How to Convert Investors

Moving from Shareholder to Stakeholder

 

Why Convert?

This step has the most long term benefits for your company’s growth. It costs seven times more to attract new shareholders. We know that happy stakeholders attract more strangers, making this one of the cheapest attraction methods available. Think about it, when a friend you know hears you work in the stock market what’s their next question? “Got any hot tips?” If you can retain more shareholders, your volatility will decrease and the share value will rise. Having a low investor turnover will impress institutions.

Having more shareholders with different areas of expertise you can lean on will only strengthen your company. A good relationship with your shareholder base is the best method for combating activist investors or even preventing them from becoming one.

 

 

How to Convert Investors

Serve your shareholders, keep communicating even when there are no material events, stay available, complete the previous three steps impeccably, and this should be easy. Here are a few tactics currently used:

  • Press Releases
  • Earnings Calls
  • Shareholder Letters
  • Analyst Days
  • Great Stock Performance
  • Dividends

 

Investor Conversion Optimized Solutions for Step Four

This step is unfortunately taken for granted, but as you can see from the list of benefits, successfully handling the how to convert investors step is imperative. Here’s how you can investor conversion optimize the current tactics and use a few others to turn more shareholders into stakeholders a.k.a. your biggest fans!

 

Press Releases

  • Add photos or videos to increase your view rates
  • Write attention grabbing headlines
  • Write the release to increase comprehension
  • Provide context to “why this release matters”
  • Lead investors back to your site

Earnings Calls

  • Practice for them
  • Be enthusiastic. Engage, joke around, convey your passion.
  • Highlight the positive and the negative; obfuscation makes investors nervous.
  • Explain why the positive is a great sign, explain what you’re doing to fix the negative.
  • Survey attendees to see how you did

 

 

Shareholder Letters

  • Be candid
  • Don’t neglect to put them out
  • Show gratitude to current shareholders

 

Analyst Days

  • Hold webcasts for those who can’t attend
  • Make it fun

 

 

Great Stock Performance

  • Implementing a great IR strategy will help make this happen
  • If your performance is dipping, communicate why.
  • If you fear a bad quarter, get in front of it.
  • Don’t provide guidance you know to be exaggerated
  • Underpromise… overperform

 

Dividends

  • Pay them if possible
  • It’s a great way to provide monetary value to holders coaxing them to continue holding

 

Social Media

  • Your shareholders should follow you on social media
  • Your shareholders communicate with their friends on social media, so if you provide them awesome shareable content, it will be easier for them to spread your story.
  • Make sure you’re on all the social sites
  • Keep a policy in place that ensures your social media is compliant

 

 

Inbound IR

 

Shareholder Days

  • Invite all your shareholders to the company
  • Let them see what they’re investing in so they can connect further

 

Corporate Newsletter

  • Keep them in the loop
  • Ask them for their opinion let them feel like they have a real position with the company no matter how big or small.

 

Open Office

  • If shareholders want to talk with C-Level management, be available.
  • No matter how big or small, they are behind you and you don’t know how valuable they could be to your company.

To learn more Investor Conversion Optimized solutions for converting investors, Download our e-Book on Investor Conversion Optimization: