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January 17th, 2011

Using Social Media to Increase Your Shareholder Base

Your public company’s latest earnings statement, press release, or other positive news story has been composed and is ready to disseminate. You file it with the SEC, email it to the newswire service of your choice, and perhaps post it to your company website. You’ve met the public disclosure requirements – now what? If you are not a large, highly visible company who receives ample coverage in the media, how do you attract the attention of the investment community?

In 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission released a guidance report on the use of company websites for providing information to investors. They recognized that technological advances allow for greater speed and breadth when delivering reports and news to the investor and the markets. The SEC also acknowledged that investors are increasingly turning to electronic media, company and third-party websites to read information about current investments and seek out new opportunities.

This was a huge step in the right direction, and we agree, with this shift in the dissemination and communication process, the information about your public company needs to be present on your website as well as other financial websites and online communities where investors, analysts, and the financial media are active.

So again we ask, how can less visible micro-cap to mid-cap companies overcome this void in media coverage, expand awareness, and become known in the investment community? One way is social media. There are those who continue to shun social networking and deem it as an ineffective tool. However, it’s usage for investor relations is being increasingly studied, and progressive companies who are listening, experimenting and adapting to this trend, are leveraging the power of social media quite successfully.

One corporation who has recognized and embraced the benefits of social media on a global scale is Roche, a leading healthcare company headquartered in Switzerland. Roche (@Roche_com) uses their Twitter account to post about their products, research, earnings and corporate news. Their Twitter profile features a link to their corporate website social media section which features links to other social network profiles, tabs for investors and the media, and contact information for the relevant departments.

Granted, this is one of those large corporations we wrote about in our last post who handles IR in house, but do not discount social media’s effectiveness in investor relations for smaller companies. In fact, the social media platforms –– Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, etc. –– are tailor made for the small to mid-sized public company, with Twitter proving to be the most widely used dissemination channel for IR by these classifications of companies.

One error we have seen several companies make who do want to use social media to “push” investors and financial media to their news and information is they hire a firm experienced in social networking, but not knowledgeable in current capital markets. A deficient marketing program can result in a lack of volume/liquidity and a lower stock price, which means the company may not receive the influx of capital needed to reach projections. This is detrimental to the company and often depletes their marketing budget.

Building liquidity for a public company’s stock requires consistency and time, and should be entrusted to an Investor Relations firm who has thorough knowledge and experience in the securities and multimedia marketing industry. An established IR team who has the expertise to effectively tell your company’s story, and professionally act as your communication liaison to existing shareholders and prospective investors will serve you best in the long term.

We welcome your comments and inquiries.

To learn more about Investor Relations services, please visit the site for Guardian Financial Services Group.

January 9th, 2011

What Is Investor Relations and Why Is It Necessary?

Simply put, investor relations is the way that publicly traded companies get their corporate information and news out to shareholders, the investment community and the media.

Many large companies, such as Apple. Inc., trading symbol AAPL, handle their investor relations in-house. They have an entire IR department plus a section on their website (https://www.apple.com/investor/) where current shareholders and prospective investors can go to get stock charts, earnings releases, SEC filings, and corporate information.

Other companies such as ZAGG, Inc.* (NASDAQ:ZAGG – News) (www.ZAGG.com), a leading producer, designer, and distributor of electronics accessories for protecting and enhancing the mobile experience, contract independent investor relations firms.  Most micro-cap to mid-cap companies contract investor relations firms for a variety of reasons.

Even if a public company has an IR website, many lack the personnel or resources to effectively and consistently market it. No matter how significant a company’s news may be, if the investment community doesn’t know about the news, the stock will remain inactive with low volume and will not increase in shareholder value. This is why contracting with an established investor relations firm such as Guardian becomes vital.

Guardian specializes in working with new, micro-cap, small-cap and mid-cap companies to increase visibility and expand awareness of their corporate information and positive news making them “known/branded” in the investment community. Guardian provides a wide array of disseminative, marketing and media services, Investor Awareness Programs (I-AP©), tailored to produce the positive results needed for the success of an emerging public companies’ stock.

A successfully administered I-AP© should increase the shareholder base and value.  The result then would be having more effective shares of stock which can be used to raise capital, secure acquisitions, leverage, payment, etc. The company is now utilizing the benefit of being a publicly traded company.

Major shareholders may also greatly benefit. By creating an active market, more demand, liquidity, and higher share prices, the results should be maximized value for the shares of stock owned.

Of course, for the Investor Awareness Program to provide these positive results, the company has to present news of its success and ongoing growth for the investor relations firm to disseminate.

To learn more about Guardian Financial Services Group and how a customized Investor Awareness Program (I-AP©) can maximize the success of your public company’s stock, please contact our Executive Team.

*Guardian started profiling ZAGG, Inc. on October 22nd, 2008 at .86 per share.  The current 12 month high is $8.79 which was achieved in October of this year. Guardian received zero compensation from ZAGG for profiling the company’s stock.

December 7th, 2009

Building Customer Communities Requires Balance

While recently reading a post entitled “Social Selling Beats the Collector Every Time”, I began thinking about a former position I held as a Credit Manager, and how the practices I employed then are very similar to those being used to build successful customer communities today.

The company I was employed by provided parts and repairs for multi-axle vehicles and heavy equipment via eight branches statewide. When I was brought on board as the Credit Manager, my main objective was to reduce their over 90 day delinquencies which at the time represented 30% of their outstanding receivables. They wanted the monies collected and terms tightened, while attempting to retain the customer’s future business whenever possible.

I knew that meeting these goals and objectives was going to require a balance of various strategies. A rigid, singular, “pay up or else” approach may have collected the receivables, but it would not have met the objective of customer retention and could have been potentially damaging to the company’s reputation in the marketplace.

Below are some of the practices that I feel not only enabled me to successfully reduce the over 90 day delinquencies by 20% in one year, but also were instrumental in preserving the loyalty of those accounts, even if it meant doing business on a C.O.D. only basis.

  • Emotional Intelligence & Curiosity - My customers were hard working people, trying to make a living & build a name for themselves. I respected that, and could relate on an emotional and business level. I listened to their suggestions, concerns and struggles so I could understand their businesses and individual situations.
  • Product Knowledge – I gained working knowledge of my company’s products & services, as well as the business climate for that industry.
  • Approachability – My customers knew they could pick up the phone or come upstairs to my office anytime and talk to me about their accounts, their families, or the weather.
  • Creativity – With the knowledge and understanding of their business needs and obstacles, I was able to come up with creative ways to assist them with getting the services they needed from my company while reaching payment arrangements amicable to both parties.

My role at this company was a pivotal one, much like that of an online or offline community manager. My primary function was to “sell” the customer on the idea of paying their account on time or bringing it out of arrears. I frequently assumed the role of customer service agent, at times advocating on behalf of the company and other times on behalf of the customer depending on the issue. Taking the time to foster healthy relationships within the customer community helped to build trust. The company’s commitment to providing quality work and their concern over satisfaction and retention, earned them a loyal, repeat customer base.

Progressive companies understand that today’s technologies allow them to connect with consumers like never before. Zappos, Tom’s Shoes and Whole Foods, are excellent examples of retailers who listen, experiment, adapt, and successfully leverage the power of social media. They have found the “balance” needed to build large, loyal and influential customer communities. Spend some time observing them and you will see that their strategies include many of the practices I outlined above. They make community participation an inviting, informative, fun and enriching experience, and by doing so bring value to their brand and customers to their stores.


As always, I would love to hear from you. What other practices have you implemented in your role as community manager? What other companies can we watch who are masterfully building and managing customer communities?

Related post: Understanding Online Community Management


November 23rd, 2009

Understanding Online Community Management


Community management is slowly gaining recognition and acceptance, however, understanding the skill remains vague for many, and it continues to be a topic of discussion and debate. Some companies and individuals tout it as a critical component of business development, while others feel it sounds too structured or manipulative. First of all, your active and prospective customer base is already online participating in various forums – and you need to have representation there. Community management is a way to ensure they receive the information and guidance they are asking for from the right source.


There are many ways you can make participation in an online community an enriching experience for its members, and listening should be at the top of the list. Giving the people a voice, validating their feelings, and being receptive and responsive to their needs are very important aspects. That said, your participation must address a broader spectrum of interests than just your company, your product, or your service. Creating and contributing various types of content in the form of blog posts, tweets and videos, as well as engaging people via new discussion topics and providing links to other posts, shows you care about bringing value to the community.


The position of a “Community Manager” is one that encompasses many roles. Your number one role is that of a salesperson. Bottom line, your efforts must drive business to the company you represent. You are also a business developer, a customer service person, a marketer, and a spokesperson. You should be approachable, possess a constructive and supportive attitude, strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, creativity and curiosity. You are the voice for the company to the community and for the community to the company. Therefore, you should possess intimate knowledge of the business you are representing, and know who internally will be the best resource to answer questions.


In a recent article published by Mashable’s Associate Editor, Jennifer Van Grove, she asked three very successful and well-known social media specialists what they thought was the one quality you can’t live without in a good community manager. Brad Nelson (@Starbucks) had this to say, “The most important aspect of any community or social media manager is passion for the company, the product and the people.”

Social media and technical skills can be learned – we all took the plunge into the virtual waters at one time or another and waded our way through – but you must have sincere passion for connecting the people of the community to the company while meeting short and long range goals.

This initial post is intended to be a general summary of a subject that generates many inquiries. I have approached it from a small business standpoint, however, my research indicates that a large corporation may have the need for more than one community manager. In either case, there is still much clarity needed and many questions to be answered.


In subsequent posts, I would like to delve into more specific areas such as the best management practices, managing offline communities, and ways you can measure the impact and value of a community role.

If you have any specific questions about the skill of community management or the role of a community manager, I would love to hear from you. Chances are you are not the only one with this question, and I would like to provide you with the best possible answer or solution available.

Conversely, if you are or have been a community manager, I would greatly appreciate your feedback and participation. The ultimate goal here is to provide clear and useful information, and I am always pleased to gain new insight and techniques.


August 31st, 2009

Quality vs. Quantity: Which is Better?

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” ~Steve Jobs

If you are active in any of the social communities, even just casually, you have probably been bombarded with “suggestions” of ways to increase your twitter following or number of blog hits. While your first inclination may be to think that more is better, ask yourself just who exactly is making up these numbers.

Mass marketing is great if you are Coca-Cola or Skittles and your demographic is well, everyone. Considering that of the 6 million firms in the U.S. with employees, 90% of these employ 20 people or less, your advertising needs to be more targeted towards an audience that is receptive to what you have to offer.

If we examine the trends and educated forecasts, the face of customer interaction is changing forever, and leading the way is social media. Your customers are active in social communities and you need to be prepared to meet them where they’re at. Consumers want to be able to engage in conversation, and they want to know they are being heard. When posting to your business blog, focus on content, not frequency. Is the material relevant to the audience you are targeting? Will it educate or enlighten the reader? Does it forward the goals of you or your company?

Establishing yourself as a reputable brand requires patience and persistence. Listen to what your customers and would-be customers are saying and provide them with value. Consistent, targeted efforts will yield a manageable growth of people who are interested in your service or product. If you focus on the quality, the quantity will follow.

If time is a hindrance to your making this type of commitment, consider retaining the services of a social media manager who will embrace your objectives and interact responsibly on your behalf.

We are always interested in your thoughts and experiences. If you have a strategy that our readers could benefit from, we invite you to please contribute.

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