When Humans of New York Captured Facebook

(Photo credit: “Humans of New York” via Tumblr)

Once upon a time there was a man named Brandon Stanton who had a great idea to tell a story about the residents of New York City. His plan was to catalog New Yorkers into a digital display organized by the different boroughs; and so he created Humans of New York (HONY). Since its inception, HONY’s purpose has shifted from a digital map into a collection of snapshots that glimpse into the lives of everyday New Yorkers. Each day, Brandon walks the streets of New York City interviewing and taking photos of willing strangers. He then uploads the photos and the accompanying caption to his social media channels (Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter).

With over 11 million “likes” on Facebook, HONY has emerged as a social media success, particularly evident with Facebook. Skimming through some recent Facebook posts, you can see the magnitude of its popularity. Take this photo of a musician expressing his battle with pursing his passion of performing for example. Within 23 hours after it was posted, it received 97,897 likes, 1,890 comments, and 3,113 shares (and the number of likes just increased by 15 in literally just in a matter of seconds after I refreshed the page). Better yet, check out this humorous photo of a group of children who found a penny. It received 85,290 likes, 1,172 comments, and 1,361 shares in an hour after it was posted! These are just two examples of photos — most of which received well over 200,000 or 300,000 likes. I think it’s fair to say HONY’s posts are on a rapid route to popularity.

I probably sound like a crazy HONY fan (which is pretty accurate), but why is it so successful? What makes HONY’s content so compelling to like, comment, or share on Facebook? The answer (drumroll please) is story-telling! Short, authentic, transparent, and simple story-telling. With the power of sharing a story, HONY has been able to engage a large audience into a communal conversation.

Story-telling is arguably the most powerful tool in effective marketing. As Cameron Uganec writes in Hootsuite’s blog, “We know that stories are inherently social and social media is about making connections.” In fact, the foundation for the meaning of marketing can be boiled down to a communication of a message—otherwise put, telling a story. This is not a new concept in the marketing world. We all know we are storytellers, but sometimes we can forget this when implementing a social media campaign.

Each piece of content, in the form of a photo with a caption, tells a different story. A group of children who discovered treasure, a woman doubting her decisions, a young man expressing the frustrations with facing obstacles to attaining his dream, a young woman’s quirky expression of entertainment, or the interaction between two strangers on the subway. These instances tell stories that build community by connecting one another in the human experience.

It’s this human element that breathes life into the content and sparks interest amongst Facebook fans. Not only are they intrigued by the stories, but they also are eagerly anticipating the release of the next photo. As creepy as it sounds, there are even some followers who have connected with this brand to the point that they actively seek out Brandon in the city. I admit I once tried to track him down and “coincidentally” bump into him. My efforts proved to be fruitless and resulted in disappointment.

Like all good stories, there is a lesson. HONY teaches us the value of creating meaningful content that starts a conversation and creates a community. Let’s communicate our message through sharing pieces of content that delight us, sadden us, startle us, entice us, challenge us, and entertain us. Let’s tell a story!