Earnings season is upon us again, and whether your PR department
has fully integrated with IR or remains siloed, it's time to think
about earnings conference calls. Your own earnings call - not to
mention your competitors' - can be an invaluable resource for your
PR initiatives.
These calls, traditionally the territory of investors and
analysts, and now frequently fodder for front-page news, offer the
nitty-gritty on a company's financial situation. But they also can
be a unique source of competitive intelligence with the advent of
Reg FD, allowing anyone to listen in on the calls.
Pay close attention to your main competitors' calls to find out
how they're faring - and how they'll likely be covered by the media
and analysts. "Analysts will often say, 'How is XYZ product
selling?'" says David Scott, VP of marketing for Fair Disclosure
Financial Network, which sells subscription access to a database of
transcripts from corporate earnings calls. Scott says the answers
to analysts' questions about product sales, a company's overall
financial situation and other issues are a rich mine of competitive
intelligence PR professionals will want to tap. "It's the ability
from the PR perspective to understand that the product everyone
thinks is selling very well really isn't," for example.
Earnings calls give you access to the inside scoop on your
competition, but your own calls are a simple tool for generating
additional coverage and analysis from the media and analysts alike.
Your conference call vendor can produce a one-off transcript of
your call, usually for a fee of a few hundred dollars. Services
like Fair Disclosure Financial Network cover your call and add the
transcript to their library of calls, available to subscribers.
Post a transcript of your call to your Web site as a key
resource for investors, media and analysts. Distribute it to
analysts and reporters who may have been distracted by other calls
taking place the same day or missed the call outright. Even those
stakeholders who caught the call often find it easier to cover when
they have a transcript on hand. Pitching the call and offering a
transcript can extend the life of a positive call. And having it
easily accessible to a variety of audiences will position your
organization as honest and forthright if earnings aren't
pretty.
A final bit of advice: Be sure you've coordinated closely with
IR so that your messages are consistent and accurate and that the
IR department and CFO understand how you'll be making use of the
call for your purposes. (Scott, [email protected])