At this point, an IR website is essential for good investor relations. Every IPO or public company has one, and potential investors and analysts expect it. Where else will they find on-demand, trustworthy information about your story, goals, and financials with a click of a mouse?
With every large- and small-cap company boasting an IR site nowadays, simply having a dedicated website is no longer enough. To stand out, you need to go beyond the norm and optimize your investor relations website with these tips in mind.
Refine Your IR Storytelling
Your website is a storytelling opportunity. Unlike articles and analyses, wherein market experts disseminate your brand’s narrative through their lens, you have complete control over your messaging on your site.
Take command of your story by putting your key messaging, investment proposition, and financials front and center. Make sure you adapt your narrative to reflect your history, showing how far you’ve come and where you plan to be — with the financials to prove it.
Complement Your IR Narrative with Visuals
Be wary of relying completely on the written word when sharing your story. A text-heavy website could hurt your IR strategy, even if you craft the most eloquent narrative out of all your peers.
Visual content has become the status quo of the Internet these days. Not only do people expect to see some kind of visual when online, but content with relevant images also earns 94% more views than if it was text alone. More still, people process images 60,000 times faster than plain text so visuals can help get your point across.
Work with Accessibility Experts
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 1.3 billion people live with a significant disability. That’s roughly 16% of the global population, a good chunk of people who face barriers in-person and online.
To ensure you aren’t accidentally locking out potential investors, analysts, or members of the media with disabilities, you should ensure your site meets web accessibility standards. An IR firm that specializes in accessibility can provide design templates that satisfy local and global regulations.
Choose from Industry-Leading Design Templates
Accessible design isn’t always good design, so be careful with your choice of IR firm. You should expect industry-leading design templates that marry functionality with creativity. Their portfolio of designs should provide clean, visually pleasing, and intuitive options, ready to populate with your IR narrative and financials.
Visitors make first impressions of your site in 50 milliseconds. In that time, no one is reading your IR narrative. Rather, they’re forming a gut reaction to the look of your site. Beautiful design will ensure your site passes this split-second test, so people navigate to your value proposition.
Be Transparent and Clear with Financials
While style is important, nothing beats substance. Visitors expect to find reports, filings, and other key financials. It’s your job to ensure they are easy to find and, more importantly, easy to understand.
Share your financials in a clear and organized way, using plain language free from jargon and other clunky words. Compliance here is crucial, so be sure to consult with a leading IR firm to ensure you share what you need, when you need it.
The Takeaway:
A basic IR site is the gold standard of today. To set your company apart from the competition, you need to understand what makes an IR website amazing. Follow these steps to curate a site that stands out for all the right reasons.
