The impact of social media on investor relations is still relatively young. Suddenly, you have multiple places to post new releases, investor presentations, and corporate updates, as well as a set of regulations to follow. When it comes to social media, the sheer amount of information available can compel many public companies, IROs, and experts to avoid it entirely. It’s crucial to keep in mind, though, that social media is only another means of communication. It’s a method to connect with people in your network or investors you’d like to learn more about. Even though it can feel like a hard uphill battle at times, here are some simple recommendations to help you think about and get started with social media for investor relations.

1) Create a Content Plan:

The first and most important step is to assemble a capable team. The team will be in charge of social media marketing from beginning to end. IROs, content writers, graphic designers, SEO experts, social media managers, and other desired personnel should make up the team.

The next step is to assess the company’s existing market position and, if applicable, previous social media marketing performance. Don’t reinvent the wheel if a strategy has previously worked successfully; instead, tweak it to meet the most recent requirements. If you’re just getting started with social media marketing for your business, start by figuring out which sites are best for you. Every firm should have a presence on LinkedIn and Twitter. Depending on your sector, you may also use SlideShare, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other similar platforms.

Determine your objectives for the following 12 to 18 months. To identify your purpose, use a SMART technique and break down the key yearly goals into short-term quarterly or monthly targets. Prepare a list of action plans based on these objectives and organise them in a content calendar. To gain better outcomes, be sure to combine your content calendar with the IR calendar. Start implementing your content plan as soon as possible after you’ve completed it. Prepare information and graphics in advance wherever possible to guarantee consistency in Investor Relations.

2) Use Attractive Images:

Adding a little something to catch someone’s eye might sometimes be the key to properly using social media for investor relations and increasing engagement. Add an image to your posts on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to give them a little more umph. Although the platform may produce an image for you based on the link you’re providing, if one isn’t provided automatically, try uploading one yourself.

3) Make use of Formatting:

Maintain a clean and professional appearance on your social media networks. By using the proper formatting for company logos, banners, and cover photographs on your profile pages. Your logo may appear hazy, stretched, or even partially cut off if the size is incorrect. On all social media venues, an effective social media for investor relations plan requires coming across as clean and professional.

4) Don’t make your post annoying:

When uploading a news release to social media, do not capitalize the whole announcement. If you announce everything as if you’re screaming, you’ll turn some folks off. Try this method if you really want to use capitalization when announcing crucial firm information:

NEWS RELEASE: It’s been brought to our attention that capitalizing on entire news releases might cause a lot of irritation.

5) Take advantage of the fact that everything is happening in real-time:

There are a million interactions on social media every minute, and if someone doesn’t like something you’re putting out there, you’ll almost definitely hear about it first on social media. Because of the increasing use of social media for investor interactions, public corporations must always be on top of their game and be transparent. It’s no longer an excuse not to keep up with the times. According to Talkwalker, a social media consulting firm, social media can be a good place to “react in real-time to user comments about key events.

Such as the publication of your annual reports, or other corporate actions…this will give you the opportunity to reduce any message misalignments and encourage brand endorsement.” This does not imply that you must respond to every Negative Nelly. This suggestion is more about keeping your finger on the pulse of the debate in your sector. A company’s advantage can be derived by having a free flow of information. Use it to stay up to date on what’s being said, and if any sort of crisis communication is required, knowing how to decipher the crowd’s chatter will come in handy.

6) Publish original content:

If you haven’t heard of LinkedIn Publisher yet, now is the time to do so. Yes, a blog is the most obvious way to share material with your community, but maintaining a blog is time-consuming. Consider becoming a LinkedIn publisher if you haven’t already. Almost everyone you’re seeking to contact in the financial community or elsewhere is likely on LinkedIn. Any LinkedIn member can create and distribute their own material with the LinkedIn publisher. This is a fantastic method to get your firm recognized as an industry leader. LinkedIn publisher, according to Forbes, allows members to “showcase their expertise…and share great information to their networks.”

As a LinkedIn publisher, you get to start with a more targeted audience. Blog postings might get lost in the haze of content development, but posting to LinkedIn ensures that your content is seen by the right people. “Many professionals have no control over where their information is published or who it reaches,” according to Forbes. Your content will at the very least reach your network through LinkedIn, and it may also reach other distribution channels.”

7) Measure Effectiveness:

To measure performance and identify essential factors for the outcome, it’s critical to keep track of your efforts and results. You can use Facebook’s Insights feature and LinkedIn’s Page Analytics feature, as well as the platform’s default analytical tools. This can provide information on page views, the number of people who have seen a post, responsiveness, interaction, and more. There are also a number of different web-based analytics tools that can measure the quantitative and qualitative components of your social media posts.

The amount of offline enquiries you receive as a result of the material you published is another approach to measure effectiveness. Check your website’s analytics to see whether there has been an increase in page views. An rise in business can be a subtle and long-term measurement. However, it is difficult to attribute this only to social media; however, social media does play an important role in raising brand recognition, connecting with stakeholders, and disseminating information. Last but not least, determine whether your stakeholders are up to date on the company’s current circumstances. If they are, your messages are being delivered efficiently, and you have tapped into the full power of social media.

8) Take Care of Customer Feedback:

The last (but certainly not least) stage is to appropriately handle and utilise feedback. Comments and personal messages sent to your organisation via social media should be properly addressed. Take some time to read the comments and see what people want. Feedback can also be given verbally at events or over the phone.

Keeping track of and responding to comments will help you develop your brand while also providing insight into your future strategies. If a customer has a complaint, respond within two working days if at all possible. If someone gives you nice feedback, don’t forget to thank them. More importantly, do more of the things that worked in the future and replace the things that didn’t with new creative ideas.