5 key takeaways from NIRI09

The NIRI09 conference was a great opportunity for us to meet with the finest professionals in the IR industry. In reflection of the conference sessions and conversations I participated in at NIRI09, here are 5 key takeaways in the IR marketsphere I would like to share with you:

• The financial crisis is the biggest concern with uncertainty, and optimism, about how the fed is “mostly getting it right” on steering the economy though the recession, though the increased direct government involvement seems a little out of character for the country
• XBRL seems to be gaining speed with useful readers and other technologies beginning to appear, reminding us all that the other supplementary material on the website that provides story, strategy and leadership personality should be enhanced
• The sell-side seems to be shrinking in influence as online commentators and other media personalities take an every larger roll in communicating to retail investors, of whom more and more seek investment strategies, and of course invest, online
• Social media is emerging as a way to conduct “continuous investor sentiment analysis”, and can forewarn IROs of stock-moving rumours, that many (and us) suggest should be addressed in those same online media
• And, after completing many free website audits for IR effectiveness, we have to say: most investor websites do not do a good of job of communicating as websites should and can: unifying ideas such as the value proposition, outlook and strategy are done better in non-website materials, such as speeches, annual reports, and conference calls. Filing cabinet-style sites dominate.

I found that one of the hot topics at NIRI09 was the role of social media in IR. We would like to continue the social media conversation with you and invite you to join us in a live webcast on July 16th, featuring our own social media evangelist, CEO Ryan Lejbak, who will take you on a tour across various social media platforms and demonstrate techniques IR professionals can use. This webcast will reveal the steps you should take on your own to begin to monitor, participate and engage investors. Look for your email invitation in the coming weeks.

I hope you enjoyed NIRI09 as much as we did. Check out our blog for regular IR industry updates.