This week the FCS hosted our first breakfast of 2017 in New York with a crowd of 80+ turning out to hear a discussion on “How Digital Media is Upending Financial Communications.” The event kicked off with a presentation from Steve Lipin, Senior Partner, and Sparky Zivin, Partner, of Brunswick Group, on Trends in Digital Media Use by the Investment Community.

Two key takeaways from their presentation were:

• Investors are most likely to use digital tools learn more about specific industries, sectors, and particular companies.
• Investors are open to communication from digital sources beyond the corporate web site, particularly microsite, blogs, and visual collateral.

The event continued with a panel discussion which included Steve, along with:

• Jennifer Lowney, Head of Corporate Communications, Citi
• Michael Adler, SVP, Corporate Communications, Moody’s
• Frank De Maria, CEO, Social360

The panel was moderated by Melissa F Daly, President, MFD Communications. Takeaways from the panel included:

• Communicators are using micro sites, social media and AdWords to get their messages across.
• Brands need to learn when when to / when not to respond to social media a
• Exclusive stories last a minute, five minutes at most – so players need to look and listen closer and more often
• For PR planning, brands must develop corporate POV statements on jobs, employment, taxes, environmental footprint, contribution to society, and more.
• Brands will increasingly need to rely on direct personal contact as a more trusted source than media.
• Digital / social media strategies have become more pervasive in M&A and corporate financial transaction comms.
• Investors need to be reached with channels that are most effective for the appropriate situation, such as using LinkedIn to learn more about a company’s executive.
• In a crisis, investors are more likely to use their own personal social networks, underscoring the need for a corporate presence on those platforms.
• 81% of investors see search engines as a primary tool for investigation and decisions.
• Social media gives reporters direct access to customers of financial institution like never before.
• More than 1 in 3 Bloomberg terminal users use the terminal to access social media.

For more insights, check out a brief video posted by Simon Locke, Founder/CEO, CommunicationsMatch, who attended the event.

The FCS looks to continue to stage PR/Communications events across the country.  If you’re interested in helping to plan and execute these live events and webinars, please contact FCS CEO Kevin Windorf.