Last week, the second German IIAR Stammtisch gathered AR professionals and analysts for a private dining event in central Munich, this led into an interesting and enjoyable discussion about AR measurement. The overarching question was how to best communicate internally the value analysts can bring to the business, and the value of well managed communications between vendors and analysts.
“Why should I speak to this analyst” is a question AR pros are often confronted with. The pressure on AR pros has risen during the past years in terms of showing the return of investments gained through analyst relations and showing the value analysts can bring. In recent years expectations have both grown and changed. Analysts are well aware of the new challenges, and eager to learn how to address.
In past years reports, whitepapers and analyst advice were naturally part of the relationship, today budgets are tighter in many companies, and investments in analyst insights have shrunk. Or teams became smaller, and bandwidth more limited to support research projects. Even more important becomes the task to explain to the internal stakeholders the treasures analysts can open up for them, and the value they can bring to the business.
AR professionals can face very different challenges. For example, an AR manager working for a new company in a niche market and a strong growth rate may face different challenges to an AR manager working for a large and established player in a saturated market. At the IIAR Stammtisch we exchanged about the specific pain points each of these AR managers might experience and the differing ways forward.
AR professionals and analysts have a common interest – proof the value of their work. Whilst we can’t do without AR measurement this has to be a value discussion rather than a simply a counting exercise, like counting the number of reports, the number of tweets, of interactions and so forth. AR pros and analysts need to join forces and seek ways to provide value to both sides and proof of the value delivered. The German Stammtisch, as part of the IIAR, will explore quantitative value measurement of Company+AR+Analyst interactions for a future IIAR Best Practice Paper.
Look out for more updates on this topic. We welcome your thoughts and experiences, leave a comment below – how do you show value delivered ?
By Yvonne Kaupp (@YveKaupp, LinkedIn), IIAR Board Member and Lead for the IIAR German Chapter
