Online Investor Relations

Online lets a company post key information where one can find it quickly while making investment decisions and respond to routine requests that otherwise take up an IR professional's time. Online lets a company expand on news stories that do not carry its complete message or to correct inadvertent errors.

Online investor relations includes:

Web site investor relations (counsel and maintenance): If you have or want a Web site for investor relations, you must be willing to update its information constantly to be of use to investors.

Analyst briefings using the Internet as primary/supporting medium: This is a time-saving use of online. Analysts can download company briefings without contacting a live person or listening in to investor calls. The benefits of such an approach is that an analyst can be better prepared when talking to a company representative.

Rumor control: The Securities and Exchange Commission and NASDAQ hunt for speculators who plant rumors to manipulate stock prices.

Investor contact:  It is faster to contact investors online than by mail or faxes.

Online Q&As: Frequent questions about a company can be answered quickly and easily through online questions and answers. The benefit of online is that it allows for addition and revision of answers immediately without the lag of printing and dissemination.

Cyberchats with company officials: Cyberchats are like a phone conference but done online with written questions and responses.

E-mail and online newsletters to current and prospective shareholders: It is as easy to keep an e-mail list of current and prospective shareholders as a mail list.

When do I use it?

If your objective as an IR professional is to get company information out to investors and potential investors quickly and efficiently, use online.