Your Guide to Investor Relations Trends for 2022

When it comes to investor relations professionals who work on behalf of corporate investor relations departments as well as their institutions, innovative technologies haven’t necessarily been a priority; on the contrary, adapting to technological change has historically been slow… until now.
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Covid-19 changed the way virtually every industry conducted business, and arguably, very few industries had to change course more than investor relations, when it comes to communicating. Those who were not prepared for an increased/updated online digital presence fell behind the curve. Increasingly, IR professionals and entities are migrating heavily to the online world in every way, far from the in-person Annual Meetings and paper prospectuses of decades gone by, to the internet and beyond – hence the need for a blog about digital IR trends.
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Do not fear: Issuer Direct can help lead you to the security of an online path to success, with all the data analysis and forward-looking information you’re used to delivering – only now, it will all live online. Let’s get started.

Live Digital Investor Relations Data
While spreadsheets will always be in fashion with IR professionals, there has been a sizeable shift in recent years toward data solutions that are streamed live…and why not? After all, we live in a world where all current information is at our fingertips. This shift to real-time data for investors and stakeholders allows for incredibly transparent relationships between companies and their audiences. This trend is not letting up; globally, digital platforms are on the rise, which in turn makes an old-school IR website in need of a thorough update – and in many cases, a total reconstruction. Familiarize yourself with existing tools and platforms that help to decrease data delays.
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Data Analytics for the Digital Age
One needs to take only a few steps through an IR website before tripping over the plethora of tools designed to provide detailed info about new online visitors (i.e., potential investors). You can segment the analytics to reflect where your website traffic comes from, how they arrive at your site, the kind of information they are looking at, how long your visitors stay, where they are physically located, and how to reach them.

Data Analytics for the Digital Age
One needs to take only a few steps through an IR website before tripping over the plethora of tools designed to provide detailed info about new online visitors (i.e., potential investors). You can segment the analytics to reflect where your website traffic comes from, how they arrive at your site, the kind of information they are looking at, how long your visitors stay, where they are physically located, and how to reach them.

Live Webinars and Webcasting
It’s been said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” This phrase was certainly applicable when Covid-19 hit globally, as businesses of all industries shifted from an in-person world to one where remote working and communicating became the norm. IR leaders had little choice but to switch from face-to-face Quarterly or Annual meetings to those held via live streaming platforms. Webinars, presentations, and webcasts held in real-time allow a company to share their important news and forward-looking plans to audience members located everywhere in the world, rather than in the same room. The amount of money and time that has been saved (for corporations AND their shareholders/investors) because of this switch to the virtual world is incalculable. Don’t expect the Digital Genie to be put back into the bottle.

Investments in Innovative Technologies
Just as the Annual Meeting has been forever changed during the pandemic, so too have other methods businesses use to communicate with their investors and stakeholders. Investing in a robust Content Management System (CMS), for instance, can help companies create, organize, and deliver their messages. Additionally, businesses that move much of their marketing efforts to their social media accounts can reach many more people and potential investors than ever before. Investor relations departments and professionals who have yet to start updating their current websites and other communications technologies stand a good chance of not keeping up with the competition. The good news is, with such investments in resources and current technologies, IR teams have a much better chance to communicate effectively with others in the financial community, executives, investors, analysts, and portfolio managers.

Automation
This trend is a biggie. Investor relations websites should have the ability to provide critical information, such as a stock price update and a quarterly or annual report, as well as stay compliant with SEC rules. Make sure whatever data you are scrapping when you change platforms is not lost and will remain available for those entities who need it. Marrying AI with market surveillance data will be critical, going forward.
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ESG and CSR Initiatives
The beat goes on for Environmental, Social, and Governance, as well as Corporate Responsibility, for the overall picture to come into focus for Investor Relations. For IR websites, it is imperative to be completely transparent, as far as ESG and CSR are concerned. Keep your investors and stakeholders abreast of each sustainability report, initiative, policy, and responsibility to your investors, employees, and customers.

Remain Aware of Emerging Tech Solutions
Let’s face it – it was time for each IR department to catch up with the technology times during the pandemic. While the pivot of how Covid-19 affected virtually every business on the planet, the changes being ushered in are practical, and in many respects, can end up saving a company a lot of money and time. Make sure you stay invested in new tools and solutions that will help keep your IR activities moving forward. The move toward newer ways of doing business, such as hosting virtual annual meetings, have been, and remain, quite useful. The pivot has been long, and at times hard…but it’s been worth it. Keep up the excellent work, where remaining aware of innovative technologies is concerned.
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When You’re Ready…
Now that you know the important ways to stay relevant during and after the Age of Covid, it is as good a time as any to identify companies who are well equipped to assist businesses like yours, in your quest to succeed. Issuer Direct stands at the precipice of agility, and as a result, is ready to help you connect with the right people. Let us know how we can bring you into 2022 and beyond to improve your investor relations efforts. Click here to get started today!