How good is your IR website?

Your IR website is fast becoming the hub of your investor communications. Its role is more important than ever. But it needs to operate quite differently from the rest of your corporate website.

As a result, we find that just following the current corporate site template structure is rarely enough. For most companies, the site needs re-thinking and re-designing. To address that, we often recommend having a separate microsite that is closely linked design-wise to the corporate site, but operates quite distinctly.

In future issues:

More tips for best practice IR websites
Yes, but is it an Investor Brand?
One-way communication – or a dialogue?
The rise & rise of social media. You can run, but you cannot hide
Starting the dialogue: Investor blogs and their cousins
The megatrend of CSR

Previous issues:

The best practice IR website

You can quickly check for yourself the state of your IR website. Try ticking the boxes to see whether your current investor site meets best practice:

	Our site clearly shows we understand what our investor audience most wants to find. We make it easy. They can see immediately that we recognise their priorities.
	The home page is visual and engaging, with a highly visual dashboard that instantly gives visitors the key information they’re looking for.
	Our communication includes our Key Investment Messages. It clearly demonstrates our Strengths, Position and, most importantly, our Strategy.
	The site invites participation and interactivity by including tools such as CEO videos, shareholding value calculators etc
	Subject matter is conveniently grouped into logical areas, and information is layered to suit what most visitors most want, at the levels of detail they’re looking for.
	We provide filtered drilldown sections for retail shareholders, institutions & analysts, and media, with content selected and sequenced for their particular interests.
	Recent and topical news is easy to find.
	We help convert ‘pull’ visitors into ‘push’ opportunities, by making subscription to email, RSS feeds, investor blog and Twitter as easy as possible.
	We actively leverage social media opportunities.
	Our content is continually updated giving visitors real reasons to keep returning.
	Our home page includes a brief and clear summary statement of what we do.
	We’ve integrated our CSR messaging and links into our IR site.
	We offer a regularly updated, one page printable ‘fact sheet’.
	We have optimised our IR website for devices such as the iPad and smartphones.
	Our site includes an investor blog.

Now count up the ticks. How did you get on? If you scored more than 10/15, congratulations. If not, perhaps it’s time to re-assess your IR website. Please give us a call. We’ll be happy to help.

Time’s up.

Mike Tisdall
Investor Communications specialist and Managing Director – Insight Communications

Next Issue: We delve deeper into some of the key features of the ideal IR website

Always happy to talk

We’ve been in the Investor Communications and Branding business for over 30 years, helping a blue chip list of Australasian companies retain engaged and loyal shareholders.

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