Grabbing Investor Attention with Limited Resources: A Study of Small Cap Firms’ Communication Channels

This paper examines the communication strategies employed by small cap firms listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. These small cap firms have great discretion in choosing their communication channels with investors and evolve in an environment with few information intermediaries. We investigate the use of three communication channels – press releases, conference calls, and social media – specifically surrounding earnings announcements. Our findings indicate that small cap firms utilize these three communication channels infrequently. However, when announcing positive earnings news, small cap firms are more likely to employ these channels, suggesting that firms communicate opportunistically. We find a positive association between the use of communication channels, particularly of social media, and measures of investor attention. Interestingly, while the use of communication channels is associated with positive stock returns surrounding earnings announcements, social media usage prior to earnings announcements is linked to subsequent stock price reversals. These findings provide insights into the communication practices of small cap firms and their implications for investor attention and market efficiency.