A New Year Is the Perfect Time to Revisit Your IR Priorities
A new year is a great opportunity to ask yourselves what you want to achieve with your investor relations work.
If you haven’t already created an IR plan for the year, now is the time. Most companies have structured plans for other parts of the business—such as marketing plans. Investor relations deserves the same level of structure and focus.
Below are three practical tips for building your IR plan.
1. Start With What You Want to Achieve — and Why
Begin by clarifying the current situation and what you want to change.
- What does the needs or problem landscape look like today? Do you have the right shareholder base, a fair valuation, sufficient visibility in the capital markets and financial media?
- What is your message—your equity story?
- Who is your target audience? Do you need more retail investors, or more long-term institutional capital?
- What is the goal of your IR efforts, and how will you measure success?
2. Build an Activity Plan — How You Will Reach Your Goal
Once the objectives are clear, define how you will get there.
- Create an annual plan at a high level, and break it down by quarter with specific activities that support the objectives you have set.
3. Allocate Time and Budget
IR requires both time and resources.
- Investor relations takes time. Make sure your spokespersons reserve time in their calendars.
- Investor relations costs money. Create an IR budget that reflects the level of ambition you have set.
IR Does Not “Take Care of Itself”
Investor relations is about fulfilling your contract with your investors. It will never manage itself—just like everything else in your business, it needs to be planned, structured and budgeted.
Get in touch if you would like support with your IR work—or simply a second opinion on your IR plan.
