Blueprint: Lamar Tyler of BlackandMarriedwithKids.com

If blogs were judged by the impressions made on their readers and their communities, instead of the number of impressions tallied by their ad networks,  Black and Married with Kids would be worth $20 million dollars : ) But don’t take my word for it; just read through some of the comments their posts have inspired from black couples around the nation. With a goal of challenging the myths society has associated with black families, the site’s publishers Ronnie and Lamar Tyler have amassed quite a following including over 25,000 Facebook members (almost twice as much as most major blogs), and nation-wide recongintion including a features on the Monique Show, as well as their most recent accolade, Essence Magazine’s ”Power Couple on The Move” along side of the Obamas and Will and Jada Smith. We sat down with Lamar to talk about the business of blogging including, the release of their DVD Happily Ever After.

Why did you start BMWK?

My wife Ronnie and I started the site because we wanted to launch a project together that we were passionate about. We sat down and thought about what is something that we’d be willing to commit to over the next few years and what we came up with was our desire to challenge stereotypes and change the image of marriage and parenting in the black community.

What’s the site’s traffic ?

We’re looking at 180% growth from our first 12 months to this second 12 months and expect the trend to continue with our increased media presence.

How many Writers do you have on staff?

We have 3 on staff that write regularly every week and another 2-3 that contribute on an occasional basis.

What’s the sites editorial process (Do you have an editor)?

In the beginning of the week our contributing writers send in their stories for that week. My wife and I will edit if necessary and I’ll post to the site.

What techniques, if any, have you employed to grow your sites traffic?

In the beginning it was consistency, posting content on a regular basis no matter what for our readers. I reached out to form relationships with established bloggers asking questions and for link exchanges. I also sought out sites that I felt had the readers that would find our site interesting and spent a small amount to advertise our blog on those sites. By the end of the ad run I would have captured more readers and we built the base from there.

Now to grow the site, we try to diversify our content by adding more writers to lend different voices. We also do media interviews (radio\web\TV) where we’re able to talk about the site. We’ve also been doing more offline events, socials, film screenings, etc… and at these events we’re able to cross promote and find ways to integrate the website so we can directly share it with the people who come out to participate.

Which blogs inspire you?

The ones that are going the hard route and carving out their niche markets successfully. i.e. you guys at www.Blackweb20.com, www.Clutchmagonline.com and the great writers too like www.AverageBro.com and www.BlackSnob.com

Did you start BMWK with a business in mind or was the business created by happenstance?

When we started we took the position that this was a business and we wanted the site to reflect that level of commitment and I think that has had a direct impact on our success.

Did you have the DVD in mind prior to starting the blog, or was the DVD inspired by the blog?

It was totally inspired by the blog.

Why the DVD?

We were looking for the next thing to do to further our message and to reach more people that may not read the blog and we came up with the idea of the documentary.

How many DVD’s have you sold thus far?

A good amount but not enough! LOL

How successful have the screenings been?

We sold out the premiere in DC. Since then we’ve been back in DC, in Philly, Baltimore and Atlanta all with great size crowds. The feedback has been amazing after people see the film. We’re lining up screenings now for NY in the next month or so, Houston and a four-city California tour in February. (DC crowd reaction, Atlanta crowd reaction, DC pictures, Baltimore pictures, Atlanta pictures)

What tips do have for those interested in starting a blog, or those interested in turning their blog into a business?

If you want it to turn into a business actually treat it like a business. Be disciplined, be creative and instead of doing what everyone else is doing try to stay ahead of the curve. Invest in yourself with your time and your money and things will pay off in the long run.

What’s next for BMWK?

In 2010 we want to continue the growth of the website and to further establish ourselves as the primary spot on the Net for black families and marriages. We’re looking to release our first book. We’ll also be releasing several more documentaries including a follow up to Happily Ever After.

Category: Blueprint, Featured | Tags: black and married with kids, lamar tyler, ronnie tyler