By Dennis Walsh, Senior Consultant & Director of Social Media
Let’s face it; you can’t ignore social media any longer…even as part of your investor relations strategy. You were hoping Facebook would go the way of MySpace and Friendster, but it keeps on growing and has even made its way into our world with its initial public offering.
Talk of Twitter used to elicit laughter in the board room. Now, competitors are using it to promote their brand; hedge funds are using it to decide when to make trades; and rumors spread like wildfires over the Twittersphere. Twitter companion site StockTwits has evolved as a popular platform for traders to share investment ideas. Add to that: YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, LinkedIn, oh my! IR pros certainly put up a good fight, but it’s time to embrace social media…it’s here to stay.
Feeling a little overwhelmed? We’d like to help you with that.
Today, Sharon Merrill announced the launch of its newest consulting program, Socialize IR. Our customized Socialize IR service enables investor relations and communications departments to partner with experienced IR and social media professionals (that’s us!) to develop and execute a strategic outreach program that is compliant with current SEC regulations.
Sharon Merrill Presentation: Socialize IR - Investor Relations Meets Social Media
We will take you from concept to implementation, educating your team on the ins and outs of social media and how to use it effectively as a part of your communications program. Once in place, your social media program can be used to:
- Increase company/brand awareness, loyalty and reach
- Drive traffic to your investor relations website
- Improve investor’s understanding of your business
- Identify key industry influencers
- Engage with investors
- Generate media coverage
- Clarify key messages
- Minimize repetitive investor inquiries
Sharon Merrill will set you up with everything you need to get your social media program running effectively. So what’s included? Depending on your needs, a program will be built with the following:
- Corporate social media policy
- Established presence on social platforms
- Customized backgrounds
- Monitoring reports
- Ongoing social media strategy consulting & management
- Program measurement analytics
- iPhone / iPad application
Think of us as your social media coach. We’ll support your existing program, providing counsel for strategic engagement opportunities until you’re ready to steer the program on your own. If you still don’t think you’ll have the time….Sharon Merrill will manage all aspects of your social media program going forward so you don’t have to worry about the logistics. With more than 25 years of experience in investor relations and crisis communications, the Sharon Merrill team will guide you on how to apply best practices in IR to your social media plan.
Are you ready to spice up your communications with social media? Contact us at (617) 542-5300.
Dennis Walsh is Senior Consultant & Director of Social Media at Sharon Merrill. He counsels clients on a broad array of investor relations and corporate communications issues such as market research, competitive intelligence, earnings announcements, investor targeting, roadshow planning and social media.
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