FAQ

Q: In a nutshell, what does Audacia Strategies do?

A: We bring integrated strategy, competitive assessment, targeted messaging, and practical implementation techniques to ensure that your organization consistently articulates the value of your transformation, meaningfully engages with stakeholders and achieves your business objectives on time and on budget.

Q: What do you mean by “transformation”?

A: Transformation means a bold, audaciousstep for your organization. More specifically, transformation can mean anything from an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or a merger or acquisition (M&A) to a major leadership transition to significant system implementation or new market entry (e.g., government contractor wanting to move in a more commercial direction) and much more!

Q: Isn’t a “communications strategy” kind of fluffy? Do I really need that?

A: You are investing in big changes, right? An acquisition, a new IT system, a corporate reorganization, these are big-ticket strategic investments. And they are only as good as their acceptance by your external and internal stakeholders. If you don’t have a strategy to effectively set expectations and communicate your process, goals, and results, at best you’ll leave money on the table and not capture the full return on investment of your big investment. At worst, you may actually lose value because your stakeholders won’t understand your vision.

Q: When should I contact Audacia Strategies?

A: Most of our clients engage us at least 3-6 months prior to a planned transformation. That said, our clients tend to find us in two types of situations: in times of transformation and in times of crisis. Bold transformations can quickly become crises, especially if you don’t have a communications strategy. Learn more about our service offerings to support your transformative events.

Q: Who is an ideal client for Audacia Strategies?

A: An ideal client for Audacia has three qualities:

  1. A clear strategic vision, i.e., an understanding of who they want to be and what they want to achieve;
  2. A focus on building relationships, both internal and external; and
  3. A commitment to transparency as a core component of credibility, i.e., not looking for “spin” and ready to discuss strengths and opportunities.

Q: We already have a marketing department. Do we need Audacia Strategies?

A: Marketing is primarily about communicating a sales message to your customers or clients. Usually, the message is some variation of “here’s why our product or service will make your life better.” While strategic communications (and investor relations) is about developing a strategy to communicate a different type of message to stakeholders—one focused on long-term relationship building. This strategy answers questions like, “here’s why you should invest in our product or service,” or “here’s why we believe our company has value relative to our competitors,” or “here’s why we believe you should support our move into a new market.”

At Audacia Strategies we often partner with internal marketing teams to provide the kind of strategic context necessary to tell a broader story and to leverage existing channels to ensure our messages hit the mark.

Q: I’m implementing a new IT system, do I need a communications strategy?

A: Absolutely. Change management communications for systems implementation is one of our specialties. New IT systems fundamentally change the way your employees interact with each other and accomplish their work. New systems often also change the way your organization interacts with customers and other external stakeholders. It is absolutely critical to have a rock-solid communications strategy to set expectations, consistently communicate, and share progress milestones and successes. Learn more about our service offerings for systems implementation.

Q: Will Audacia Strategies provide strategic communications support to prime contractors?

A: Yes. Audacia Strategies welcomes the opportunity to help your team support your customers during their most critical transformations. Additionally, we hold multiple certifications that allow us to fulfill your diverse contracting requirements.

Q: What is investor relations?

A: Investor relations is another way to tell a story. Investor relations (IR) professionals work predominantly with publicly traded companies. We work with the investment community, including shareholders and analysts, who write the research used by fund managers to make investment decisions. Learn more about our investor relations services.

Q: So investor relations (IR) professionals are hired to defend a particular share price?

A: IR professionals provide information about the value of the company, which is not necessarily the same as share price. A company’s valuation and share price can become disconnected. Investor relations is not about pumping up the share price. It’s about supporting an accurate valuation and understanding of the firm.

Q: Do private companies have a use for investor relations?

A: There are three situations where a private company may need an IR professional:

  1. Clients looking to raise funds, e.g., moving into a cap raise or series A financing or getting into the next round of funding;
  2. Privately held firms with publicly traded debt; and
  3. Early-stage companies considering token offerings (e.g., ICO)

Q: Where’s your place in the M&A world?

A: We most often work with corporate development teams, corporate finance teams, investment bankers, and lawyers to develop a comprehensive communication and outreach strategy. When dealing with transactions, expectation-setting across your stakeholders is critical. In fact, it may be the most important piece of your transaction strategy—perhaps more important than the deal price—because the price has to be justified and communicated as part of a broader strategy.