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A Brief Overview
The task of investor relations is to implement and monitor strategies,
which will build and sustain investor support.
Skeptics occasionally challenge the value of such communications under the
theory that the numbers speak for themselves. Considerable evidence and
market information has become available to support the premise that a
carefully crafted and consistent financial communications strategy will,
at a minimum: sustain the company’s price earnings multiple in the "top
tier" of its group. It will also develop underlying stock support levels
to reduce volatility; and maintain longer investment horizons with both
institutional and individual shareholders.
de Jong & Associates is a leading regional investor relations agency
providing a full range of investor relations services to publicly held
corporations, as well as privately held corporations intending to go
public.
de Jong & Associates staff is comprised of professionals with extensive
experience in corporate finance, financial journalism and investor
communications strategies. Through direct contract and professional
affiliations, the firm has access to more than 35,000 investment advisors
across the country.
Our firm is distinguishable by: hands-on relationships; consistency of
professional service; and carefully crafted budgets designed to both
maximize our client’s in-house capabilities and reduce costs.
Highlights and Capabilities
In Operation Since 1996.
Assisted publicly held corporations in all major industry groups.
Participated in the investor communications and marketing of initial
public offerings, secondary offerings, and private placements of both
equity and debt.
Ongoing Activities
Monthly investment community contact: Account executives will
maintain close contact with those in the investment community who have
been introduced to the company through an IPO, or other contacts, and we
initiate calls specifically on behalf of the client to numerous parties
who might otherwise never know the company’s existence. This regular
follow up to potential investment professionals is often the key to
turning interest to action.
News releases: Accurate, quickly disseminated information from the
source is the best way to keep relevant investors informed. A variety of
releases are utilized: quarterly results, management additions and
changes, and other developments relevant to business operations. A "hot
list" of those in the investment community who closely follow the company
is developed in conjunction with this activity and, when necessary,
conference calls for the investment community are arranged.
Direct mail: This is a cost-effective way to pre-screen a broad
audience of potential investors and reinforce followers contacted through
the IPO process. It includes article reprints, short research reports, and
other direct-mail materials. The corporate profile also is a direct mail
tool. Included in the budget is the time required to summarize financial
community information, draft cover letters and develop specifically
targeted mailing lists.
Media relations: Includes the development of article topics and
promotional packages targeted to specific media; telephone and personal
contact to follow through and place articles. This includes working with
writers and editors to answer questions and arrange interviews. We stand
ready to advise you on crisis communications policy and are immediately
available to assist you if specific problems develop.
Talking to the Street
The numbers do not tell the whole story. We often find that the final
decision to invest in a company is made only after direct contact with
management.
Road Trips: We increase management’s in-person contact with the
investment community by arranging and hosting small groups and one-on one
meetings both locally and in targeted cities during each quarter. We will
also plan to take advantage of management travel to arrange meetings in
metropolitan areas near current operations. We will accompany management
on the road trips to ensure that all details are handled properly.
Informal small group meetings: This is one of the most
cost-effective ways to meet face-to-face with the investment community,
particularly if we are able to coordinate these meetings with your
business travel plans. Over time, a broad national network of support and
recognition can be built at minimal additional travel or investor
relations expense.
Consultation
Counseling and program review: We are available to assist the client in
every aspect of investor relations, ranging from disclosure procedure to
shareholder tracking. We have a proactive attitude and feel it is our
responsibility to advise the client when actions, such as stock splits or
dividend policy changes, are advisable.
Investment Community Relations
Identification of Shareholder Composition.
Brokerage Meetings.
Peer Group Studies – to identify those institutions buying stock of our
client’s competitors.
Investment Community Studies.
Small Private Group Briefings With Selected Analyst and Money Managers.
Teleconference Briefings Arranged With Key Followers.
Define Client Corporate Story for Maximum Clarity and Investor
Understanding.
Recommendations on Enhancing Stock Value.
Takeovers Defense Strategy.
Recommendations on Programs to Create More Employee Shareholders and
Customer Shareholders.
Crisis Communications Counseling.
Investor Relations Program Objectives
Sustain a realistic price/ earnings multiple and market value of the
client’s common shares.
Develop improved liquidity in terms of average monthly trading volume.
Determine, achieve and maintain the appropriate mix of retail and
institutional investors.
Generate quality retail and institutional research.
Construct a base of support from small portfolio managers and
top-producing brokers across the country.
Produce strong loyalty and understanding among shareholders.
Gain recognition of the company in local and national media.
Media
Financial News Release Development.
National Financial Magazine Contact and Profile Article Development.
Media Placement.
Regional Financial Magazine Contact and Profile Article Development.
News Desk – Monitoring of Dow Jones and Reuters tickers
Annual Reports.
Financial Presentation Planning and Preparation.
Electronic Transmissions of Bulletins Direct to Selected Analysts,
Individually Programmed Shareholder Enclosures.
Investor Relations Strategies
Determine and continually refine the client’s key investment appeals and
to emphasize the client’s long-term growth prospects.
Target investment professionals who are the most logical candidates to
become the company’s supporters.
Contact potential investors to test the investment appeals for the client
and utilize the feedback to further improve the marketability of the
stock.
Arrange large and small meetings for management with financial
professionals we identify as strong candidates for ownership.
Prioritize program activities to focus on opinion leaders, such as
security analysts who write institutional and retail research reports.
Develop investor relations materials such as the corporate summary in
order to accelerate research coverage and aid registered representatives
in marketing the stock.
Generate feature coverage in national and local media that underscores the
client’s investment appeals. Additionally, target specific investment
newsletter writers and analysts from our database of hundreds of
investment professionals who produce newsletters.
Help the client create shareholder reports that reinforce the initial
stock ownership decision and convince professional investors that they
will receive consistent and credible information about the company.
Provide a stream of information to shareholders and potential investors,
such as article reprints, which feature the client as well as industry
news coverage, which highlights the client.
Monitor and adjust the program to maintain a constant high level of
effectiveness and cost-efficiency.
Internet Strategies
With the ever increasing popularity of online investing and the ability
of both market professionals and individual investors to access
information over the internet, this medium has become the de
facto standard for gathering and disseminating information on emerging
growth companies.
DEJONG.ORG is becoming the premier online investor relations site with
multiple links and a proactive policy of outreach to the investing
community.
We make both ourselves and the companies we represent readily available to
the online community - not by engaging in dialog in chat rooms or message
boards, but by supplying credible information and the careful monitoring
of current investor sentiment. By doing this we are often able to diffuse
potentially harmful situations and also to proactively affect sentiment.
Methodology
We provide up-to-the-minute news releases to investor chat rooms and
message boards where investors have "threads" relating to client
companies.
We bring our clients to the attention of potential investors and market
professionals by linking to online investment sites where possible.
We provide comprehensive due diligence information through our online portal and our
free electronic news letter service.
We continuously drive traffic to our web site through an aggressive
telemarketing program aimed at the professional investment community.
Premier Web Marketing Program
Premier Web Marketing Package
Most smaller public companies have no brokerage research sponsorship. In
many instances liquidity is a major problem for a newly created entity or
a start-up, or an otherwise relatively unknown company. When it is
necessary to build a new investor audience, above and beyond our normal
activities outlined above, we tap into our Premier Web Marketing Program.
This program is tailor made for the needs of a specific client, in that
we contact institutional investors according to their express historical
preferences. The result of each campaign is a very qualified and targeted
audience that receives promotional material and updates about the
security. All recipients have opted in to receive this information from
us, and as a result of our past successes we enjoy their ears when we
communicate with them.
The success of the program relies on the following factors:
Our
credibility as a source of relevant, correct and up-to-date information.
This we have built over the past decade and is represented by the name Ron
de Jong, our president.
Our
expert knowledge of web-based marketing strategies.
Our
co-operation with 3rd party partners and the use of proprietary contact-
and relationship management software.
The database that we use for the Premier Package consists of:
35,000
portfolio managers, buy-side analysts and traders;
11,000
investment research analysts on the sell-side;
650 media
outlets;
9,000
media staff.
If you feel that your organization can benefit from the Premier Web
Marketing Program, please do not hesitate to ask for details, in order
that a campaign tailor-made to your needs may be designed.
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