How to Promote an Investment

Investment is one of the key determinants in a business' ability to grow. Investment in a business can come in a variety of forms, including incorporation by selling stock, bond issuance and the sale of a portion of a company to an angel investor or venture capitalist. In a sense, banks also invest in businesses by issuing them business loans and lines of credit. Whichever type of investment you are trying to promote to bring more working capital into your business, many of the same aspects of promotion apply.

Instructions

1. Write a business plan. If you do not have time to write it yourself, pay a professional business plan writer to work with you. In the plan, include detailed statistics regarding the company's financial performance, important milestones and plans on how you will use new investment money to dramatically increase profits. Put this information in an attractive and easily understandable format that you can show to potential investors.

2. Issue a press release. Many professional writers specialize in writing press releases. This will be particularly helpful if your business utilizes a new technology or takes a new approach to the industry in such a way that reading about it would be interesting to a general audience. Submit your press release through a press release distribution company, such as Newswire, Vocus or PRWeb. Media outlets will see this press release; and if they think your company's approach is interesting, they will give you free publicity by doing stories or reports on your company. This increased exposure will help you find interested investors, especially if you are considering an initial public offering (IPO) or investment from a venture capital firm.

3. Build a website that shows various aspects of your business plan but do not include any proprietary information or data that you do not want your competitors to know about. Also remember that including detailed numerical data will lead to quantitative comparisons between your company and competitors, which may or may not be a good thing for you. Utilize free and low-cost marketing venues, such as social networking, to drive traffic to your website. Include information on your impending IPO or, if you are seeking a venture capital investment, include information on when you intend to implement the plans that require investment.

4. Meet with investors. Use your Internet presence to give information on presentations that you plan to make. Prepare yourself to answer detailed questions regarding past and projected business performance and how you intend to surmount various obstacles.

References

• Journal of Financial Economics: On the Marketing of IPOs (PDF)