Investor Relations (IR) is the corporate function responsible for advising the senior officers of a listed company on the relationship between the company and the market for corporate stock. Although a young discipline, IR is now an essential body of knowledge for aspiring FDs, CEOS and Directors of Communications and this book provides an expert introduction to the key issues and skills. Since the 1980s IR has rapidly penetrated the highest levels of corporate management as the importance of good relationships with investors and financial intermediaries has become clear.

The marketing of corporate stock is a key part of the value of effective IR, although the highly regulated nature of the world’s leading stock markets means that a very specialized form of marketing is required. Digital channels present great but under-utilized potential to contribute to ever more effective investor relations. Online platforms offer fast, comprehensive, economical, flexible and regulation-compliant methods of disclosing corporate information to investors, analysts and other relevant parties in the investment evaluation and decision making process.

The book examines both the reasons for the very limited use of online technologies in corporate communications with investors as well as the very sparse academic literature relating to online investor relations. It then describes ways in which digital mechanisms can facilitate publicly listed organizations by building transparent, mutually-beneficial and lasting relationships with investors and financial analysts (‘the City’) using both established and emerging online platforms and tools.The book concludes by summarizing four key challenges facing online IR in the next decade.