A strong investor relations strategy isn’t just about saying the right things at the right time; it’s also about knowing where to say them. Quarterly earnings reports and press releases certainly play a pivotal role in IR, but today’s savvy investors — both institutional and retail — are analyzing your company’s entire online presence, including social media.

In a recent report by Muck Rack, 69% of journalists surveyed said their articles are designed for online publication, and 70% claimed they use social media to share their work. These statistics show us that investors are growing accustomed to consuming their news digitally (including across social platforms) and further validate the need for your company to maintain a presence online.

That same report projected users will spend 44% more time on LinkedIn this year than the year prior. This aligns with what we already know, which is that LinkedIn is one of the fastest-growing social platforms in the United States and the undisputed top choice for online professional networking.

While the strategic approach to social media varies between B2B and B2C companies as well as by industry, the undeniable truth remains the same: investors are on social media, so your company should be too.

Here are the platforms and tactics that make the most sense for reaching your target investor audience and how to leverage social media in your investor relations strategy.

LinkedIn

This platform recently reached over a billion users — a number comprised of investors, executive decision-makers, your public company peers, and other business professionals.

In addition to LinkedIn’s increasing popularity among a wide range of target audiences, it’s also a place designed to showcase your story, momentum towards significant growth metrics, recent activity, thought leadership, and other big news. An active LinkedIn presence, whether through your company or top executive’s profile (preferably both), shows your audience that you’re proactively pursuing growth and mindful of commanding an authoritative presence in your space.

LinkedIn strategies aimed explicitly at supplementing IR and PR efforts are particularly seeing success from leveraging executives’ profiles. This is not only due to the algorithm favoring humans over businesses, but also because people like to connect with other people rather than faceless companies. To get the most out of this strategic approach, align your top executives’ LinkedIn content with your organization’s page.

One strategy is to have an executive post simultaneously with your company’s press release, then promote the news on your business page afterward. This is just one of many ways to draw followers to your executive’s profile while building trust, establishing authority, and getting the upper hand on the competitive LinkedIn algorithm.

This platform offers a variety of useful tools for storytelling through unique, engaging content. Upload your latest letter to shareholders as a swipeable PDF (called a “carousel” in the world of social media), post photos of management visiting your newly expanded facility, or utilize the in-platform blog and newsletter functions to share long-form content.

All of these pieces of information matter to your followers, shareholders, and investors.

Twitter/X

Another platform where it is often appropriate for public companies to have a presence is X (the app formerly known as Twitter). Although overall X usage has decreased in recent years, it still provides a place for quick, digestible business updates that investors care about.

The great thing about leveraging this particular platform in your social strategy is that the content appropriate for X typically aligns with the content you’re already sharing on LinkedIn. If your company has the bandwidth, keep an active X profile as a way of extending your reach with investor audiences and adding to your overall credibility online.

Webull

A newer player in the retail investor social space is Webull. Webull is a brokerage platform created in 2017 that offers a unique community with a mobile app experience designed like a social site. Users are able to buy and sell stocks in-app, as well as engage with content posted by other users or companies.

As a public company, you can join the platform via a “Corporate Connect” account which allows you to post updates using text, graphics, videos, and links just like any other feed-based app. This platform is a great way to share your company’s story and stay in front of retail investors in a place where they already are.

Social Media Influencers

Lastly, what kind of social media blog post would this be without discussing influencers? In today’s world, there are influencers for every niche, market, and platform.

Specifically, finance influencers are key players to any public company seeking mindshare with retail investors. With so many resources available to them in the social media world, retail investors are constantly educating themselves on which stocks to buy across a variety of platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X. These audiences look to financial influencers they trust to guide them in the right direction.

By partnering with an influencer that aligns with your company size and industry, you can quickly build credibility and loyalty within your exact target audience. You’ll want to work with an experienced agency to help you source, vet, and coordinate with the right influencers for your brand.

Social Media is Paramount to Your IR Strategy

In summary, social media is a vital tool for getting your company’s message in front of target investor audiences. Take advantage of the ability to shape your narrative and celebrate the growth of your business by partnering with the right influencers and maintaining active social channels on the above discussed platforms.

A misconception we often hear from executives or decision-makers is that publishing a press release for your company’s news is enough. In a world so acclimated to widely available digital information, this is simply not the case. Investors and stakeholders are expecting to see your business updates across all touch points online, especially social media. Don’t miss the opportunity to stay in front of your target audience. Meet them where they are so they can easily see your successes and growth.

Need help creating a social media strategy for your company? We’re here to help.

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