Howard Linzdon, co-founder and ceo of StockTwits had this to say about the collaboration:

Public companies are trying to find ways to connect directly with investors, analysts and other key constituencies as the number of potential communications channels expand dramatically. IR professionals at public companies are increasingly facing challenges in reaching all their key audiences in the most effective way, with limited resources. Our partnership with Q4 provides simple, time saving access to our solutions to public companies using Q4 products.

Darrell Heaps, Q4′s ceo added:

By integrating StockTwits Investor Communications Solutions, we help IR professionals build stronger relationships with their stakeholders across the financial web. We are a leader in optimizing investor relations websites and social media strategies for effective communication, and using StockTwits products has become a critical ‘best practice’ in helping companies attract and engage investors.

Companies such as Teekay Corporation, Ryder System, Inc., Shuffle Master Inc, and Vical Inc., all utilize Q4’s customizable IR website system, as well as StockTwits’ Investor Communications Solutions to optimize investor relations activities.

The video below shows how Q4′s platform integrates with StockTwits:

Q4 Web StockTwits Integration from Q4 Web Systems Inc. on Vimeo.

You can read the release in its entirety here:
http://mwne.ws/zHVzvq

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As we are in the midst of earnings, and as annual general meeting season is just around the corner, I thought I would share some thoughts on best practices for live-tweeting.  Note: these best practices have been put together based on observations we have made through our research on how public companies are using social media for investor relations.  Here is a list of what we will cover today (in no particular order):

1. Preparing tweets in advance of the call.
2. Providing a link to the materials associated with the live event.
3. Proactively soliciting questions in advance.
4. Consistent use of #hashtags.
5. Appending tweets with your ticker symbol.
6. Linking to disclaimers.

One additional note, before I get started. I’ve left disclaimers until the end, as I feel this warrants a post on its own.  So that said, I’ll be putting together some thoughts (with the hope of having some experts weigh in) on the appropriate placement of disclaimers on Twitter.  As usual, I’ll provide some examples.  You can look for this post the week of November 14, 2011.

1.    Preparing tweets in advance of the call. This is easily accomplished by extracting key messages from the release and the script. Compiling the information for the tweets prior to the call will ensure consistent messaging and help mitigate the risk of tweeting anything that was not previously released over an approved disclosure channel.  It would be wise to also share this information with your legal counsel in advance and obtain their sign-off.

2.    Providing a link to the materials associated with the live event. For example, providing a link to the event well in advance (common practice is at least one week prior), and letting investors know that you’ll be live-tweeting is a good best practice. Johnson and Johnson did this as shown in the tweet below:

Similarly, sending out a tweet the morning of the event and re-sending the link to the notice of call will serve as a reminder.

Also sending out a link to any additional materials relating to the specific event such as a press release or presentation as soon as it has been disclosed over the appropriate disclosure channels will equip followers with the information they need.  This can be especially useful in the case where a company holds an investor/analyst day to update the investment community on a merger.  For example, Constellation Energy sent out the tweet below to inform the financial media and bloggers with a link to a website that houses more information related to the merger:

3.    Proactively soliciting questions in advance.  If you are going to allow investors to submit questions in advance, you should have an appropriate system set up where investors can submit them.  For example, we have seen companies proactively ask their investors to post questions on their blog like Microvision does below:

We’ve also seen TVI Pacific provide a link to their website where the instructions are easily found in the upper right-hand corner:

In general, if you’re going to allow investors to submit questions in advance, ensure that they are properly informed. This can be easily accomplished by using your website and social media so everyone has an equal opportunity to have their question addressed.

4.    Consistent use of #hashtags.  If you’re going to live-tweet an event (and you intend on continuing the practice each quarter or annually for your shareholders’ meeting), we recommend that you use consistent #hashtags. For example, when Polycom live-tweets their earnings calls, they incorporate their stock symbol (PLCM) along with the current quarter (i.e. Q1, Q2…) and append every tweet with the appropriate #hashtag like they did below for their Q1 results:

Using consistent #hashtags helps followers identify the event being discussed. It also helps anyone who was not able to follow along the ‘live’ event, to search for and read the tweets at a later time.

5.    Appending tweets with ticker symbol. IR teams who are live-tweeting events – particularly earnings are also appending their tweets with their ticker symbol, like American Electric Power does below:

StockTwits invented the $TICKER which was built to aggregate messages around tickers.  As such it acts as a search engine that gathers all messages that include common messages using the $TICKER tag (e.g. $AAPL). Appending the $TICKER will not only ensure message discoverability across StockTwits, but also on Twitter and the wider social sphere.

6.    Linking to disclaimers.  As mentioned, stay tuned for an upcoming post dedicated to the use of disclaimers on Twitter.

Let me know if I’ve overlooked anything in the comments below.

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The 25 most valuable Blogs in the US – 2011

Social Media — 4 Trends To Watch in 2012: http://huff.to/uIiBoS

How Investors Select Financial Advisors: http://bit.ly/vVKi5w

6 Reasons Most Infographics Don’t Cut It: http://rww.to/voBYCR

SEC Releases New Draft on EDGAR Filing Manual: http://ir4.me/tBSwZ

Eye-Tracking Study Finds iPhone, iPad Draw More Attention Than Android Devices: http://t.co/5x8Dak71

Social Media Monitoring: You re Doing It Wrong: http://bit.ly/sXAu7q

TMX board recommends Maple Group takeover bid: http://tgam.ca/DC4R

Groupon’s IPO: What you need to know: http://on.mash.to/vHASB3

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Social network popularity around the world in 2011: http://bit.ly/sTfqkK

US Trails China in almost every mobile usage trend: http://rww.to/tTPwZG

Netflix lost 800,000 U.S. subscribers in third quarter: http://bit.ly/uJHlWg

Building a Community Around Your Blog From Scratch – Ten Steps: http://ow.ly/78jaC

5 Deadly Twitter Sins to Avoid: http://ow.ly/78oik

Time for Investor Relations Departments to go Social: http://ow.ly/78H0o

Although the Markets have turned hostile to IPOs, Now is the right time for companies to prepare for a Stock Market Listing: http://bit.ly/vggw92

Company Directors See Pay Skyrocket: http://bit.ly/s5XY72

12 Most Successful Corporate Blogs: http://awe.sm/5Y3uQ

Canadian Supreme Court nears national regulator ruling: http://bit.ly/u4xSfB

IR Tools Are Only as Strong as the Message They Deliver: http://bit.ly/uOWWiA

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Mary Meeker on 2011 Internet Trends [VIDEO]: http://youtu.be/Xdx0ezyUTTo

Perspective on Occupy Wall Street: SUZANNE: http://stks.co/dvA

Mobile Social Networking App Audience Grows 126% In Past Year: http://zite.to/n1cYt0

Can watching Twitter trends help predict the future?: http://zite.to/qfvcb4

Web savvy boosts client trust level: http://bit.ly/pqcVpX

The State of Social Media 2011: Social is the new normal: http://bit.ly/o3lcMW

The Missed Red Flags on Groupon: http://nyti.ms/r3LTIU

Report: Social media drives sales—especially when combined with PR: http://bit.ly/paFKnI

European Crisis Competence Barometer: http://bit.ly/pbPtBK

Is there a legal obligation to produce a paper copy of your Annual Report?: http://bit.ly/oBYTdc

The savvy executive’s guide to buying back shares: http://tinyurl.com/44ehpuh

7 Tips for being awesome on StockTwits: http://stks.co/ifx

The strategic application of Web 2.0 in the mining industry: bit.ly/qWuFiP

Contacts in an Online Newsroom: http://ow.ly/73JRw

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A front row seat to Steve Jobs’ career:  http://tnw.co/pC9x4w

Twitter Is #1 social network for financial groups: http://bit.ly/ojpaO6

Investor Relations Atwitter Over New Technologies: http://t.co/08ElEHH

Bank of America Fires Back at Henry Blodget: http://t.co/j2uew0E

Mckinsey report predicts return to basics for investors: http://t.co/MjziXHY

Canadian Investor Relations Institute issues backgrounder on social media: http://t.co/i2q82g1

How baby boomers could depress stocks for decades: http://on-msn.com/rc9YCo

Financial Services Clamor for Social Media Guidance: http://bit.ly/prbkYl

B2B social media: Highlights from new benchmarking research: http://bit.ly/pL7dQ3

How to deal with the ongoing stock market turmoil from a financial communications perspective?: http://t.co/3eCQgPA

Despite Reg FD, study finds traders profit from private CEO meetings: http://t.co/pnqJxLs

Happy Reading!

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The audience spanned many countries such as China, Hong Kong, Russia, Germany, UK, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Brazil, South Africa and many more.  Knowing this I made sure that I included relevant information on what countries are using social media for investor relations.  I also thought the audience would appreciate some background on sector use as well.

I also wanted to adequately setup how online communications has evolved over the past few years and been impacted particularly by the increased use of social media to reach and engage with key audiences.  Here are some of the key points:

• Companies are adapting to changes in online communications by integrating their IR website and social media channels.
• Investors are using social media which is evidenced by research that supports this such as Rivel research that found 49% read financial blogs weekly and 63% agree that social media will increase in importance over the next year.
• Further evidence of whether investors are using social media is the emergence and increased use of popular financial blogs such as StockTwits and Seeking Alpha.
• Financial blogs are the ‘New Information FoodChain’ and investors are consuming blog posts being written about companies and sharing corporate assets such as presentations and quarterly releases.

I then walked the group through examples of what channels are being used to share investor-related material and the specific information they are sharing. You can see the examples by viewing the presentation below:

This was the first time I spoke to such a global group and to be honest I expected a lot of questions.  That said, I did provide a lot of information to take in and our research has found slower adoption of social media in countries outside of North America.

However, the group seemed to understand that they needed to stay apprised of what is happening with online communications, as I did get a question or two around the strategy behind using specific channels first such as Twitter.  Another asked if certain channels should be used to target retail or institutional investors.  As opposed to a typical discussion around ‘why’ companies are using social media for investor relations or concerns over regulatory issues.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

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Join Darrell Heaps, CEO of Q4 Web Systems on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EDT as he moderates a panel of experts behind some popular financial blogs and social networks including:

Howard Lindzon, co-Founder and CEO of StockTwits®

Zack Miller, a professional investor and author of Tradestream your Way to Profits: Building a Killer Portfolio in the Age of Social Media (Wiley, 2010)

Mick Weinstein, Head of Editorial at Covestor.

Register now and learn how investors are using these multiple online channels to aggregate and share information about your company. Also learn:

1. How institutional investors are using the web to research and collaborate on investment ideas.
2. What this means for an IRO and how should they be using the web to work in this new world.
3. What tools, channels and tactics should be employed to engage with and influence these new channels.

If you have any questions that you’d like us to address please leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to answer during the webinar.

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Typically, three or four questions are asked.  But this week, the first question dominated the hour-long session. @meetthestreet asked:

Q1: Institutional Investor recently wrote about social media’s role in equity research: http://bit.ly/94w06K. Do you think this has legs?

Here is a snippet from the article:

Bolstered by the low cost of online publishing and the rising popularity of blogs, discussion forums and commenting, a growing number of niche web sites are creating opportunities for new forms of investment analysis to emerge — and for buy-side professionals, even those at rival firms, to collaborate and learn directly from one another. These social media web sites are supplementing, and in some cases supplanting, the traditional Wall Street information ecosystem that transmits sell-side investment research and stock calls to the buy side.

Here’s a recap of the conversation (a subset of questions evolved from the original question, so I have grouped these together to make it easier to follow along):

• @meetthestreet: “SumZero has attracted 4k institutional investors in 2 years in pure organic fashion. I think that there is something here.”
• @thomasros: “I like the “democratizing of information” idea of SM.”
• @SculptorIR: “Definitely think this trend will continue, as the market wants more information about market drivers.”
• @AVGoldberg: “Intuitively believe SM trend is here to stay but contradictory 2 analysts claim of limited access thru work & not using it.”
• @meetthestreet: “I know the founders of SumZero. I wonder if they can tell if their users are using it from home? I will ask.”
• @mcjennings: “Sounds like buy side analysts do have access to these specialized sites–sumzero, val invest club, distressed debt invest club.”
• @meetthestreet: “If SumZero grows 2 B 20k or 50k buyside they will B able 2 easily move markets & IROs don’t have the same transparency as w/ SS.”

@meetthestreet: “Any thoughts on how they could monetize their offering? This will be important to their long-term viability.”

• @meetthestreet: “Now institutional investors have 2 submit 2 ideas per year 2 gain access 2 the research pool. How can SumZero make $ from this?”
• @trevorheisler: “Implementing a paid subscription service would make sense to me.”
• @mcjennings: “If they are looking for revenue model, charge IROs for access, which will be necessary in some way shape or form.”

@meethestreet: Do you think that closed research networks pose a challenge to IROs as they become more popular?

• @SculptorIR: “Yes”
• @fredmcclimans: “Agree that closed research networks pose a challenge to IROs, but also a potential captive audience at some point?”
• @fredmcclimans: “How locked out are firms/IROs from SumZero? Any access at all? Or is data totally locked for all time?”
• @meetthestreet: “SumZero confirms users & only lets buyside in. Closed network. Plus its a 1 2 many network which can’t B managed/influenced by IROs.”

@trevorheisler: “Would you consider something like Covestor to be in competition with SumZero?”

• @meetthestreet: “I don’t think so. Covestor is a retail product. If you want to invest alongside best investors, then invest in their funds.”
• @trevorheisler: “Right. Guess a better question is, should SumZero go after retail as well, with a paid subscription?”
• @fredmcclimans: “IRO could then pose as retail investor?”
• @meetthestreet: “Agreed RT @fredmcclimans: RT @trevorheisler: Should SumZero go after retail as well, w/ a paid sub <iro could then pose as retail investor?”

As usual, the hour went by quickly.  I’d love to hear your thoughts about the discussion!

Don’t forget to join us every Thursday @ 11:00 a.m. EST. In the meantime, if you have any questions you’d like to submit for an upcoming #irchat, tweet @meetthestreet or send an email to sherylj@q4websystems.com and I’ll pass it along.

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