Getting Your Website Ready for IPO: 7 Investor Relations “To Do” Items

In the months leading up to IPO, your life has likely revolved around what lies ahead. You have spent countless late nights in the office, you’ve had far too many coffees with bankers, and you have your lawyer on speed dial. Yet, as you get closer and closer to IPO launch day, you’re starting to consider, “How can I now pivot and focus on investor relations?” and “Is that really what my website looks like?”  

We’ve heard it all before, believe us.

As soon as your company reaches the day of IPO, you need to hit the ground running with an IR-focused strategy, with your website being a primary focus. After all, your website is truly your 24/7 representation of your business.

That’s why we have put together the 7 things that you need to do in order to get your website ready for IPO.

1. Include messaging about your competitive advantage.

With a fresh new face on the scene, you need to differentiate yourself from your competition. What’s your competitive advantage? What makes you different, or better to invest with than your competition? Why should investors contact you?

2. Speaking of contact, don’t forget those contact forms.

Each and every page on your website – especially your investor relations page – should have a contact form or CTA to contact your business. Every single page on your website serves a purpose, whether informing the reader or attracting the investor. Make sure he or she can contact you, and that your information to contact is clear.

3. Highlight your projected growth.

Investors want to know what the future of your business is, or the very least, what they can expect from your project growth timeline. Highlight areas of opportunity, growth, quarterly projections and more. It’s important to show a track record of execution, such as milestones that the management team is capable of executing, then following up with future milestones as projects progress.

4. Internally, make sure you have a point of contact for website updates and changes.

If no one owns a project, it won’t be completed – that’s the case for any organization or project, regardless of the scope.

Assign the IR website to an individual or department within your organization. Whether it’s someone who has a very keen interest or perhaps a natural fit, such as your Marketing department.

5. Install Google Analytics.

Google Analytics measures your website data to gain insights, such as where your visitors are spending the most time on your site, or where your website visitors are coming from. Without Google Analytics, you won’t be aware of user patterns or potential changes to make to your IR site. Install Google Analytics before your website goes live.

6. Encourage email registrations.

How will your prospective investors stay connected with you? Through your email newsletter, of course! Encourage sign-ups of potential investors through regular email correspondence. Some companies send weekly newsletters, while others will offer updates through email only when press releases are sent, or major company events are released. This can act as a targeted investor database, something that is invaluable for your business.

Being CASL compliant is now more important than ever. CASL is the Canada Anti-Spam Legislation. It essentially means that anyone on your mailing list must have provided expressed consent for being part of your list. There are two ways for recipients to opt-in to receive emails from you, which CASL calls express and implied consent:

  • Express consent = They clearly, actively told you that it is OK to send them email
  • Implied consent = They didn’t specifically tell you that it’s OK to send them email, but what they did (purchase, an inquiry, a donation, etc.) implies that it is okay for your company to email them

We’re always happy to talk CASL. Contact us if you have any questions!

7. Ensure your site is mobile friendly.

We are well past the tipping point of mobile usage exceeding that of desktop usage. Mobile usage exceeded that of desktop usage a few years ago, though a large percentage of companies have yet to catch-up. Before you launch your website, ensure it is mobile friendly – that is, you can browse freely on your smartphone device without having interruptions in functionality.

Getting your website ready for IPO is only one of the many tasks you need to complete before you go public, yet it can be one of the most important in creating awareness of your business and turning prospects into investors.

 

2018 website trends

 

Nicole Van Zanten
Nicole Van Zanten

Nicole is fascinated with all things Investor Relations, lending her penmanship to Blender's blog subscribers and loyal readers. She's focused on delivering the goods (and latest IR updates) each and every week.