Five Bucks.

I need some help. I know, I know, replies referring to my state of mind, along with offers too extreme to print will flow forth, but I was referring to help with my blog and the marketing required to give it a higher profile on the net. I had been thinking who, how and what is required to market my blog so the New York Times finds me and offers that once in a lifetime chance to continue viewing the world my way from the front page.

Obviously this project requires a marketing budget and expertise to increase my following and gain notoriety, enough to warrant the NY Times offer. My cards, after the Christmas crush, left me with $105.00 credit to encourage someone, anyone, from a marketing company to give me advice and solutions to my dilemma of global blog domination. I was surprised what was on offer.

I was provided with the following solutions, that would give my blog the needed profile upgrade to entice NY to come a calling. To start with, I was provided with a business plan and a complete 30 page SEO and SEM report on my blog site. I was indexed in Google within 48 hours and had my site submitted to Yahoo. I had my blog tweeted to 15,000 new followers along with an ad on a website with 140 million hits. A full HD video of my blog on YouTube was listed with a professional testimonial in any language I chose. Not forgetting the power of social media, I had a Facebook App developed and uploaded along with a QR code in case I ever decided to sell anything on my blog. I was guaranteed 10,000 unique visitors sent to my blog site along with 200 articles posted to 200 sites further enhancing my profile. To finish the ambush marketing side of the campaign, I had a new logo designed, graffitied on walls, the sides of cars and on the fingernails of girls prepared to walk around their neighbourhoods with "O Business" in neon lacquer. Getting close to my budgetary limits I spent $10.00 to run two commercials a day, for five days, on a new country music station along with finding a business mentor to discuss any future marketing and business scenarios.

After accomplishing all of the above, I was left with $15.00 credit towards my second quarter marketing plan, which will include a receptionist for an hour, someone to make hard decisions for me and finally someone who will write my name in coffee cups, because I think that looks cool. Each of the above tasks cost me $5.00 from one of the more interesting crowd sourcing sites, Fiverr. It is gaining notoriety as the place looneys, loose cannons, creative types, business start ups and those hard up for cash gather in one crazy place. Some say Fiverr is catering to the lowest common denominator, those willing to do anything for $5.00, others look at it, as just another aggregator of human resource, while many like me, think it's a hoot and shouldn't be taken too seriously. After all, how much credence would you put on someone providing a business plan, being a business mentor or having your logo painted on finger nails for five bucks?

There seems no limit to what people are prepared to do, for fame, infamy and $5.00. You be the judge on the merits of crowd sourcing with a difference.

P.S. I didn't really spend the money. I'm sure the NY Times will come a calling, anyway.