue to push boundaries as a brand and look for ways to drive awareness for our community and our marketplace. We identify with taking smart risks and showing some personality, and that will absolutely continue. As a community, we’re already in 190 countries worldwide with millions of individuals. We’re confident that we’ll continue to build the best platform for lean entrepreneurship, and we’re committed to growing the Fiverr marketplace -- one that can already scale with the needs of businesses around the world.