HBW077: Jamie Broadnax: Black Girl Nerds & Effective Community Building

The amazing success Jamie Broadnax is experiencing with her online community, Black Girl Nerds is an example of how focusing on a niche, no matter how small, can build over time and provide great value to a community that is in need of leadership. Jamie started her community after searching Google and finding nothing that provided community and resources to black women who categorized themselves as “nerds.” You’re going to hear how Jamie did it, the kind of interaction and success she’s experienced within her community, and how you can do the same thing, no matter how small the niche.

A community around your interests can work, no matter how niche it seems.

If you are interested in a particular thing - no matter what it is - there are likely many, many other people who are interested in that same thing. But you wouldn’t know it if there’s no online hub or community that focuses on people with those interests. What Jamie Broadnax has been able to do with the Black Girl Nerds community is a great example of the kind of support and relationships that can be built in a very particular niche area. On this episode of Happy Black Woman, you can hear how Jamie got to the place she it today, how she’s monetizing her efforts on the site, and what you can do to head in the same direction with your ideas for an online community.

Being niche focused is a GOOD thing. Really.

Too often people think that the area of interest that they would want to blog about, podcast about, or create videos about is far too narrow to have much of an audience. But Rosetta’s guest on this episode of Happy Black Woman says that there’s no such thing! Jamie Broadnax not only has a successful online community that specifically targets black woman (a narrower niche than most), she also targets black women who consider themselves nerds! You can’t get much narrower than that. Find out how Jamie has done it and how you can follow in her footsteps, on this episode.

If you want to stand out in the online space you have to bring something unique to the table.

No matter what niche you are targeting you have to put out content that is truly engaging to the people you are trying to reach. It has to be helpful, from a unique vantage point, and something they are eager to learn from and share with others. That requires work. But it’s that kind of work that enables you to stand out in your field and gain the attention of the people who are looking for exactly what you have to offer.

How do you monetize an online community? Jamie Broadnax is figuring it out.

The main purpose of any online community is to add value to the lives of those who are engaging in it. You want to be careful that nobody involved feels they are being gouged financially or taken advantage of. But having said that, if you approach it the right way you CAN create revenue generating things in your community while still respecting the members who contribute so much valuable content and engagement. Jamie Broadnax talks about how she’s beginning to monetize her Black Girl Nerds community, on this episode of Happy Black Woman.

Outline of this great episode

• [0:30] Rosetta’s introduction to her guest this episode, Jamie Broadnax.
• [2:30] The online community Jamie leads and how she got started.
• [10:44] How can people who haven’t started, get started with their community idea?
• [16:00] The power of being unique as a blogger.
• [19:59] The ways Jamie is expanding her brand and distribution.
• [24:32] Jamie’s monetization approach and upcoming book deal.
• [27:34] How Jamie stays efficient working a full time job as well.
• [33:25] The reasons you should NOT give up.
• [35:35] How you can connect with Jamie.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• Black Girl Nerds
• Graveyard Shift Sisters
• Misty Knight’s Uniformed Afro
• Slack
• Google Calendar
• Google Sheets

About Jamie Broadnax

Jamie is the managing editor of black girl nerds and online community for black women to share the eccentricities and feel empowered to express their nerdiness.