Patricia Baronowski-Schneider
Pristine Advisers
New York, NY
Patricia is CEO of Pristine Advisers, an IR/PR/Media Relations/Marketing firm with 33 years of experience working her way to starting her own Company a decade ago. She can be reached at pbaronowski@pristineadvisers.com
Investor Relations and Public Relations, or IR/PR, is an important part of a company’s survival and growth. A strong IR/PR strategy and effective execution of the strategy can change the game for the business on several levels. It can lead to benefits such as –
- Developing a dynamic investor and shareholder base
- Driving valuation and sales, leading to long term growth
- Creating a strong image of the business in the investor community
- Creating brand awareness both inside and outside the investor community
- Establishing pleasant relations with regulatory bodies and even the government
These are just a few of the many benefits that a powerful IR/PR strategy can do for a business. However, to reap the benefits, a company must also follow the best practices in investor relations. A company must engage in industry level practices to gain and build trust with investors, shareholders, regulatory bodies and the public, in general.
My decades of hands-on experience in this field has helped me narrow down on some crucial practices that every company’s IR/PR team must follow, like –
- Be transparent
Regardless of how bad the situation is, always be transparent with your investors and shareholders. Be honest about the situation and try to lay down the facts and figures in the best possible way. This is the only way to ensure their trust, and more often than not, their support in crucial times, like the pandemic.
- Maintain dialogue with investors
A company’s IR/PR strategy must be proactive. The team should take steps to always maintain a dialogue with investors. Don’t rely on investor meetings or important events to connect with investors. You should always stay in touch and let them know that you are always there to answer any questions they may have.
- Be quick to respond
Investors often get anxious about businesses when they don’t know what is happening. A responsive IR/PR team can assure an investor that their money is in good, able hands. Always be quick to respond to investor mails, calls or messages. If you are away from work, simply leave them a message. However, be responsive and communicate with them at all times.
- Strike a balance between accounts
While it is important to stay connected with investors and potential investors; it is crucial to strike a healthy balance between all of your accounts to succeed in your IR/PR strategy. Analyze your company’s need at the current stage and strike a balance between investors, potential investors and even hedge funds.
- Keep your company’s message in mind
While being transparent is key to IR/PR success, it is also essential to remember your company’s overall message. What is the message or brand image that your company wants to present to the investor community? Your communication with the investors and shareholders, or anyone in general, should be in line with the overall message your company wants to send.
These are some of the key practices that every IR/PR team must follow to establish healthy relations with investors and script success stories for their companies.
Hope this has been an insightful read.
Wishing you health and success.