Melanie Notkin – or Aunty Melanie as she calls herself on her site – is proud to be a P.A.N.K. (Professional Aunt, No Kids). In fact, she’s rounded up a huge community of women in a similar position – non-parents who love the kids in their lives… and turned that community into a very profitable business.
The genius of savvyauntie.com lies in Melanie’s recognition of a deep hole in online communities and filling it – deep not only because of the amount of women who identify with it but also their financial power.
As such, we decided to interview her and gather high quality advice on how to start communities, monetize them, tap into niche opportunities and be a kick-ass aunt.
1 ) What originally gave you the idea to create such a specific niche community?
I’m an auntie myself, and I realized after my nephew was born that there were no modern resources for the cosmopolitan aunt. Everything seemed made for ‘old aunt Sadie’ (what we now call old-fashioned auntiques at Savvy Auntie). So I knew there was a market gap. And when I researched how big the market was – nearly 50% of American women don’t have kids of their own – I knew I had a business too.
2 ) Ideas are often so hard to implement – tells us a bit about how you started and what were your first steps in creating the community.
Savvy Auntie was always designed to be a multi-platform lifestyle brand, so while developing SavvyAuntie.com was the first logical step, creating a sustaining brand was where I began. I am a traditional marketer and digital marketer by trade, so I met with former colleagues, studied niche communities, all while developing the brand. I knew I wanted to work with Syrup, a creative agency here in New York City, because we had developed a Webby Award-nominated Website a couple of years before when I worked at L’Oréal USA (We were nominated for a Webby Award for Savvy Auntie in 2009).
3 ) Could you share some tips on how someone would go about growing a niche community to the extent of Savvy Auntie?
Well they may have to go back twenty years and read dozens of books on the smartest companies and brand managers. That’s one of the things I did in preparation for Savvy Auntie. I’m not saying I knew when I graduated university that I was going to create an online niche community (I’m so ancient no one had heard of the Internet yet) but I did know that if I ever did want to start my own company, I’d have to learn from the best. Don’t just save money for your dream, save knowledge. Other than that, create an authentic and trustworthy brand that is truly focused.
4 ) How did the opportunity to participate in “NBC’s The 10! Show” come about? How have these participations contributed to the development of your community?
NBC’s The 10! Show is where I got my start on TV in August of 2008, just six weeks after I launched! I’ve been on several times and thank Jami Osiecki at The 10! Show for giving me my start. When I first launched Savvy Auntie, I had some PR help for two short months. The 10! Show was one of the media opportunities they secured for me.
TV, even in a big market like Philadelphia where The 10! Show is based, is limited in its ability to drive traffic but no doubt the women who watch the show have now heard of Savvy Auntie and many became members of the “Auntourage.” Since that first appearance on The 10! Show, I’ve appeared on TV and Webcasts many times. In fact, I’ll be on WNBC’s Weekend TODAY in New York this Sunday morning, December 19th, with my Savvy Auntie Coolest Toys.
5 ) What is the main source of income for Savvy Auntie? Do you have any tips for creating profitable opportunities from new sites and communities beyond ad space?
I was never in the banner ad business. Unless you’re Yahoo or MSN, content sites need huge traffic, marketing dollars to attract that traffic, and a sales team to sell banner ads to make it a very profitable business model. My business is based on my “Three Little Pegs”: Strong Product – as I mentioned, Savvy Auntie was a Webby Award nominee for best family/parenting site 2009 and is one sponsors can be proud to be associated with; Powerful Niche – Savvy Aunties, or specifically PANKs – Professional Aunts No Kids – have discretionary income and time to spend on the children in their lives – and on themselves; Social Influence – I leverage Twitter, Facebook, TV and video to connect with the Savvy Aunties, sometimes on behalf of sponsors (always fully disclosed). There’s nothing more powerful than an influencer to help a brand connect with its audience.
6 ) What has been your main difficulty or barrier in running the site to date?
The basics: time; money; resources. I’m a bootstrapping ‘Auntrepreneur.’ What I earn goes back into my company. And as the company gets larger (my first book comes out this spring!) it’s harder and harder to manage it. But I do it. I work all the time, but I do it.
7 ) What are some of the most interesting forums you’ve seen develop on the site?
The most popular Savvy Auntie Forum thread is about whether or not Savvy Aunties want their own kids. “Childless” vs. “Child-Free” is as divisive a theme in the Savvy Auntie community as “Working Moms” vs. “Stay at Home Moms” is in the mom community. We always say that whether or not you choose to have children of your own, whether there’s a biological issue, or what I call ‘circumstantial infertility’ – one’s social or economic situation has led to no children, or whether one is just not ‘there’ yet to even think about it, all reasons are valid. Contributing to the American Family Village and being recognized and appreciated for that is the most important thing.
The posts on Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie, where today there are close to 30,000 fans, is even more active than the Website. The most popular question I asked (in a theme I call AUNTIE UP!) was about nicknames for your nieces and nephews. It garnered 150 responses. That was a fun one!
8 ) What is the structure behind the scenes – how many people do you have working on Savvy Auntie at the moment?
It’s amazingly run quite efficiently. I have no employees. I have a part time freelancer working on editorial and a developer when I need him. Of course, at HarperCollins there’s an entire team of people helping SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids become a big success when it comes out in 2011!
Finally, Savvy Auntie is supported by the 14,500 Twitter Followers, 30,000 Facebook Fans, SavvyAuntie.com Community members and daily visitors…. They are the fuel that lights this fire.
9 ) Do you think having kids will affect the way you run the PANK community?
I don’t have any dates lined up, so right now it’s a moot question. That said, I have always been honest that I hope to have children one day. Because I’ve been authentic, and because so many women in the Savvy Auntie community want the same, I can’t imagine it will change anything. I’ve been a Savvy Auntie for over a decade, first by choice, then by relation. And I will always love those children more than I can ever say.
Gentlemen, that may be your cue to start lining up! Everyone else – this is your cue to remember that though the Internet seems all encompassing, the amount of potential niches to fill is infinite. Think of all the communities you participate in, even by default, and consider the opportunities for those online.
Have you seen any exciting, new niche communities out there recently? Let us know and we’ll go after the founder to harvest knowledge for you (as recommended by Auntie Melanie)!
And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook for regular updates on social media and digital marketing!
Awesome interview. I have really enjoyed watching Melanie build this great community and also learned a lot from how she has gained attention for it.
Kudos!