A decade or so ago, listing in the US, the largest stock market in the world, was a costly and complex endeavor for non-US issuers. Not so much anymore, if you consider the benefits and much lower costs of trading on the OTC markets. With name brand megacaps by the likes of Dannon, Roche, Deutsche Telekom, Heineken, Imperial Brands, Marks & Spencer and BNP Paribas, OTC Markets Group has been actively growing its roster.

Investors in the US, though, are not like investors in your home market. They demand greater clarity, transparency, and communication. Along with higher expectations, investors need relevant data and information in order to make informed decisions about historical and future operating performance. Feedback mechanisms are essential to foster this 2-way communication between investors and management.

If you choose to use emojis in your social media, enjoy, but do so wisely. Don’t be afraid to use them—just be aware that you could end up communicating the wrong message. Be sure the emojis are relevant to your brand or the message you are trying to convey.

For small caps, the presentation part of the call should be no more than 15 minutes with 15 minutes for Q&A. Hit key numbers, highlight milestones and clearly explain anything that might be ambiguous. Then open up the lines for questions. After all questions have been answered, take a cue from the large caps and before you thank them, share your sentiment about the upcoming year.

Small cap companies are gearing up for their earnings calls, and a well-crafted narrative is crucial to cover key points of the quarter and maintain credibility. To effectively manage expectations, companies should focus on what they can control, structure a well-thought-out story, and engage in timely disclosure.

With limited budgets for ESG and investor relations spend, small caps would be better served by being a good corporate citizen: run your business responsibly with strong internal controls and good disclosure practices.