Category: Investor Relations

Blog, Increase Stock Visibility, Investor Relations
Raising capital & Getting VC's Attention

Good web design helps investor exposure!

Mar 9, 2017 by OTC PR

According to Econsultancy, “88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience” and this explains why brands invest big in UX design. Once you frustrate a user, they’re probably gone for life – and that’s a lead you’ll never get back again. This really hurts your profit margins when you’ve worked so hard to get each of these visitors to your site.

Good web design helps investor exposure.

Good web design helps investor exposure

Which mistakes annoy users the most?

Web designers and developers have come up with thousands of ways to annoy users over the years, but here are some frustrations that really stand out, even today:

Slow loading times: Almost half of users leave a site that doesn’t load within two seconds. Poor navigation: If users can’t find their way around your site, you’ve already lost them. Shoddy mobile experience: Despite all the talk about mobile optimisation, too many sites fail to deliver for users on the go. Annoying popups: There’s a reason ad blocking has become such a thing – take the hint. Complex forms: People don’t like giving away personal information and they certainly don’t like filling out forms more than once because of an error. Checkout problems: Making it difficult for people to hand over their hard-earned cash is never a good idea.

What is UX and how can it help my business?

UX design is one of those topics you can’t ignore as a marketer because it has deep roots in everything you do for an online brand. It’s something you and everyone in your team must understand, even if you’re not experts in the field. So what exactly is UX and why is it important to every business?

This is the question we’ll be answering today so there’s no more confusion about the role of UX design in marketing.

What is UX design?

At its most basic, UX design simply stands for user experience design, but what do we really mean when we say ‘user experience’?

When a user lands on a website or opens an app, they’re locked into that platform for a certain period of time. Everything that happens during this session builds a mental experience in that user’s mind about the platform and the brand it represents.

The role of UX design is to ensure this experience is a positive one.

What makes a good user experience?

The answer to this question depends on the kind of platform you intend to design/market and the users it’s targeting. The concept of a ‘good’ user experience can vary from one person to another – and this is why it’s so important to test and tweak your designs over time.

That said, there are a number of key factors in creating a user experience that maximises your marketing efforts:

Information architecture and navigation

Information architecture is the structural design of information – pages, content, labels, etc. – and navigation is the pathway that connects them all. Mastering these two principles is vital to getting your brand story across and creating sales funnels for users to, you know, navigate.

Speed and performance

In most cases, website performance refers to the speed of a website – how long pages and content take to load. However, performance should also consider mobile optimisation, bugs and other quirks that might get in the way of people using a site/platform.

UI design

User interface (UI) design is the visual and functional design of elements people use to interact with a website or application. This includes buttons, icons, navigational elements, advanced search options and anything else users click or touch. The trick is these things need to visually communicate what they do so users quickly understand what they can do and how.

Getting the job done

You could argue this is the most important element of UX design. In most cases, users land on your website looking to do something, to achieve some kind of tasks. The same goes for mobile apps, chatbots and any other platform you design. They have to be useful, intuitive and get the job done in the most efficient way possible.

Another element of user experience that often gets forgotten these days is the enjoyment factor. If users love using your site, app or whatever else, they’re going to be a lot more forgiving about the occasional UX gripe. So don’t forget the human element and strive to create something people actually enjoy using.

Why is UX important to every business?

UX design has become one of the most important aspects of modern marketing. Take a look at the leading brands in any industry and you’ll see how much time and money they invest in creating and maintaining a user experience that keeps people involved with their brand and coming back for more.

Generally speaking, the goals of UX design are as follows:

Make a positive first impression with users Create a pleasing experience that people associate with your brand Reduce the percentage of users who leave before completing an action Increase the percentage of users who come back to your website/platform Encourage users to come back to your site in the future

UX design’s role in marketing is growing, though. Google now considers user experience factors in its search algorithm (e.g: mobile optimisation) but even its core metrics are influenced by UX design. The number of pages people visit, the time they spend on them, the moment they choose to leave and various other factors are a reflection of the user experience you create.

That gives you an idea of some of the things users hate the most but there’s more to UX design than suppressing internet rage. Creating a profitable user experience means analysing every detail of your brand – down to the colours of your CTA buttons and your choice of fonts – to understand what generates the most conversions.

It’s impossible to overstate the importance  of UX design in modern marketing. In fact, with the rise of chatbots, personal assistants and the latest wave of web technologies, UX design is fast becoming the new web design. It’s something that incorporates every interaction between users and brands, from the moment they see you in search until they confirm their payment – on your website, in-store or via a third-party platform.

Good web design helps investor exposure, if your website isn’t performing as well as it should be, we would highly recommend a UX review before investing any further budget in your current site. A UX review will reveal under-performing areas and provide you with a list of recommendations that will have the biggest impact on your site. This removes any guess work and means your budget will be spent in the right areas.

OTC PR Group specializes in creating modern and esthetically pleasing-attention grabbing websites that cater to potential investors along with your existing clientele. While many company website’s today are outdated; we understand the importance of design and provide our business partners with the most modern website designs.
Blog, Investor Relations
Raising capital & Getting VC's Attention

Communicate a Compelling Investment Story

May 4, 2016 by OTC PR
Learn How to Communicate a Compelling Investment Story.

For those IROs and CFOs new to the investor relations sector, the practice of investor relations can seem like a whole new field – with new players, metrics and ways to communicate. And while best practices and the fundamentals of IR still hold true, there is a lot to learn before you can expertly communicate your company’s story to the investment community.

The OTC PR Group model employs a variety of conventional and non-conventional programs and tools to communicate your company’s story and increase your exposure in the small-cap equity markets. We pride ourselves on the honest and unfiltered feedback we gather from the brokerage community and we use this feedback to constantly evolve the messaging. Learn more:

Here are five tips to get you started.

1) Explain what is Unique About Your Company as an Investment.

No matter your specific business, the competition for investors is challenging as they have thousands of investment options, from technology and specialty Internet sites to medical and the latest hot button trend. Therefore, a company needs to stand out from its investment competition with a powerful investment thesis that explains its differentiators.

For example, what is your target demographic? Is it based on age? Gender? Geography? If you have a subscription-based service, what brings people in the door and keeps them coming back (and paying your monthly fee)? How expensive is the delivery of that unique customer experience, and is that model sustainable? The more obvious the differentiators, the more appealing your investment thesis will be to investors.

2) Define Your Customer Engagement Strategy.

In any industry, one of the key areas of investor interest is a company’s customer engagement strategy. This is especially true as it pertains to how channel growth and innovation can be a key competitive differentiator. In this age of 24/7 mobility, investors are keenly interested in your ability to create an omni-channel customer experience. Whether it’s in the store, through a mobile app or via the corporate website, your shareholders will be analyzing not only whether the business experience is seamless but whether it creates an advantage that can translate into higher revenues and profits.

For example, has your company adopted a new technology solution to make the shopping experience easier, faster or more personalized? How are you gaining insight into your customer’s buying behavior? Data and anecdotes that address these areas can provide investors with a clear picture of how you distinguish yourself from competitors.

3)Be Transparent.

Investors in large cap stocks are accustomed to receiving robust and quality information about the companies they follow. Some key metrics may include inventory and receivables, because they indicate how efficient a company is in managing that inventory – inventory turns – and the overall health of the supply chain operation. Other key examples are cash flow and cost of goods sold. Provide as much detail as possible without giving away competitive information. The reason for this is simple: If a company can manage its inventory efficiently, control expenses and produce a quality product, that information will give investors increased confidence in the firm’s earnings power.

Transparency is about more than financials, though. In a franchise model, for example, investors often want to speak directly to the franchisees themselves. Such requests can set off management’s risk meter, but the best-in-class companies enable this type of communication. They may select just a few franchisees to be investor facing and prepare them to engage with the Street. In effect, they become spokespeople for the company. It’s important not to restrict investor access too tightly, either. If they aren’t getting the type of interaction and information they expect, some investors won’t ask management for permission and will go straight to the franchisees.

4) When Challenges Arise, Communicate in a Way that Engenders Confidence.

A rising tide, as they say, lifts all boats. But when the economic cycle is against you or the new product you rolled out is a miss, management’s ability to navigate both macro and micro issues becomes critical. You must be able to communicate management’s strategy to investors effectively. That means being able to articulate what the issue is, what the action plan is and how long it will take to affect the fix, because in business, misses and economic downturns are relatively common. No one ever stays on top forever. The key is to be able to contain an issue, articulate the action plan to address it, and – at all times be forthcoming and honest.

5)Communicate Your Company’s Market Opportunity.

Investors are keenly interested in how you view your company’s market opportunity, particularly the size and dynamics of the addressable market. Given the market opportunity as you have defined it, what is your strategy to penetrate that market, where do you see brand/product strength and why do you believe you will be successful?

Communicating this information and providing ongoing updates, which highlight progress, changes in trends and the impact of those changes on your business – and how you are addressing them – will instill confidence in management.

Like any investors, those who take positions in companies want to know as much as they can about their investments. Tying together these five key points will help you create a compelling investment story no matter what your company is selling. Overall, the more clear and comprehensive the story is, and the better management articulates it, the better you will do in terms of gaining investor confidence and driving long-term shareholder value.

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    OTC PR Group is a complete financial public relations firm. Our unique and persistent market exposure techniques have consistently motivated the investor/brokerage community to take action on our clients’ stock offerings.

    We Deliver Your Message

    We will become your “total” Public Relations firm. As a result of our extensive experience with particular client’s needs, we’ve developed programs that meet your specific goals.

    Our program affords you the greatest coverage in developing stock support and higher market capitalization utilizing the largest and most popular database providers in the industry who can take positions in your company stock.

    These services have proven to help create and maintain strong relationships with a corporation’s investor base, resulting in strong valuations in the marketplace and the establishment of leadership positions for our clients.
    WHAT WE DO

    Investor Relations

    We have more than 20 years of experience helping clients navigate a wide range of investor relation issues. Our approach to investor relations delivers action orientated results for our clients including new business contacts, ideas and exposure that can save time and money while delivering the right outcomes. Read more: https://otcprgroup.com/investor-relations/

     

    Corporate Communications

    We help company’s structure and communicate their message to Wall Street through a combination of old school practices and the latest media and marketing methods.  Having extensive experience as past stock brokers in the early eighties, the principles of OTC PR Group are equipped to approach analysts, brokers and portfolio managers in the language they understand. – Read more: https://otcprgroup.com/corporate-communications/

    Social Media Solutions 

    OTC PR Group works in partnership with the leading Social Media Marketing professionals in the industry to develop custom social strategies to achieve the greatest return on investment. Whether you are just getting started or need better results from your campaign, our networks can help. Read more: https://otcprgroup.com/social-media-solutions/

     

    Video Productions

    The reason we encourage clients to incorporate video in investor relation campaigns is that it is simply the most powerful digital marketing tool available. It’s better for recall, it’s more persuasive and search engines love it. A professional interview can draw out plenty of information, which is why the interview format is so effective in relaying information to others. Read more: https://otcprgroup.com/video-productions/
    OTC PR Group provides a full suite of investor relation services utilizing modern technologies coupled with long lasting relationships and relationship building processes to develop and maintain interest from your shareholder base. We work to build shareholder value by engaging with key-stakeholders and effectively following up and communicating your message, investment potential and corporate vision to Main Street, Wall Street and the media.

    Let us  help bring your company to the forefront of the investment community.

    For more information on our services contact us today at  561-807-6350

    Email: corp@otcprgroup.com
    Blog, Investor Relations

    Disclosure CEO pay regulatory-issues

    Feb 3, 2016 by OTC PR

    Disclosure CEO pay regulatory issuesDisclosure CEO pay regulatory-issues. It is a good time to consider regulatory issues that will require decisions and action. Court cases alleging excessive pay have focused on whether plans that govern director pay include “meaningful limits,” suggesting that employers might want to consider what compensation level constitutes a “meaningful limit”, for example: a fixed formula, a dollar/share limit or another approach. Should there be different limits for different roles or a single cap for all directors?

    Companies should consider thoroughly reviewing and document their pay-setting process, including how the board sets director pay and the role of peer group selection. Consider what is the optimal time to adopt a limit and should it be in the omnibus plan approved by shareholders and can the board simply adopt an amendment to that plan without shareholder approval. Also consider if shareholders should be asked to approve a new stand-alone plan solely for directors.

    Compensation committees would be well served to start asking finance departments and their accounting firms to begin considering GAAP rule changes as part of the compensation planning process. 

    Disclosure CEO pay regulatory-issues

    Companies should think about their communication strategy sooner rather than later, as this could be a multiyear project for many companies. Communicating the CEO pay ratio will be important the ratio will be out there for all to see, including employees, customers, competitors, potential employees and the press.

    The hedging regulations proposed by the SEC require companies to disclose their adopted policy to shareholders. The regulations do not require any specific hedging policy, companies should consider adding or amending a policy, given the heightened shareholder focus.

    Companies that have not already done so should start modeling to develop the best approach to disclosing the comparison to the peer group total shareholder return. Under the rule, companies must choose whether to use the peer group in the disclosed TSR table or the one used to benchmark executive compensation.

    The overarching concern should be implementing a Clawback Policy in a way that does not trigger shareholder lawsuits; this might be the issue that will require the most work. Companies should undertake a deliberative, well-documented process to understand how any restatement of results would affect executive pay. Finally, review the process which pay decisions are documented, so it’s clear which payouts are based on.

    FINDING SEC LAW FIRMS WHEN GOING PUBLIC

    FIND SEC ACCOUNTING FIRMS

    We help company’s structure and communicate their message to Wall Street through a combination of old school practices and the latest Investor Relations Firms media and marketing methods. Having extensive experience in corporate communications. As past stock brokers in the early eighties, the principles of OTC PR Group are equipped to approach analysts, brokers and portfolio managers in the language they understand. We communicate directly with investment professionals understanding their goals, attention, and the type of companies they look for.
     

     

    Address: 1825 NW Corporate Blvd.Suite #110 Boca Raton FL. 33431

    Phone: 954-821-2609
    Email:corp@otcprgroup.com

    Join Our Free Newsletter for the Latest Investor Relation Marketing Tips!!!

      Blog, Investor Relations

      Best Investor Relations Firms

      Jan 11, 2016 by OTC PR
      Best Investor Relations Firms
      Finding the Best Investor Relations Firms

      Are you communicating the right message to your stakeholders?

      The Best Investor Relations Firms start by identifying your shareholder base to attain an understanding of who they are and how they feel about particular issues that affect your company and community.

      Though shareholder identification has been a controversial topic in the IR community, it can help you make sure you’re talking to the right people about the right issues.

      Have you been delivering it through the right channels? Make a mistake and, at best, you risk missing your audience. At worst—I’ll leave that to your imagination.

      When markets are volatile and regulation continues to rise, the stakes grow even higher. Effective investor relations are critical in today’s economic climate. Naturally, the effort is complicated by risk management considerations, leading to the possibility of tension between the investor relations and corporate legal teams.

      The key is to work together, following these steps you can make shareholder communications more effective:

      Build relationships with your investors. 

      Shareholders don’t exist only during proxy season. You should invest in your relationships with them all year long. One idea is to create “a historical chronology of what you have spoken about with each investor that includes a few notes on each conversation.” You’ll have notes ready to go at the next meeting, even if it does come a year later.

      Figure out who votes. 

      Identifying shareholders is only the first step—the next is to make sure you know who is actually voting those shares. (Don’t chase people who don’t have true voting authority) These are the people who will determine your company’s future.

      One tip is to try and find one person, hopefully someone you can then leverage and work through whatever that particular investor’s organizational structure is.

      Understand the right issues. 

      You need to set an agenda based on your audience of shareholders and voters. Take a look at your corporate governance processes with a critical eye. Prepare for any questions or concerns from your shareholder community. Anticipate needs rather than push your company’s agenda.

      Determine whom you need most. 
      Issuers can make strategic errors when they target investors for communication. Set aside concerns of which shareholders have the largest stakes; it may be smaller groups of investors that have more pressing questions for you.

      Focus on the concerns of your constituency; communicate with concerned shareholders with answers to what’s on their minds.

      Seek out help. 

      Proxy advisers might be able to give you a hand in engaging shareholders in a variety of ways. These firms can do more than help you with a proxy campaign. Get them to help you identify the key people with each institutional shareholder, and to analyze voting result for trends and insights.

      OTC PR Group combines public relations, investor relations and media relations into a powerful networking tool. We are an experienced firm with the financial knowledge as well as high familiarity and understanding of the investment community. Through our networks of dedicated and creative professionals, we provide a comprehensive social media marketing strategy that benefits our clients and their investors. Read more:

      Address: 1825 NW Corporate Blvd.Suite #110 Boca Raton FL. 33431

      Phone: 954-821-2609
      Email:corp@otcprgroup.com

      Join Our Free Newsletter for the Latest Investor Relation Marketing Tips!!!

        Blog, Investor Relations
        OTC PR GROUP

        Follow These Basic Steps To Grow Your Business

        Nov 5, 2015 by OTC PR
        Follow These Basic Steps To Grow Your Business
        Follow These Basic Steps To Grow Your Business

        There are a few basic steps in marketing that will work in every situation when you’re trying to grow a business. They work if you’re trying to build an email list or close a deal. If you do not apply them, you will not succeed. At OTC PR Group  we apply these basic principles in order to be competitive. Follow These Basic Steps To Grow Your Business

        1. Things must be Easy and To The Point

        You have to make things as easy and obvious as possible. This is true whether you have a brick-and-mortar store or a website, but it’s doubly true if you’re trying to accomplish something on the Internet, where competition is great. Don’t assume users of your website are sophisticated, navigational problems are major stumbling block for the average user. Dumb down everything. Make your webpage simple and to the point.

        1. Few Words are a must

        The MOST important marketing principle is to use as few words as possible. If you can’t tell someone what you’re doing in a few sentences, your chances of capturing a customer’s attention has just walked out the door. You must explain the benefit of your product or service in an extremely short sentence or phrase.

        You must think of several short phrases that will drive you to go to a web page, or push “add to cart” or fill out a contact form. Putting a well crafted, short, descriptive phrase in front of your ideal customer is very powerful.

        1. Sell your Benefit

        For many in business, it becomes difficult to separate the features from the benefits. Further, we tend to become so deeply in love with the features we have developed, we think that everyone should love them just as much. That’s what you should always be asking yourself in regards to your customers, and the important word is “done.” How will the action you want your prospects to perform benefit them?

        1. Everything must be repeated

        Things that work and are important should be repeated.

        If you ever wanted to share or credit something in the social media, but the page you were on didn’t have sharing icons or links to the social media accounts. They might be on the front page, but not on the inside pages. And because you might just be a little busy, sometimes it’s possible you will just drop the idea of sharing or crediting the source. Don’t let your landing page fall in this category. You should have a great landing page for all the different attributes or “hooks” that will pull someone into your website. They are usually free and you can never have to many.

        1. Track your efforts

        You need to have good analytics that show you what is working and what isn’t. With that information you are able to do more of the right marketing and stop doing what doesn’t work. Very soon you will have a business or website whose performance has significantly improved.

        Help increase stock visibility with OTC PR Group

        We are an investor relations firm specializing in comprehensive programs for micro-cap, small-cap, and mid-cap public companies that increase stock visibility in various ways. We continuously strive to maximize clients’ ongoing corporate visibility and market capitalization through comprehensive, multi-tier proactive programs. Website design, SEO Optimization, Shareholder Outreach for Small Cap Investor relations.

        Address: 1825 NW Corporate Blvd.Suite #110 Boca Raton FL. 33431

        Phone: 954-821-2609
        Email:corp@otcprgroup.com

        Join Our Free Newsletter for the Latest Investor Relation Marketing Tips!!!