If ever there was a time for small-cap companies to clamour for your attention, it's now.
And it's never been easier for companies to 'DIY' their communications. So if they really want and need our capital to do great things with, then why aren't enough of them telling us? You often read comments from private investors lamenting the lack of good PR in telling the exciting stories of the companies in which they're invested. On the other side of the coin, you'll hear directors bemoaning the lack of market understanding about the company's opportunities and exciting future, and so on. There are lots of efforts small companies can make to get themselves better noticed. For me, three stand out from the rest. In reverse order, they are:
3. Paid-for research
A lot of private investors are rightly suspicious of the kind of paid-for broker or other research notes you see on the web. Companies criticised for paying for such coverage, though, must feel a little "damned if they do, damned if they don't". The fact is that such research can be tremendously helpful in giving the kind of at-a-glance information we seek. The (free) reports usually add a different investment perspective and make the bull case very well. And we're grown up enough to realise that it's the subjective bull case we're reading.
2. PI presentations
Presentations of one kind or another to private investors are even better. Whether private one-off events or collective investor shows or presentations like 'Oilbarrel', such presentations give you a less formal setting in which to pose questions than the legal necessity of the AGM. The drawback is that they aren't usually web-based -- though there are sometimes live webcasts, podcasts and the like -- and they often tend to be a little dry. Of course, witnessing a presentation to which others aren't privy can give you an edge. But from the company's perspective, the attempts to reach a much wider audience usually require something different.
1. Video
For me, the video is the single most important tool I've found in helping me think beyond the numbers. You get to metaphorically look the company in the eye and to get a real feel for management's thoughts and plans.
It is said that 90% of all communication is non-verbal. If that is true, then this tool certainly helps fill the missing gap between simply what…
