• by Heather Zynczak , Columnist, December 11, 2018

An IPO is just as much a marketing event for the company as it is a financing event -- no matter what your CFO says. My company went public earlier this year, and I learned a ton of lessons along the way. Here are five: 

1. Create your story up front. Sit down with the finance team, the leadership team and your bankers and agree on the story. There will be a ton of material created, from the CEO’s talking points to the roadshow video to the hallway conversations the bankers will have with investors. Everyone needs to be singing from the same hymnal. Marketing should play a vital force in this conversation. This is your brand and your company story. 

2. Stand your ground on the brand. As the CMO, you are the defender of the brand. There are going to be MANY assets and experiences created as a part of this process: everything from banker pitch books to Wall Street Journal ads created by your exchange to the color of the napkins at breakfast the morning you ring the bell. You are accountable for making sure everything produced is in line with your brand guidelines —and, more importantly, maintains the quality you are proud of. 

3. Preparation is key. It is the CMO’s job as the owner of communications to make sure the leadership team is prepared to uniquely communicate your story and answer sometimes-grueling questions from investors and analysts. We spent the money and took the time to hire a coach. It was invaluable. Our leadership team sailed through what could have been some tough situations. This preparation goes for the CMO and marketing team as well. I set up calls with every CMO I knew who had undergone both successful and unsuccessful IPOs. I wanted to learn from their triumphs and their mistakes.

4. Make as big a splash as possible. This is your one day on the world stage. Take advantage of it. Literally, you have the opportunity to be on the big screens in Times Square (if Nasdaq is your exchange) and on full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal. Negotiate hard with your exchange and get a marketing package that fully leverages this event.

5. Make it a day to remember for employees. Our IPO was 14 years in the making, so it was important to us that everyone -- not just those who traveled to New York -- participated in the big day. We spent a lot of effort and energy on what the day would be like for the employees, doing everything from getting a commemorative gift for every employee to decorating the offices to look like Wall Street, to an amazing live-streamed event. The employees loved the experience.

CMOs should approach IPOs as one of the most important marketing campaigns of their career. With the right strategy, planning and execution, you’ll be able to take full advantage of the spotlight shining on you on the big day and beyond.