Analyst Relations
The term analyst relations or analyst care refers to one of several building blocks of corporate communication , which is aimed at shaping the relationships between companies and external technology analysts .
Subject matter and delimitation
Analyst care has two components:
- A professional field that is establishing itself in large technology companies . An AR team or an AR department makes it possible to maintain targeted communication with relevant technology analysts. It's not about communicating with financial analysts who deal with the financial aspects of businesses. Only technology analysts are addressed who z. B. Compare and evaluate competing or new technologies qualitatively, advise technology users and providers and draw a picture of the technology markets in market studies.
- A service that specialized agencies and consulting firms offer technology companies for the same purpose.
By focusing on different target groups, analyst relations (technology analysts) differ from public relations (press, public) and investor relations (shareholders, financial analysts).
Typical markets
Analyst Relations are primarily operated by companies in the software, hardware, IT services, telecommunications and healthcare markets. The opinion of IT market analysts can have an impact on how customers, the press and prospects perceive technology companies and their solutions. In doing so, they influence purchasing decisions .
Content from Analyst Relations
An analyst relations program is geared towards addressing analysts to increase the sales potential of a company.
- Identification and targeted communication with the “right” IT analysts (analysts also have specializations and are perceived differently).
- Alignment of communication with IT analysts with the requirements of the company
- Planning and implementation of the AR processes
- Matching the company's materials and core messages to the key analysts
- Measurement of the success of the AR program using economically transparent criteria
Purpose of Analyst Relations
The influence of industry analysts on purchase decisions is increasing due to the increasing complexity of new technologies and the increasing number of solutions and services in the IT and telecommunications market. Technology buyers base their opinion on the studies and statements of industrial analysts. In addition, market studies are also used by investors and potential partners in order to obtain an objective picture of a provider or its products / solutions.
The media are another important body that maintains regular contact with industrial analysts. Before journalists publish a technology-related article, they often find out about aspects such as products and solutions and their characteristics as well as about strategies and market shares of manufacturers in the IT and telecommunications industry by asking one or more industrial analysts. The goal of providers of software, hardware and IT services is to inform industry analysts as well as possible about their offers, strategies and customers as well as their positioning within a specific market.
Analyst Relations is increasingly developing into an independent corporate discipline, and an increasing number of service companies in the communications industry have now specialized in the area of analyst relations.
background
Technology providers there have been actively pursuing analyst relations in the USA since the 1980s. On the one hand, the reason was that important analyst firms such as Gartner and International Data Corporation (IDC) were already established in the USA. On the other hand, the density of technology companies was already very high at this point. An analyst's attention was and is a scarce commodity and had to be worked for.
With the establishment of specialized service providers and the publication of the first methodological approaches for analyst relations a few years ago, this service was increasingly used in Europe. The branch of European analyst relations managers is just beginning to establish itself ( Institute of Industry Analyst Relations ).
Associations and working groups for analyst relations
- Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR), United Kingdom
literature
- Duncan Chapple, Sven Litke: Influencer Relations: Insights on Analyst Value , Folrose Ltd (July 24, 2017), 148 pp., ISBN 978-0906378076
- Duncan Chapple, Ralf Leinemann: Industry Analyst Relations - An Extension to PR , Folrose Ltd (September 9, 2008), 112 pp., ISBN 0-906-37803-6
- Marius Jost, Ralf Leinemann: Industry Analyst Relations in Germany , Berlin: scm 2008, 200 pages, ISBN 978-3-940543-01-1
- Louis Columbus: Getting Results from your Analyst Relations Strategies , Lincoln: iUniverse 2004, 70 pp., ISBN 0-595-33462-8
- Geoff Roach, Lisa Perri: Maximizing The Value of Analyst Relations , Acme Marketing Group, ISBN 0-977-62480-3
- Mallach, Efrem G., Win Them Over: A Survival Guide for Corporate Analyst Relations / Consultant Relations Programs , Folrose, 2007. New edition 2013.