laska Native corporations (ANCs) were established to positively benefit their shareholders. To this end, communication is paramount; however, many ANC shareholders live far outside the state’s urban areas in places that can be hard to reach by mail, telephone, or even digital means.
Add this to the fact that shareholders range greatly in age, technological savvy, and communication preferences—and it’s easy to understand why ANCs corporate communications and shareholder services departments are constantly exploring new ways to reach their audiences. And the continuing pressures of communicating during COVID-19 means even more changes to the way information is being conveyed.
It used to be that shareholders could expect to receive word of what corporations were doing from targeted mailings, community meetings, and sometimes ad campaigns. Today, ANCs have more options, thanks to growing adoption of and access to technology in the state’s rural locations.
“Along with a lot of the traditional media tools, we use our website, social media, and direct email to reach our shareholders,” says Matt Carle, senior director of corporate communications at Sealaska. “The most direct way is through e-news; we have approximately 14,000 shareholders on our e-news distribution list.”
One of the benefits of using social media, according to Carle, is that when breaking news happens, the shareholders can be informed pretty immediately. “For example, when Sealaska recently acquired New England Seafood International [NESI], a London-based seafood company, we were able to develop a rollout strategy and get it out through e-news and our website while supplementing the message with more information on social media channels.
“More than anything, we try to make sure that all of our communications are integrated,” he continues. “When it comes to social media platforms, the type of content we’re putting on Twitter may not necessarily be what we’re pushing on Instagram, but every message is in support of our overall communication goals. We want to make sure that our shareholders feel informed about what’s going on in the corporation and instill pride in the work that we’re doing. We also use it as a recruiting tool.”
Sealaska relies heavily on metrics to make sure that it is reaching its shareholders with the right message.
“We know the average age of our shareholders and where they are located, and our communications really do fall in line with those demographics,” he says. “Our older shareholders still like to receive print newsletters in the mail, so we still have a fairly active print campaign as part of our communications strategy.
“As we’re seeing how effective social media can be, we’re expanding into that area as well; this year, we created an Instagram page that now has 1,500 followers.”
According to Carle, what Sealaska has discovered is that it’s not the quantity of the messages it communicates but the quality. “Looking at the growth of our audience, the growth of our engagement, and the number of impressions, we’re seeing that it’s not more content that is driving engagement on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter but the type of content. So we hold weekly editorial meetings to outline our communications strategy and different themes for the next week, month, and quarter.”
In November, for example, Sealaska posted messages promoting Native American History Month, in addition to highlighting other important events.
“We look at what other ANCs are doing so that we can tailor our messages to reinforce our common goals, such as getting out the vote or filling out the census,” says Carle. “We want to make sure that the Native voice is heard.”
Doyon is unique in that, in addition to having monthly newsletters, e-newsletters, and e-updates, the corporation also has a monthly radio show in which Village Outreach Liaison Sharon Hildebrand brings in guests to talk about issues important to its shareholders.
Ahtna
Ahtna
“Sharon may host a member of Doyon’s leadership to talk about what’s going on within the corporation, as well as guests who share what’s happening in our sister organizations,” says Cheyenna Kuplack, a Doyon public relations specialist. “For example, a recent show talked about COVID-19 procedures.”
Doyon also has an integrated social media presence and uses Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn to communicate with shareholders. Pre-COVID-19, the organization also focused on village outreach through its Dialogue with Doyon program and annual meetings as a way for shareholders to learn about what was happening and to ask questions. The corporation is now holding webinars to share this information.
“We know that many of our shareholders still like to get printed newsletters in the mail, and that’s important to us,” adds Kuplack. “Though we have a large presence on social media, and we utilize email and our website, we try to make sure that our newsletter also includes everything going on so that none of our shareholders miss out on information.”
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) also provides its shareholders with a bimonthly newsletter, called Raven’s Circle, which is supplemented by a monthly email message to shareholders. The corporation has a strong social media presence that includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and has a specific section on its website dedicated to shareholders.
“We use different social media to reach different demographics; Boomers and Gen X typically utilize Facebook and Twitter for information, while the younger generation trends toward Instagram,” explains Ethan Tyler, director of corporate affairs. “Some people still prefer printed material, which we provide, and the articles in the printed materials are put up on our website and sent out electronically as well.”
Because CIRI is affiliated with several nonprofits, it makes a point of sharing that information with shareholders.
“We want to get the word out about the great work that CIRI-affiliated nonprofits do,” says Tyler. “We share the nonprofits’ posts on social media, write articles about them, and even have a section dedicated to them on our website.
“The more our shareholders and descendants are engaged in the corporation and understand how we are working on their behalf, the better,” he adds. “The mission of Alaska Native corporations goes beyond the financial; our goal in shareholder communication is certainly to keep them apprised of their corporation’s activities, but we also want to provide shareholders and their descendants with a connection to one another and to their culture.”
Ahtna has also found that effective communication plays an important role in building trust and positive shareholder relationships. Ahtna’s corporate communications and shareholder services teams work collaboratively with others within the organization on the development and release of communications.
In addition to traditional media, Ahtna offers a MyAhtna shareholder portal newsfeed that will soon include the option for shareholders to opt-in to receive text messages. It also communicates through video content on Vimeo, its website, and social media.
“Technology plays an important role and has made communicating easier, faster, and more effective,” says Ahtna’s Corporate Communications Director Shannon Blue. “Our last shareholder survey showed that 65 percent of shareholders prefer to receive information and updates from Ahtna via email. Social media has allowed for greater shareholder engagement, more regular two-way communication, and sharing of dynamic content such as videos.”
Ahtna also uses demographic information to target specific audiences.
“For example, some communications only apply to shareholders over the age of 18 or that hold a particular class of shares,” says Blue. “Sometimes communications are targeted to shareholders that live in a specific area, especially when it comes to publicizing job opportunities and events.”
Ahtna’s shareholder services team can pull tailored distribution lists from the shareholder database depending on the need, and social media also allows for audience targeting based on demographic and geographic parameters.
It’s imperative that ANCs are able to stay in touch with their shareholders and it is just as important that shareholders have a way to communicate with their ANC.
“Providing opportunities for shareholders to provide feedback to the corporation, as well as gaining an understanding of how they feel about particular issues, is an important priority,” says Blue, adding that this year has been difficult as opportunities for face-to-face interactions have been limited.
Ahtna did not hold an in-person annual meeting and had to cancel its AFN reception and Christmas gatherings. “It was important to Ahtna leadership to provide alternate ways to gather comments and questions this year, so comment cards were included in shareholder proxy packets and an email address was publicized that shareholders could send input and questions too,” says Blue.
Ahtna also sends out regular shareholder surveys to improve the manner in which it responds to shareholder questions and concerns, to determine how satisfied shareholders are with what it is doing, and to find ways to improve its service standards.
“It is important that Ahtna’s corporate goals align with the priorities of its shareholders, and the programs or topics that rank as top priorities for shareholders are incorporated into Ahtna’s strategic planning, with related goals cascaded down throughout the organization,” says Blue.
With a little more than 2,000 shareholders, Ahtna is one of the smaller regional corporations in terms of shareholder enrollment, so its shareholder services team also reaches out via phone campaigns when the need arises.
“These calls provide another opportunity for shareholders to ask questions and provide valuable feedback,” says Blue. Some examples include encouraging voting; encouraging completion of shareholder surveys; gathering information on shareholders’ employment status, needs, and goals; assisting with completion of forms (testamentary dispositions); and helping with direct deposit sign-up. Sealaska also considers shareholder input a top priority, Carle says.
“One thing that we emphasize is the importance of listening to our shareholders,” says Carle, “so we offer as many ways as possible to provide direct feedback.” Options include Sealaska’s shareholder portal, MySealaska, as well as holding community meetings with a live camera function so that shareholders can ask questions in real time.
“We also spend a lot of time answering shareholder questions throughout the year, and in 2021, we’ll be adding more frequent ways of getting feedback from shareholders, including adding comment boxes on online stories and the thumbs up [or thumbs] down icon to provide informal feedback,” Carle adds.
CIRI’s shareholder relations department provides a direct contact point for shareholders who want to speak with someone at the corporation and also has a monitored email address that provides a direct line to CIRI’s board of directors.
“It’s an ever-evolving process,” says Tyler. “We constantly evaluate and adjust our communication tools based on trends or what specific demographic we feel like we’re not reaching as well as we’d like to.
“Providing shareholders with a way to share their thoughts is an important aspect that sometimes gets overlooked,” he adds. “That’s why we strive to provide ways for our shareholders to connect with us—to have a voice in their corporation. It’s not a one-way street; it’s an ongoing, two-way conversation.” 