A few months ago I wrote an article (Finding a Human Connection) about the amazing rise on social media of the blog (and Facebook page) called ‘Humans of New York (HONY)’. That article was about the marketing lessons we can learn from this enterprise.

Since that article, HONY has continued to increase its social media followers and has impacted them (and his photography subjects) in powerful ways. Over the past couple of weeks, the owner of HONY was able to raise over $1,000,000 (and counting!) for a school in one of the toughest districts of New York. This campaign was not intentional: it began with one photograph and interview with a student from the school, and it snowballed from there.

The reason it snowballed is largely because Brandon, the creator of HONY, is a great storyteller. Most often the caption he posts under the photo is simple and unembellished. But he has a way of being provocative in that the whole story is not always told. He leaves questions unanswered. This in turn makes the reader ask questions, either about the subject or of themselves. The result is that we feel connected to these ‘ordinary’ people because they are going about their ‘ordinary’ lives. But the photo and story create a sense that there is no ‘ordinary’.

So what does that mean for us in our businesses? How can we use this example to help people connect to what we have to offer?

The answer to this is not the same for everyone! And of course some of us are better storytellers than others. But time and again, marketing gurus will tell us that we need to find a way to tell our business story in order for potential customers to connect with us. But I think HONY has given us some clues: keep it simple and honest, and show the ‘humanness’ of your business.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Have you seen the Facebook page and blog called ‘Humans of New York (HONY)’? When you find the page, you may wonder why I am recommending it. It’s not a business. It’s got nothing to do with women in business. But just today I realised what an amazing example it is for business owners.

The creator of the page says: “I began Humans of New York because I thought it would be really cool to create an exhaustive catalogue of New York City’s inhabitants…but somewhere along the way, HONY began to take on a much different character. I started collecting quotes and short stories…these portraits and captions provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers in New York”.

Although it is not a commercial/business venture (aside from a #1 New York Times bestseller book that has now evolved from the blog), the creator of this page has tapped into a dazzlingly simple ‘niche’ market.

The page creates a ‘global village’ culture, where readers feel connected to the subjects. His images provoke response. His stories are not embellished – he just lets the words speak for themselves.

This popularity has come about because the creator of the page has appealed to basic human emotions. The absolute best marketing does exactly that too. Luxury car advertisements are a classic example. Rarely do these ads give the viewer a list of specifications or the price. Instead, they sell a ‘feeling’ and appeal to desires. They want you to fall in love with the product first.

What we can learn from Humans of New York is to find ways to appeal to the most basic of wants and needs in order to elicit an emotional response to your product or service. This will be far more successful than trying to convince potential customers to buy in to your latest sale without first investing themselves.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender