Publicise me in the public interest

“Publicise me in the public interest”, that is what dozens of social entrepreneurs have been busy trying to communicate today. Nick Petrie at The Guardian kindly asked me to join the panel of experts for their Live Q&A on how to raise the profile of social enterprises, as part of a series of sessions from their Social Enterprise Network. Readers of this Live Q&A may be interested in the previous Live Q&A on Social enterprise - a guide to legal structures and my advice on Starting a social enterprise: the conventional alternative.

Social enterprises and those who run them are keen to get their message across that they are in the business of serving the public interest. The focus of discussion was how to win more public support, and new business, for social enterprises who need to draw attention to the work they do. I’ve created a list of panellists and participants from today’s Live Q&A on Twitter. 

There are a number of things of particular interest to accountability activists who are working, as I am, at the civil society-public sector interface, which are:

There are many terms describing variations on organisations operating in a manner described as social enterprise. Both social franchises and more standardisation of similar operating models can help reduce this at a sector-level. If this diversity has, as others have said - ‘muddied the water’, perhaps these multitude of social enterprises of all types and sizes can learn to navigate in the dark waters of public contracts together. If individually they appear to the public sector as odds-and-sods, perhaps collectively, as a consortia of suppliers, they might make a bigger impression.

The State is opening up its data for public reuse. Social enterprises have the opportunity to pour over open government data and look for where their social enterprise can fill gaps. For example, get your teeth into council spending data and find opportunities to sell products (and services) in to local authorities. Look to provide products which are not discretionary for our shrinking government.

The public’s imagination can be capture when social enterprise coalitions start winning public contracts. Don’t be afraid of working with larger private sector partners to get a foot in the door. Focus on your contribution to the substance of the contract bid as well as the style of it. If you are small, economical, reliable and voter-friendly - then shout about it. Take on public contracts at rock bottom prices, provide them with low cost products today and prepare to scale up in your next bid.

Don’t be afraid to be human, and stir up a the legacy systems a little as a social enterprise. You will find people inside local government who are motivated and angry at the inaction of past administrations and large private sector contractors. This presents opportunities for you to uses your social credentials to continue to offer value for money to local authorities into the future.

Remember that working under contract for a public body means that your social enterprise takes on responsibilities to conduct itself with transparency, efficiency and austerity.

Work on building trust.

Social enterprises have ethical business obligations: to operate in the public interest, and as such, should seek to give their customers confidence in the ethical quality of products as the volume of charitywashing and fake ethical branding increases.

Simplify your message.

Every time you are about to tell someone that you run a social enterprise, stop, think and instead tell them:
(i) what your enterprise sells (which they might value)
(ii) what social outcomes you fund (for a person they care about)

Every time you says the words “Social Enterprise” is an opportunity to win people over, that is better used talking about what you do, not what you are.

Read more about the conventional alternative.

Openness.

Win more public support by being open. Start by publishing information, for example a spreadsheet listing the outcomes of the social activities that you fund, including locations and dates.

Show the evidence that your social enterprise has achieved an impact, or state what evidence you use to determine that there is a need to address. Think of your own social activities and how you provide referrals to your friends: I will share your social cause with my network if I believe your cause is valid. Provide evidence of outcomes.

Unique selling points.

I would like to address the phrase “Unique selling points”, which pops up frequently in discussions about publicity.

Try to recall, how you evaluate products when you are shopping. You must either choose between the available options, or not purchase anything. We do not choose between hypothetical options, you pick one of the products from the shelves, or do not buy at all.

When you are packaging your social enterprise message, say what is distinct about the:
(a) products (services) your enterprise sells;
(b) social needs you address;
(c) social outcomes you create

…not in the hypothetical, abstract sense, but in the here-and-now, specific sense that is useful to a customer or supporter who needs to address their purchasing needs or concern for others.

Your website should link to, or reference, other people and organisations (by name) who provide something similar. State what you do differently from them.

If you cannot name similar organisations, your competitors, you either don’t have a market to sell to, or you don’t know what you are selling.

Be social, be very social.

Whatever you sell, help you customers speak with others - provide opportunities for them to be in contact with others liek them (“people like me”) who share their interests in your social enterprise. A lot of reputational value will be generated in conversations between other people rather than between you and your customers / supporters.

Get Discounts.

Your social enterprise is tight for money. That doesn’t mean you have to do a mediocre job at everything. Publicity is a service you can buy from organisations who seek publicise themselves. Use your social brand to win discounts from suppliers. Use targeted online advertising make every penny count.

Focus.

Remember that, as a small social enterprise, your organisation is not responsible for the reputation of the whole social enterprise sector.

Spending money to change perceptions among the public, when your social enterprise has no surplus value, is no way to succeed. It is better to spend your limited time and money selling your products, rather than the merits of the whole industry.

Society changes slowly in comparison to your product offering. You are not doing anyone favours by pretending to be a social magician. Work by fitting into existing perceptions of Commerce or of Charity, and then pleasantly surprising Customers and Donors with your flexibility.

Readers of this Live Q&A may be interested in the previous Live Q&A on Social enterprise - a guide to legal structures and my advice on Starting a social enterprise: the conventional alternative.

Comments

[Jeff Mowatt]

No fears here [at our company] about stirring [up change in local government] David. That's entirely congruent with our [company] challenging the status quo in Eastern Europe. [I] left [the Q&A] today with the impression of much banging the drum PR but little understanding of the problems activists face.

Wasn't going to say it there but for example a 5 year long smear campaign [against our company] with clear intent of cutting off revenue.

Jeff

[Please note: Moderator has added bracketed words for readers' clarity.]