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TRANSCRIPT
Investor Relations 2.0
By: Tom Allinder
Define some Differences in Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 with respect to application of IR…
What differentiates IR 1.0 from IR 2.0
Define proper execution of IR 2.0 – my opinion of course… you are welcome to disagree or comment on anything I cover here. In fact, I welcome feedback positive and negative. If you can prove me wrong, I will admit it and fix it. I don’t have “feelings” to hurt or other emotional baggage that inhibits my creativity and learning…
In this slide show, I will cover the
following…
In Web 1.0, the Companies dictated the content and fed it to
the masses. There was no conversation and the companies thought they knew best… There was limited interaction between companies and their customers,
clients and investors…
The masses
Content
The “masses” were OK with this; it is just the way things were… for
a long time…
Investor Relations
In the case of Investor Relations, the Company and their IR firm construct “The
Message” that is subsequently sent to
investors and the investment community…
Investment Community
But somewhere along the line, the investment
community stopped listening…
The Message
The Shareholders
The shareholders became irritated and displeased (or really mad) with companies
that were not listening…
Boooo!
*%#) YOU!!!
I’m SELLING this POS!!!
Negative Feedback
And the shareholders let the company and anyone
else who might listen know how unhappy they
were.
The “Former” Shareholders
In the new Web 2.0 world, one-way communication has alienated your shareholders (and made most of them “former shareholders”…)
One-way communication
New thinking is required on the part of company
management teams to fix this problem…
Conversation
The new Web 2.0 put the Management of most Companies in a real jar of
pickles… Management that has not learned quickly how to communicate
in this new world are being left behind.
Web 2.0
Then along came Web 2.0 and things began to change.
Web 2.0 is “interactive” and
facilitates conversations.
People DEMAND to have these
conversations…
“The People”The People
Companies would have to learn to communicate with
the public- not just their shareholders but,
customers, and clients too! And, they will have to enter
this conversation as PEOPLE and not just a
COMPANY…
Company Management teams are people too. In order to thrive in the
Web 2.0 world, they will have to learn to interact with customers, clients
and people that make up the investment community; again NOT as
a COMPANY but as INDIVIDUALS!
CEO COO CFO
Now, lets expand these Web 2.0 thoughts to
INVESTOR RELATIONS 2.0
Wall Street has lost credibility with the public…
Too many scams and fraudulent activity has soured people on “stocks”
Most company management teams are sitting on their hands waiting for things to get better (return to Web 1.0- which is never going to happen…)
Tom, we are waiting for
things to get better…
Ugghhhhh!
CEO
Waiting for things to get better, or “return to normal” could have less than desirable results for those companies not willing to
engage in Web/IR 2.0
Of people on the Web are participating in Social Media of some sort or extent- this means
about a BILLION people globally!
This number (75%) is up from 56% in 2007!
Fewer and fewer people are watching network
television…
Email has become a nightmare…
The World of Communications, Information and Entertainment is Changing Rapidly
Newspapers are becoming a thing
of the past…
And now, (especially during the Holiday
season), we all need one of these to empty the junk mail from our
mailboxes!
An actual Plan for IR 2.0 is very comprehensive and takes a significant amount of time (about
5-8 weeks) to gain traction.
Some Companies, IR and Promoters think “Social
Media” is just a whole new set of “tools” to broadcast a
message; in other words, using Web 1.0 marketing with Web
2.0 platforms and tools… UGH!
Social Media Tools
Here are some real world examples of using SM tools and
platforms the WRONG way.
has become the most abused platform of them all. People are setting up accounts and broadcasting information. Some are even setting up multiple accounts with multiple “personalities” complete with fake photo and carrying on conversations with themselves. All they have done is move the message boards and chat rooms to Twitter… People are smarter today and this sort of activity is easy to figure out.
is also abused. People assemble groups, invite people in under the guise of “having discussions” about stocks. In reality, the organizers are just assembling a list of people they can send their “messages” to. The messages are the same as they have always been: “Get in early; this stock is going to Rock!!!”
Again, this is nothing more than SPAM from a different platform… Any positive effect will be short lived.
It doesn’t matter how you send “the message”… People are
not listening to these messages anymore.
In Web/IR 2.0 the dialog begins by LISTENING!
Clients, customers, shareholders
Questions, suggestions, comments etc
Clients, customers, shareholders
Questions, suggestions, comments etc
CEO
COO
CFO
Now, the management team in Web/IR 2.0 becomes real human beings (NOT JUST A
COMPANY) and listens first…
Clients, customers, shareholders
CEO
COO
CFO
Then a dialog develops between the individuals at the Company and their
investors, their customers and clients!
We have a TEAM and
everyone is happy and
tickled pink!
Conversation and
Communication
In order to not get ahead of myself, before the PLAN is
actually constructed we need to figure out exactly where the client company stands with
respect to these items
A Brand Audit – a baseline for the company’s sizzle in the marketplace (no, not the stock market)
A Content Audit- For content planning; includes keyword analysis and media inventory…
Social Media Audit- Social Media asset inventory and some other stuff…
Web Presence- Website, SEO and social media review…
These are just SOME of the items we painstakingly research!
It sounds complex and it is…
Marketing Plan
We do not use a “Shotgun” approach…
Each Company is different… So, the plan for each company
is different as well…
Things to understand about
Web/IR 2.0
Customers, Clients and
Shareholders…
ARE YOUR BRAND!!!
Your Logo…
Your Website…
Your Office Building…
Are NOT your Brand…
As mentioned before, a real Web/IR 2.0
Campaign is far more sophisticated than
putting together messages and broadcasting
(SPAMMING) them…
And it all starts with understanding the
inner workings of how Google works!
Many people think Google is just a
search and advertising engine…
Google is a PLATFORM like no
other on the planet…
Understanding Google algorithms with respect to searches and marketing is the cornerstone of a Web/IR 2.0 campaign
Google has many tools (all free) that enable data gathering, management, and organization
Creation of ORIGINAL content is another cornerstone of Web/IR 2.0… by content, we are not talking about company profiles but instead, the creation of content that will cause people to think and respond
Web/IR 2.0 is about keywords and links; the way a company gets traction in the new world is through having a lot of inbound links and proper key-wording – it takes significant research for each company in order to accomplish this
Inbound links are the result of good content creation and marketing; marketing is done in a passive way- it is called permission based marketing; examples are SEO, blogs, RSS and correct use of SM platforms and tools…
Interruption marketing is just the opposite; it is a message pushed to an audience… examples are email, fax, direct mail, Facebook messagesetc.
So what does an IR 2.0 Program/Campaign entail
anyhow?
A baseline measurement to see where the company stands with regard to Google rankings, sentiment on SM platforms and message boards, an inventory of current assets with regard to content…
Using the baseline measurements, a strategy can be developed to dramatically increase the company’s “visibility” on the Web with regard to SERP through SEO, content development and marketing, monitoring and responding to individuals including those in the investment community as well as prospective clients and customers or even potential partners!
Reporting… A report is developed for the company “on the fly” (dynamically) so that management teams can see results as they are happening. This is one aspect that was lacking in IR 1.0 – the only measurement companies had to look at was their stock volume and price…
CEO
COO
CFO
Though the actual “hands-on” time and effort required by the Company Management Team is very small compared to the efforts on the part of the IR 2.0 team, 50% of the success of an IR 2.0 Campaign rests with the Company’s Management Team and their designated assistants
The Company must be willing to contribute their own content… (blogs, videos, photos etc)
The Company must be transparent and open with all of their communications…
The Company must present themselves as individuals that are part of the management team.
The Company must be enthusiastically involved in the process…
If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you
will be fired with enthusiasm!
Vince Lombardi
Web/IR 1.0 is about promoting a stock (or a ticker symbol)
Brand Recognition
CFO
CEO
COO
Involved and happy shareholders, clients,
customers
Enthusiastic Management Team
Web/IR 2.0 are all of these… It is far
more about the brand, the
shareholders, customers than it is about a ticker
symbol or “stock”
Summary
Understanding and utilizing Web/IR 2.0 first requires the complete “unlearning” of old methods…
Web/IR 2.0 is more complex and is dynamic.
Web/IR 2.0 absolutely requires COMPANY PARTICIPATION TO WORK
By it’s very nature IR 2.0 is directed at INVESTORS and not traders.
Requires enthusiasm and persistence.
In the Web 2.0 world, A company’s brand is its shareholders, customers and clients.
Thank you for viewing this presentation!
Please comment, offer constructive criticism or share your ideas
with me!
Tom Allinder