Communicating Your Company’s Value to Investors: Four Things to Consider

In this Forbes article, TreeFork CEO Elizabeth Shea asserts that it is now more important than ever to be bold and diligent when positioning your company to the investor community. You need to prove that your business is agile, able to pivot, and “has the experience and vision to scale successfully — and that other people (industry analysts, customers, etc.) believe in that vision too.”

The first step is to target your financial audience and start building a sell-side communications strategy early, that is, at least six to twelve before you’re looking to receive funding.

Elizabeth then states that companies must understand the similarities and differences between communications targeting investors versus communications targeting customers. She mentions that both audiences have “pain points, triggers and information-gathering interests” but require slightly different approaches in terms of how you craft your story and what tactics you employ.

The third step is to engage industry analysts and try to land a mention in notable industry reports such as Gartner Magic Quadrant and Forrester Wave. This can “go a long way towards assuaging investors’ fears of risk” and ultimately influence valuation come funding time.

The last thing Elizabeth mentions is that it’s never “one and done.” Consistently announcing your company successes, underlining your growth trajectory, cultivating relationships with analysts and reporters, and even updating your website can continually bolster your visibility and relevance in the industry and “come in handy if you seek additional rounds of funding.”

Read the full article on Forbes.