Ronn Torossian, found and CEO of 5WPR, discusses how Public relations has adapted to the age of the Social Entrepreneur. Ronn lends insights into how to make the most of PR in digitally minded 2015.

1. PR in the Age of the Social Entrepreneur

2. We used to call them philanthropists or just “generally
good people,” but I have another name entering the
common lexicon for successful business people who
become social activists – the “social entrepreneur.”

3. Examples of these “social entrepreneurs” could include
environmentalist President Teddy Roosevelt, railroad
magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, and tech guru Bill Gates.
Each of these men made names for themselves in the
cutthroat world of private enterprise before investing
some of their vast resources into nonprofit endeavors.

4. I’d like to point out, the name reveals much about the
connections and overlaps between building and
operating a business, and building and operating a non
profit organization. Particularly in the marketing and PR
fields.

5. While the messages and the markets are different, many
of the principles are essentially the same.

6. Communication is job one.

7. If your target market does not know what you are about
or why they should get involved, they won’t give you a
second thought. Therefore, consistent and coherent PR
is an absolute must.

8. Establishing value is vital.

9. Whether for profit or for a charitable cause, if you
cannot attach value to your endeavor, people will not be
willing to help you monetize it. They need to understand
not only what they are getting, but also the basic
intrinsic value of the offering.

10. Expanding is expected.

11. Increasing market share is an important success metric
in for-profit endeavors. The same could be said for
nonprofits. Did we bring in more funds than last year?
Did we do more good with those resources? These
questions are more similar to those asked by
entrepreneurs than many non-profit organizers realize.

12. And, even those social entrepreneurs with massive
resources get nowhere unless they tell others what they
are doing. All the money in the world is not effective
unless you can build a team worthy of those resources.
To do that, you have to have the right vision, and the
right team helping you communicate that message in a
connective way.

13. Are you one?