Crisis Investor Relations in the Age of Social Media

So often lately, public companies have been under attack. Most of these attacks have been directed at Chinese companies publicly-traded on US stock exchanges.

Warren Buffett Reveals New Twist to his Optimal Investor Relations Strategy

During the Q&A portion of last week's Business Wire event, famed investor Warren Buffett discussed his investor relations strategy as CEO of publicly-traded Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A). While much of his strategy is well known, he did recommend a novel approach that would complement traditional IR communications efforts. Here are some key quotes from the event:

Will Netflix CEO Hastings usher in a new era for online finance, investor relations & social media?

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is a remarkable entrepreneur. He founded a DVD-by-mail business in the late ‘90s that now boasts 25+ million subs and is disrupting the media and entertainment industries.

But similarly impressive and yet possibly overlooked is how he’s provided a blueprint for the future of online finance, investor relations, and social media. It’s not farfetched to conclude that Hastings’ latest actions will be the catalyst for a new way in which public companies court investors online.

Public Companies Continue to Embrace Social and Transparency

As earnings season comes to a close, public companies continue to demonstrate an increasing focus on using their earnings calls to be more social, interactive, and transparent. The following are some recent examples:

Forget Twitter and Facebook! 3 Actionable Social Media Opportunities for IR Pros in 2011

A couple of weeks ago, an investor relations pro wondered why IR has been slow to adopt social media and what can be done to “move things forward”. He exhorted the IR industry, saying, “for progress to be achieved in investor relations in social media, monitoring is not enough. Engagement is necessary — and all members of the financial community should take part.”