How to better run online investor communications

Now that investor communication is conducted online, we are relying increasingly on Zoom, Teams etc.

This means we all need to work even harder to get our messages across to investors. And it also means that we all have to work harder to stand out from the competition.

In this new world, the old rules of investor communication are not just important, they are more important than ever.

In fact, because we are now communicating with investors online, we see the best IR teams are adopting a new best practice style of online investor communication.

The best communicators follow these three rules:

1. Use bold investor messages online
2. Connect with your audience
3. Keep it all very simple

1. Use bold investor messages when presenting online

With remote meetings, it is even harder to keep audience attention. That means you need to work to grab your investors’ attention from the first minute.

You also want clear, strong messages. See how my colleague Paul Farrow recommends you think about your messaging.

In short, the bolder and simpler your messages, the more you will be understood and remembered.

In our client work, we frequently spend more time defining and polishing messages than any other part of an investor communication project. That is how valuable good messaging is.

2. Connect even more with your audience online

Last week I reviewed a Zoom webinar run by one of the large accounting firms. I listened to a panel of global CEOs discussing the impact of Covid 19. While the CEOs were all well-known, the panel was dull.

It felt as if the speakers were in their own worlds and not really interested in sharing their expertise with a wider audience. To avoid this, and to cut through to your audience, you want to show investors that you care. That means speaking directly to people, helping them, and speaking as if you are listening. What do I mean by that?

It means using a conversational style of speaking – shorter phrases; more rhetorical questions and direct language.  And it also means more interaction.  And you can adjust your style so you look good online.

It’s a skill to learn, and it will help you stand out as an impressive leader and communicator.

3. Adopt a simple investor communications style

The best communicators use the simplest language. There is plenty of research showing that the strongest leaders are frequently the clearest communicators. But how do you develop this clear communication style?

We introduce our clients to powerful techniques that help them develop that clear authoritative style that people want to hear.

These could involve changes to your voice, changes to the way you structure your communication and changes to the words you use.  All of these will help you become a clear, confident communicator.

If you are interested in transforming your investor communications, get in touch.

We work with our clients, virtually at the moment, helping them polish their talks, presentations and investor updates, for private equity funds, for quoted businesses and for debt instruments.

We’d be delighted to discuss how we could help polish your investor communications.

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