Investor Relations as a Strategic Weapon
A guide to building and maintaining a world class IR function
βThe year was 1987. Six months after we went public was the market crash of 1987. Our stock halved in a day.
And six months prior, the three founding executives, the CFO included, had taken all their proceeds from the IPO downstairs to β wait for it β Smith Barney and put it all on the market, and the CFO had levered himself up.
So on the day of the market crash, he got three margin calls. So he went home that night, and he lit his house on fire.π₯
So the next day, the CEO came to me and said,
βWell, Bob's not coming back and the phone's ringing, you need to talk to investors.β
I was 26.β
-Samuel Levinson, Investor Relations expert and Founder of Arbor Advisory
Not much has changed since 1987 βeven as algorithms now drive capital flows, most IR playbooks remain stuck in βearningsβcall scriptβ mode. IR is very much a reactionary function, a βcheck the box exerciseβ, and a missed opportunity to move the market in your favor.
This tactical deep dive shows you how to turn your IR function into a strategic weapon.
We're going to dive deep, folks, into what it means to run a world-class investor relations function. I'm not talking about running a press release from time to time, or having an earnings day; we're talking about IR as a strategic weapon to drive your valuation. This is based on talking to experts who don't just see IR as messaging, but as an extension of the overall business strategy.
Here are the chapters weβll cover:
1. Communication Should Reflect Business Strategy
βYour communication strategy must be the public expression of your corporate roadmap.β
2. Know Your Audience
βIf Iβm a value investorβ¦ Iβm not here to hear a growth story.β
3. Management Credibility
βSurveys going back 30 years consistently show that βmanagement credibilityβ is the #1 driver of an institutional investorβs buy/sell decisionβ
4. The Metrics You Measure
βIf you donβt have the metrics, you pound the table. If you do have the metrics, you pound the numbers.β
5. Embedding IR in the Business
βLetβs call a spade a spade if your metrics arenβt linked to the context of the daily activitiesβ
6. Putting IR to WorkβYour Next Moves
βNow itβs your turn to go on offense.β
This masterclass in IR is available for paid members below. Itβs time to link the way you talk about your business to how the market values and rewards it.