Storytelling and marketing have always been closely intertwined, but digital marketing takes this partnership to a new level. Some of today’s best storytellers are actually digital marketers, and some of the most savvy digital marketers are, in reality, storytellers. The link between marketing and storytelling has never been stronger because of digital, and there’s no more compelling evidence of this than Humans of New York.
That is why we are thrilled to have Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York, as a keynote speaker for Spark 2016, our digital marketing conference. Brandon seamlessly combines authentic, multi-media storytelling with distribution across an array of digital channels. At Spark, he’ll inspire and motivate marketers in all fields by sharing what he’s learned about storytelling and digital marketing.
On storytelling
Stanton started Humans of New York in 2010 after leaving his job on Wall Street to photograph everyday New Yorkers on the streets. Through his photographs, Stanton opened a window into people’s lives, challenging us to look at, as the photo blog’s slogan says, “New York City: One story at a time.” He has photographed and interviewed over 10,000 people, telling stories that would otherwise go untold. For Stanton, “It’s about the person and not the persona.” He demonstrates that the content you create must continue to provide real value to readers, providing deeper insights rather than superficial observations or representations.
On building a loyal audience
In the past five years, Humans of New York has amassed over 21 million followers on social media. According to Stanton, attracting such a large audience was no stroke of luck, but rather a time and labor-intensive process of creating quality content that many content marketers are familiar with. “During the first three years of Humans of New York, I probably took less than 10 days off, and took pictures for six to eight hours a day,” said Stanton in an interview with Crain’s New York Business. “You can get lucky. But it is impossible to sustain an audience daily or hold their interest without consistency.” Stanton moved from taking photos of everything to focusing on portraits of people in New York City, creating a format that was unique and provided readers with insights into his photos through the use of quotes.
On data-driven marketing
Developing the type of storytelling that Humans of New York is now famous for — beautifully communicative photos and quotes that reverberate with readers — took patience. Patience, and a lot of trial and error. “Humans of New York did not result from a flash of inspiration,” Stanton writes in the forward of his new book. “It grew from five years of experimenting, tinkering, and messing up.” Stanton crafted stories that not only resonated with his audience, but inspired similar blogs to emerge around the globe.
Humans of New York has become a model of creative content and a new form of storytelling through photos. Stanton has been named a “person of the week” on ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer, was included in Time magazine’s list of “30 Under 30 Who are Changing the World,” and has photographed President Obama in the Oval Office. On top of that, Humans of New York is no longer only about New Yorkers, or even Americans—it has expanded into international territory, with Stanton taking photos of people in almost 20 different countries.
Following his keynote address at Spark 2016, members of the audience will have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with Stanton!
Stanton is the first keynote speaker to be announced for Spark. Stay tuned to learn about other digital marketing rockstars in our lineup!
What should you know about Spark 2016?
When: May 12, 2016
Where: Newseum in Washington, D.C.
Format: Full-day event followed by an evening reception on the Newseum terrace
Audience: Digital and content marketers
How do I register?
Head to the Spark website at spark.trackmaven.com!