It’s officially October and we all know that Halloween is right around the corner. While some of us may indulge in a few scary movies, we can all agree it’s best to keep our nightmares on the big screen and away from our analyst relations programs. If we’ve learned anything from famous Halloween film series, it’s that any one of us could find ourselves trapped in an AR nightmare. To keep you clear from any scary situations, we’ve identified three common AR nightmares and how to properly manage them so they don’t follow you into the dark.
Three AR Nightmares:
- Oversimplification of industry foundational information: Analysts are experts in the markets that they cover. By approaching your briefing if the analyst isn’t already well-informed on the industry basics, this will inevitably leave them checking their email or searching the web for costumes for their dog. Instead, make sure you’re highlighting your business offerings and differentiators along with representative case studies. We know that analysts value transparency, so feel free to show an honest look at your company’s success and challenges.
- Coming to an analyst interaction unprepared: Be the Jamie Lee Curtis of your analyst interactions and help your team come prepared to avoid this nightmare. Set up prep time in advance with your team supporting the analyst interaction with enough time to facilitate content creation knowing there will always be competing priorities and make sure your speakers understand what they need to prepare.
- An industry expert did the unthinkable and expressed skepticism towards your business in an interview or report: We all have Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, or Pennywise moments that we would like to avoid. Your best bet is facing your fears head-on and investing in ongoing engagements with industry experts to enable open dialogue regarding concerns with your company’s vision or client feedback in the market. Critical feedback can also be leveraged to make your business stronger, so proactive communication can help face skepticism head on to determine what feedback is right for your business moving forward or to help articulate why your company stands behind a particular strategy or approach.
As with any AR nightmare or horror movie, it’s best to avoid it whenever possible. When it happens, you should plan to acknowledge it and address it through improved approaches moving forward. For additional AR best practices, check out a full list of resources on The Spotlight Way.
Do you find yourself trapped in your own AR nightmare? Reach out to see how we can partner together to avoid your next analyst relations nightmare.
