David Whyte of Irwin on qualitative and strategic investor targeting

David Whyte, Irwin’s co-founder and CEO, was one of the speakers at the most recent IR Magazine Think Tank – West Coast, which was held on March 20.

His session focused on the art of tailoring investor outreach strategies to diverse investment styles. In this video interview with IR Magazine, Whyte shares best practice on how companies can modernize their investor-targeting approaches.

Emphasizing the need for prioritization and relationship-building, he underscores the importance for IR teams of crafting a high-level strategy to measure goals effectively.

‘Because IR is a sort of hair-on-fire role with so many different tasks, roles and responsibilities, without that strategy and associated goals it’s just really hard to prioritize and feel like you’re getting anything done,’ he notes.

He also discusses the shift toward quality over quantity in targeting efforts, stressing the importance of identifying impactful investors and highlighting the value of ‘intent datasets’, which give insights into investor behavior.

In terms of companies maximizing their targeting efforts in 2024, Whyte advocates a goal-oriented approach, leveraging data to inform decisions and fostering human-to-human connections with investors.

‘The more you can convince the investor that you are a company full of humans and not just a security, the more likely it is to engage with you, believe in you and, ultimately, hold you for a long time,’ he says.

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