Tens of millions of new self-directed investors flocked to do-it-yourself brokerage and investing platforms during the past few years. The continued growth of fund purchases through intermediary platforms essentially closes the door to some of the more traditional ways that fund companies connect with shareholders and promote their brands.

The result: Independent beneficial shareholders are often unknown to fund companies, less loyal¹ and harder to engage. 

Fortunately, there is a smart, practical way for funds to utilize existing communication workflows to forge stronger investor relations. Increasingly, funds are infusing required regulatory communication emails and mailings with branded, value-added content that can benefit all shareholders (whether directly held or through an intermediary). This approach works especially well with shareholders who are more difficult to engage in other ways. 

The process is simple, and it’s a win-win for funds and their shareholders:

• Shareholders benefit, receiving relevant, informational content they don’t need to seek out for themselves. 
• Funds benefit, establishing greater brand recognition, value and connection with investors—often through content provided on the fund’s website.

Opportunity for the taking

Shareholder Connect from Broadridge makes this possible. It’s readily available to funds that issue their beneficial and registered regulatory communications through Broadridge. Plus, it’s easy to add to your existing process.

1. Start with a fund shareholder report or summary prospectus communication.
2. Identify targets or suppressions by intermediary firm or distribution channel.
3. Determine the appropriate value-added content to include in email templates or regulatory mailings.
4. Distribute with required regulatory communications.
5. Capture engagement metrics on your website.

Types of enriching content can include:
      •  Current fund commentary and performance
      •  Investor education
      •  Product insights
      •  News and press releases
      •  And more

Target for greater impact

A fund may want to limit its outreach to the shareholders at certain intermediaries. Or certain content may only be appropriate for shareholders of certain funds. With Shareholder Connect, you can boost impact by targeting by specific funds or intermediaries. For example, a fund may wish to focus on intermediaries that are the most hands-off in providing shareholder education or have the largest proportion of self-directed investors. 

The added insight of Investor Intelligence

Investor Intelligence—another Broadridge solution—can help fund families refine their engagement efforts even further. Investor Intelligence utilizes actionable investor data to identify gaps, see opportunities and help you target with precision. This unparalleled data is:

• Direct measured from tens of millions of investor accounts
• Drawn from 800 contributing data sources
• Infused with life stage insights
• 13 different investor personas
• Custom modeling capabilities

This enables funds to be more targeted and relevant in how they approach future marketing efforts—and increase the impact of their communications.

_{1 https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-us-self-directed-investor-satisfaction-study}