The Importance of Video Communication in an Effective IR Strategy

Investors face significant demands for their time and every message competes for relevance, but impactful IR videos offer a powerful edge.

The best video content should be approached as a vital strategic communication that offers an engaging format to communicate strategy, reinforce credibility and build lasting trust. The most impactful videos will convey a compelling story, build connections with the audience and convey conviction in the Company’s strategy.

In this article, we explore the growing importance of video for investor engagement, highlight how IR video is maturing into comprehensive campaign-based strategies and explain proven pillars for effective video assets.

Why Video Matters in Investor Engagement

Today’s investors are constantly flooded with information. Earnings transcripts, financial reports and market commentary all compete for limited attention in a competitive digital playing field. In this environment, video stands out as a high-impact medium that cuts through the noise to deliver the message.

82% of all consumer internet traffic is video, and leaders in both media and corporate communications are recognizing that video delivers unique benefits for getting attention, sustaining it and leveraging valuable minutes to deliver a memorable message.

• Audience engagement: Video offers an immersive experience that helps investors retain the core message compared to more dense written materials.
• Trust and authenticity: Video content (particularly when it comes directly from executives) can foster a greater sense of trust and transparency. Seeing and hearing executives speak directly creates a level of authenticity that written communications often can’t match.
• Communicating complex ideas: Video also makes it easier to communicate complexity. Through visuals, motion graphics, and structured scripting, companies can break down nuanced financial concepts and strategic shifts into digestible, compelling formats.
• Brand and messaging consistency: Videos can be distributed across multiple channels (email campaigns, earnings materials, investor websites, and social media) and they offer an efficient way to extend messaging reach while maintaining consistency.

Today, video represents a deeper opportunity to elevate communications, enhance investor engagement, and ultimately foster alignment with management’s long-term vision.

The Evolution of Video as a Corporate Communication Strategy

In the past, video was an afterthought in corporate communications. Organizations used it sporadically to capture presentations, product launches and keynote speeches. These efforts drive short-term value but lack both strategic intent and long-term follow through.

Today, high-performing IR teams can take a more deliberate and structured approach to video. Instead of recording events, they can craft videos with a clear message, a well-defined audience and deliberate strategic purpose. These videos can be leveraged over time and can be put to work as part of broader, integrated investor outreach campaigns through a “marketing mindset.”

Tapping into a Campaign-Based Marketing Mindset for Video Strategy

IR teams can benefit from borrowing proven approaches from marketing to make content more targeted and impactful. In practice, that means planning each video not as a one-off deliverable but as part of a broader strategy to engage investors across multiple touchpoints.

IR teams can apply this approach by:

1. Aligning video content with investor priorities: Just as marketers tailor content for specific buyer personas, IR teams can shape video messaging around investor interests (such as financial performance metrics, executive transitions, or long-term strategy).
2. Scripting and structuring content intentionally: A well-crafted narrative makes video content more compelling and digestible, especially when tackling complex topics.
3. Leveraging video across multiple touchpoints: A single video can support meeting preparation, investor newsletters, website updates, earnings materials and social media distribution. Notably, a Brunswick survey research reported by Forbes shows that 81% of institutional investors engage with social media as part of their investment research and decision-making process.

Learning to think like a marketer is the best way for IR teams to shape video productions that are polished, purposeful, scalable and focused on concrete investor concerns.

Video Production Best Practices: Focus on ROI, Not Production Compromises

The most effective investor videos will serve a clear communications purpose and deliver value well beyond the moment of release. Thoughtful planning is critical to produce high-quality investor videos that can realize this long-term ROI. From narrative structure to distribution strategy, every decision in the production process matters for delivering a polished, investor-ready experience.

1. Prioritize Production Quality for Maximum Impact

Investor-facing videos benefit from crisp visuals, clean edits and a tone that feels intentional, not improvised.

Engage professional crews, clear audio and sharp visuals, especially for CEO messages or corporate updates. For Investor Days, invest in seamless virtual or hybrid delivery to keep remote viewers engaged. Investing in professional crews, experienced event producers and high-end streaming platforms isn’t a luxury — it’s table stakes. A strong production holds attention and builds confidence in your leadership and reinforces your long-term vision.

2. Craft a Strong Narrative Before Filming

Even the most polished video will fall flat without a clear message. Before filming begins, it’s essential to align on the strategic intent of the communication — what is the key takeaway, and why does it matter now?

Work closely with executives and featured speakers to shape a concise, investor-focused script that reinforces your priority takeaways. Build in time for multiple iterations to hone messaging and presentation before the cameras go live.

3. Preemptively Shape Video Production for Omnichannel Distribution

A well-planned video strategy extends beyond a single piece of content. IR teams can maximize their investment by capturing additional footage and planning for multiple distribution formats:

• Identify opportunities to create shorter clips from longer videos, ideal for sharing on social media or in investor emails.
• Ensure your production team records extra material such as leadership soundbites that can be repurposed for future content.
• Plan ahead for the different aspect ratios required by various digital video platforms. For example, widescreen is ideal for YouTube and investor portals, while square or vertical formats are more appropriate for venues such as LinkedIn.

The use of video to tell your company’s story can have an impactful effect on your communications strategy to deliver investor content in an engaging more personal format. Here are some specific examples.

The innovative beauty brand Evolus used video to distill key takeaways about the company’s market positioning and strategic direction, with a particular focus on contextualizing a recent shift in go-to-market strategy. Eye-catching visuals and product footage help underscore the brand’s momentum while keeping the content engaging and accessible.

Regional air mobility leader Surf Air’s investor video introduces new leadership and outlines the company’s strategic path to profitability. It serves as a direct, visual way for the new CEO to build trust, articulate key priorities and establish credibility with investors. By putting a face to the strategy and presenting a clear strategic and financial roadmap, the video helps accelerate engagement with a leadership transition across both retail and institutional audiences to drive new coverage and broaden awareness in the market.

Example #3: Zeta Global

Click here to watch the video.

Following an attack by short sellers, Zeta Global leveraged video to engage investors and walk them through the company’s strategy. The update is direct and transparent and clearly reaffirming leadership’s commitment to disciplined execution.

Not Just IR: Video’s Role in Broader Corporate Communications

The same principles that make video an extremely effective format for IR communications — engaging content, repurposability, and executive credibility — can provide much broader value across the full spectrum of corporate communications.

1. Crisis communications: Video can play a powerful role in maintaining transparency and giving a human face to updates during unexpected events or PR challenges.
2. Strategy updates: Video is the perfect format for communicating complex strategic concepts to help align corporate communications with new priorities or corporate pivots.
3. Financial updates: Video content can help reinforce key takeaways for earning reports and capital allocation strategies.

At Arbor Advisory Group, we help leadership teams build video into a connected, company-wide communications strategy that speaks to the concerns of the investors who matter most while advancing your broader brand narrative.

Strategic video development is just one way we work with clients to refine powerful messaging for investors. Learn more about our elevated approach to corporate communications.