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The hit TV series Mad Men glamorized the golden age of advertising, but the sales and marketing superstars of that generation had nowhere near the tools, research, and other resources modern marketers and PR professionals have at their disposal.

Communication options are not what they used to be even ten years ago, so if your strategies are based on old thinking, you are missing out and in imminent danger of being left behind. Modern technology has not only given us social media and WiFi in our pockets allowing for near-universal, continual connections between producers and consumers, as well as brands and fans, we also have access to the best data-crunching tools in the history of public relations. Modern data mining allows PR firms to measure metrics we never could before and craft campaigns much more focused that were thought possible a generation ago. And that’s just one of the exciting shifts in PR possibilities you should be taking advantage of right now.

Update Your Influence

The proliferation and universal adoption of social media as an information source and opinion maker has elevated the status of influencers in the field of PR. Where celebrities have almost always played a role in advertising, the extent to which people with influence can create engagement with your message has been expanded greatly in the digital age. You can actually hire celebrities to have or moderate conversations about your products or services in real time, directly with your customer base, who can then immediately go purchase that product or service, again in real time, during that conversation. If you are not taking full advantage of that opportunity, you are missing out. And “celebrity” as a concept is shifting too. Thanks to YouTube, Instagram, and other social platforms, there are countless influencers you may have never even heard of that have legions of fans rivaling any traditional media platform. So, when considering connecting with influencers, don’t forget to consider your niche.

Create New Content

It’s an old saw that nothing sells like a good story, and that hasn’t changed in the digital age. What has changed is how you can tell stories and what form those stories can take. Sure, you can still do long form stuff online, but you can also create videos, podcasts, cartoons, memes, and share your brand story in many other ways. In addition, you can use modern data mining and targeting tools to create hyper focused narratives specifically for certain groups, rather than a single ad for a mass market release.

One important step in this process is to look at what your target market is engaging with. Allow the consumer to drive the kind of content you create, because their choice is going to influence what they see online anyway. Sure, you can pay for ad placement, and there is a time for that; but the plain fact is, people online engage with what matters to them… if you don’t know what that is, you have some research to do.

-5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian
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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.