MARKETING YOUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Investing in a business requires trust. The management team is ultimately responsible for a company’s success or failure, so the investment community needs to have faith that the management team is capable of executing the company’s strategy and creating value for shareholders. One of the best ways to earn that trust is to use your management team to effectively communicate your company’s values and strategy. That’s why it is crucial for investor relations officers (IROs) to be always looking for opportunities to get management in front of investors and help them craft the right message for the right occasion.

Accessibility of the management team is pivotal to any investor relations strategy. The IRO must play a proactive role in acting as a go between, not only highlighting management’s business prowess, but collecting feedback from investors and relaying it to management. Increased visibility and trust in your management team leads to loyalty from investors and helps mitigate any attempts at a hostile takeover.

However, showcasing your management team is easier said than done. Beyond the CEO and CFO, companies are filled with knowledgeable subject matter experts including Chief People Officers, Chief Operating Officers, Vice Presidents, sustainability professionals and more. Normally, the CEO and CFO take front and center stage on quarterly earnings calls, but through a robust investor relations strategy, companies should seek to find as many opportunities as possible to parade their talent and increase investor confidence.

Here are a few of the best opportunities for IROs to present the management team to investors:

Analysts’ Meetings 

Bringing a C-suite executive to a meeting gives analysts the opportunity to ask nuanced questions and gives the executive the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in running the business.

Roadshows 

Giving members of management (other than the CEO and CFO) and other subject matter experts the opportunity to participate in roadshows allows their skills and talents to be highlighted to investors. Taking different members of the management team on the road also means that they can get direct feedback relating to their decisions from investors.

Company/Site Visits 

Investor visits to your office or one of your sites, provides members of the management team with a fantastic opportunity to communicate directly with investors and for a company to showcase its operations. That in-person communication humanizes the management team and leads to greater trust, enhancing the company’s reputation. 

Conference Calls 

Similar to analysts’ meetings, conference calls allow executives and specialists to answer specific questions relating to their role in the business. One option would be to include different members of the management team on your quarterly earnings call. You can introduce different management team members over time or allow team members to take a more prominent role in discussing relevant events that happened in the previous quarter based on their specific area of expertise. Yes, some grooming may be required, but that is a minor detail when you consider the benefits of getting more team members involved and helping ease the burden on the CEO and CFO.

Media Interviews

For technical questions that pertain to specific details that are better suited for an expert, rather than briefing the CEO to struggle through an explanation, invite the subject matter expert to join the conversation. This further showcases the company’s depth of talent.  

Social Media

Consider showcasing key members of your team on social media.  This is a quick and easy way to introduce your team to a wide audience.  The goal of introducing the management team on social media is to humanize them and build relationships with investors, so talk about their professional background, their success at the company and fun details about their personal life.

Industry Panels and Podcasts

Panels and podcasts offer fantastic opportunities for team members to build their personal brand and highlight their credibility as a leader by talking about subjects in depth. This is a great opportunity for your company to display thought leadership by sending functional experts to discuss industry trends.

These are just a few of many ways for the leadership team to get involved with investor relations and highlight the depth of talent in an organization. There is no reason for the CEO or CFO to be the sole torchbearers for the company. A well thought out investor relations strategy gives many opportunities for a company to emphasize the role management plays in the success of a company. Even better, you’re potentially building a pipeline of successors to C-suite!