Why It’s Important to Highlight CSR On Your Website

If a tree falls in a forest and nobody’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?

It’s an age-old question, with an answer that has long been unknown (kind of like the chicken and the egg – and really, what did come first?), but one thing we know for certain – differing opinions make for great conversation, and it couldn’t be more true when it comes to CSR.

At Blender, we’re believers that your website should act as your best employee; your spokesperson, your sales person, and above all, a reflection of who you are as a business. For businesses actively engaged in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) your website is the single best channel to extend the communication of your efforts.

So, if you’re actively engaged in CSR, but you’re not communicating your involvement, is it really happening?

It’s important to highlight CSR on your website. Here’s why.

It breaks you apart from your competition.

Every business should be performing some sort of regular competitor analysis, especially companies working in Investor Relations, and CSR is a great way to break apart from your competition.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi are great examples of using CSR to differentiate themselves from competition. While both perform CSR in a similar way (these companies aim for sustainability in water usage), they’re taking hold of CSR communication on investor websites, knowing the impact it has on not only consumers, but investors alike.

CSR on your website 1

It increases sentiment of your business online.

Much like competitor reporting, most companies are also focused on sentiment about their business online. Positive sentiment can lead to an upward trend in revenue, while negative sentiment can lead to a downward trend in revenue (as these Korean tech firms experienced, for example).

Ask any Communications Manager and they’ll agree that positive brand stories should be in their arsenal to mitigate potential neutral or negative quarters. These positive stories are also excellent to release throughout the calendar year as your business goes through natural ebbs and flows.

Using CSR to increase the sentiment of your business online can not only impact the success of your business offline, but it can also impact the online sentiment of your brand with investors and consumers.

CSR On your website 2

It attracts talent (making your HR Department your BFF).

Picture this. You and your competitor have a job opening for the exact same position. You’ve posted within the same week, and you’re going after the same group of candidates. It’s down to a few potential candidates, and you have your eye on one target that you feel would fit so well within your company culture.

Now, picture yourself on the other end of the table. This candidate is deciding between yourself and your competitor, and they’re ranking the pros and cons of both companies – until they realize that you have a strong CSR program, and actively give back within the community. Your company encourages employees to volunteer, and has a number of partner non-profit organizations that you donate to each and every year.

Which company do you think this candidate would choose? The company that understands the importance of contributing to the community, or the company that doesn’t?

It’s a choose-your-own-adventure type of story, with your business coming out on top.

CSR On your website 3

It contributes to cost-savings (encouraging consumers to think the same) and acts as a natural PR story

One of the easiest places for a company to start engaging in CSR is to use it as a way to save on costs and overall expenditures. Whether it’s using less energy or using less packaging, these savings add up quickly.

A great example is General Mills. They’re on a path to reduce cost and energy savings, as they’ve installed energy monitoring meters on several pieces of equipment at its HQ. In doing so, the company saved $600,000.

General Mills went far and wide with PR for this strategy, focusing first on their website. It was included in all CSR material, and was quickly picked-up by publications around North America.

So, not only did this move increase sentiment of their business, it also contributed to cost-savings. It was a natural story for their PR team as well, circling back to an arsenal of content, if and when you need to mitigate neutral or negative sentiment online.

Conclusion

If you’re actively engaging in CSR and not highlighting your endeavours on your website, take note – the pros far outweigh the cons (really, are there cons?)

From differentiating your business from competition to engaging potential talent, the importance of highlighting CSR on your website is real. And, truly, it’s so easy.

To get started, just click here. We’d love to show you how we’ve helped businesses in your industry.

 

 

Must-have elements of an investor website

Introduction: what’s the most important content for investors to see?

A good investor relations website or investor section relies on good content strategy. As public companies, you want to think like your investors and figure out what content is important to showcase first, as well as pay attention to what investors want to see during different times of the year. In this blog post we’re focusing on some must-have elements of an investor website. You may already know that contact information should be on a website, but at what point and which information? How important, really, is a media section, or news? We break it all down for you below.

Thinking it’s time for a website refresh, but not sure where to start? Check out The Complete Checklist for Hiring a Website Agency. 

 

Here are 8 must-have elements of an investor website

1. Multiple touchpoints asking for signups

As investors are browsing through your IR section, they should be subtly pushed to areas to sign up in order to receive the latest news and updates from your public company. And we don’t mean long forms in which you attempt to collect everything from their name to place of business to what they ate for breakfast that morning. A simple slide out prompting them to add their email address to your mailing list to ‘never miss out on updates’ will do just fine.

 

must-have elements of an investor website

 

2. Focus on the latest publication

The biggest draw on the front of your IR website should be the latest quarterly results, a recently released annual report, or a blurb about a hot-off-the-press release which links to a more detailed news section. Think of the space at the forefront of your IR section like your shop window: what is the biggest seller that people walk into your store to look at? Most investors will look to your website for up-to-date documents. Don’t make them search for them.

 

3. Upcoming events calendar

Don’t expect investors to know when your next shareholder meeting is happening: post about it on your investor website! Better yet, allow them to sign up for calendar notifications or send them an email reminder. And don’t forget to pay attention to the calendar yourselves. Is your company going through a big transition such as a merger or leadership change? Once the press release is done and dusted, highlight the change on your calendar so investors can understand the scope of what’s happening.

 

must-have elements of an investor website

 

4. ‘At a Glance’ or ‘Why Invest’ area

Potential investors most likely aren’t going to read paragraphs of content when they’re first browsing your website. We’ve come to the age where consumers like their information in bite-sized, often video produced, pieces and everyone is skimming.  (If you’ve read this far into the blog post, we’d like to give you a high five). Break down the most ‘bragworthy’ information of your company into a bullet pointed list of why you’re worth the investment. If you’re feeling extra creative, create small data visualizations so investors can see your progress as a company. These little touches are some must-have elements of an investor website that make the difference to your audience.

 

5. Keep your stock symbol at the top of every page

Many companies only provide their stock symbol within the ‘stock information’ section of their IR site. We’d argue, especially for our friends in the natural resources industry, that keeping your stock symbol at the top of each page is one of the must-have elements of an investor website. A fixed stock symbol ensures that investors never need to search through your investor website to find it. Or, take it one step further, as we did for our friends over at B2 Gold in the example below. A fixed stock information area at the top of each page shows the current price of gold, as well as the company’s current share price. Clicking on the fixed navigation at the top brings a user to a more detailed stock information page.

 

must-have elements of an investor website

 

6. Think mobile

More and more investors are viewing IR related content on their phones throughout the workday. What does your public company’s mobile presence look like? A current digital trend sees companies designing ‘mobile-first’, or putting a pristine mobile experience as a top priority. If investors can’t download your investor presentation or view it properly on their mobile devices, you could be in trouble.

Have you taken our Ultimate Mobile Optimization Test? See if your IR website makes the cut, or else it may not show up in Google search results!

 

must-have elements of an investor website

 

7. Investor FAQ

This is a simple add-on that not a lot of public companies think about. Most companies offer FAQ sections on other areas of their website, but not usually as part of their investor website. Apple’s investor website includes a thorough FAQ area addressing questions like, “What exchange does Apple trade on?” and “When was Apple’s initial public offering?”

 

must-have elements of an investor website

 

8. Offer specific IR contact info (if available)

If you have a specific investor relations email address or point of contact, offer opportunities for general inquiries as well as investor specific questions on your IR section. This not only gives potential shareholders more choice, but shows that there is a direct line of contact for them.

 

Conclusion: Now go above and beyond

These must-have elements of an investor website are great starting off points to ensure that your shareholders are happy and receiving all the information they need. What’s next, you ask? Start thinking of some ways you can improve the investor experience. Whether it’s adding a CEO video addressing your shareholders, an animated data visualization to showcase your company’s growth in the past five years, or a mobile-first way of thinking.





The




How mobile optimization affects website traffic: INFOGRAPHIC

Introduction: what affect does mobile readiness have on real website traffic?

We’ve been writing a lot lately about how having a website and investor section that’s optimized for mobile is beneficial for you and your investors. We’ve talked about making sure the email signup process is easy, any buttons are simple to tap, and presentations interactive on mobile. But how does mobile optimization stack up when looking at actual numbers? We were curious to see how two of our clients’ website statistics would change if we looked at one that was mobile optimized and one that wasn’t.

 

We analyzed the mobile website statistics of two of our biggest clients

Both are public companies and both are in the same industry. However, one company has a completely mobile optimized website and investor section, while the other company does not. Our goal was to find out how mobile optimization affects website traffic. Today’s infographic below shows our findings!

 

how mobile optimization affects website traffic

Conclusion: these gaps will only increase

If you read our mobile usability statistics blog a few weeks back, you saw that we’re moving even closer to a mobile-first world. The expectations for a mobile user experience are only growing: more and more people have negative opinions of websites that don’t render well on a mobile device. This infographic shows, with real numbers, how mobile optimization affects website traffic and affects the amount of time investors are spending on websites.




How mobile optimization affects website traffic




5 ways to create the best investor mobile experience

Introduction: how does your investor section look on mobile?

This week, we’re analyzing five different ways you can make your IR corporate site easy to view on mobile for your investors. We’re using General Electric’s  investor mobile experience and investor relations website as a shining example.

Learn the basics of mobile optimization and take a do-it-yourself mobile test to see if your website passes. Download The Ultimate Mobile Optimization Checklist. 

 

 

investor mobile experience

 

5 tips to provide a great investor mobile experience

1. Include an “Add to Calendar” function for your next event or presentation.

This is a simple enough trick that will definitely get you ‘ease of use’ points and boost the investor mobile experience. Help investors stay up-to-date with your next event such as a shareholder’s meeting or live webcast by including an ‘Add to Calendar’ component which sets the reminder in your investors’ personal calendars.

 

investor mobile experience

2. Stick with the navigation that everyone knows, but have fun with it.

GE’s mobile investor experience perfectly blends new mobile optimized navigational elements with the classic logo in the left of the screen and three line bar on the right (hamburger button, for the design-savvy lingo.) In this way, they impress investors with new scrolling features and an interactive mobile side bar, but don’t lose the audience who isn’t ready for this new type of functionality. While General Electric experiments with the mobile platform and what opportunity it brings, they also understand that keeping with the elements everyone knows ensures a smoother transition and better experience.

 

investor mobile experience

 3. Keep the email signup form on every page

General Electric’s investor relations section features a banner that sticks to the top of the page, no matter where investors are on the website. The banner says ‘sign up for GE investor newsletters and alerts’. Clicking the banner reveals an easy input email sign up. Because this banner stays always at the top of the website, investors don’t have to click through to the contact form.

investor mobile experience

 

4. Focus on the downloads that investors look for the most

General Electric’s feature page on their investor relations section makes for a great investor mobile experience. Easy access buttons feature the most important downloads like the latest CEO letter including an interactive annual report, as well as the 10-K summary CEO Letter. Including the most popular investor downloads on the front page of your investor section ensures that the investor mobile experience isn’t spoiled with visitors searching through pages to find your presentation.

 

investor mobile experience

 

5. Give each section its own flair

An important element to consider when optimizing your corporate website for mobile is how the design on the smaller screen will affect the investor mobile experience. General Electric distinguishes each area of their investor section with a coloured overlay over photography and different icons. Incorporating unique design elements to each section of your website will help with mobile navigation. Just be sure that everything matches your overall brand.

 

investor mobile experience

 

 

Conclusion: think of ways to ‘wow’ them with the mobile screen

Mobile optimization and thinking of the investor mobile experience shouldn’t be considered a burden. Think of it as a new platform in which to impress your audience and make your investors’ lives easier. Take a look at General Electric’s 2015 annual report, that’s also an interactive mobile experience, from your own smartphone and see how they’re incorporating the latest design trends, multimedia components and visuals to engage their audiences and bring their investor strategies into this new mobile facing world.





The Ultimate Mobile Optimization Test




Mobile usability statistics that all public companies should know

Introduction: Time for a statistical wakeup call

Being optimized for mobile is more crucial than ever for public companies hoping to gain more investor attention. Here are some mobile usability statistics we’ve found from around the web that speak directly to public companies. More and more people are switching to a mobile-first reality, and you need to create a mobile strategy now so you’re not left behind. It’s 2016, and mobile needs to be a top priority for all public companies when thinking about their investor communication strategies.

Learn what steps you still need to take with your own website by downloading our free Ultimate Mobile Optimization Test. 

Mobile usability statistics: investor interaction

1. 68% of investors look at investor related content throughout the day on their mobile device. Source.

mobile usability statistics for public companies

Takeaway for public companies:

Your investor focused materials need to be fully mobile optimized. And we don’t mean simply being easy to read. How easy is it for investors to download corporate presentations, your latest quarterly numbers, or to request more investor information from their mobile phones? These mobile usability statistics prove that a large crowd of investors are accessing company informaiton every day while on their smartphones.

 

 

2. 94% of investors are Apple or Android users. Source.

mobile usability statistics for public companies

Takeaway for public companies:

Go where the fish are biting. Concentrate your mobile optimization efforts for iPhones and Androids. As of 2014, only 4% of investors are Blackberry users. Don’t spend all your efforts trying to look perfect across every possible platform.

 

 

Mobile usability statistics: email

3. 65% of total email opens occurred on a mobile phone or tablet in Q4 2015, compared to 54% in Q3 2015. Source.

mobile usability statistics for public companies

Takeaway for public companies:

More people are opening their emails with mobile devices. This statistic shows an over 10% jump in one quarter. Does your company send email communication to investors, such as press releases or a company newsletter? If yes, is everything fully optimized for mobile? Are you sure?

 

 

4. 70% of consumers delete emails immediately that don’t render well on a mobile device. Source.

mobile usability statistics for public companies

Takeaway for public companies:

The mobile usability statistics don’t lie. If you answered no to the above, then you’re losing a big audience if your emails aren’t rendering well on a mobile device. The last thing you want is frustrated shareholders who are deciding whether or not your company is worth their time.

 

 

Mobile usability statistics: accessibility

5. 66% of smartphone and tablet users are frustrated with the page load times. Source.

mobile usability statistics for public companies

Takeaway for public companies:

While a beautiful mobile website design is important to engage your users, more importantly to note is if the page loads fast enough on a mobile device. If you’ve incorporated a cool load-in effect on the homepage of your website, but it takes over 3-5 seconds to load on mobile, it won’t be worth it. After all, Kissmetrics states that if your page load time is over 3 seconds, that’s too long for almost every internet user.

 

 

6. 83% of consumers will either stop engaging or attempt to switch devices if the links and buttons don’t function well on mobile. Source.

mobile usability statistics for public companies

Takeaway for public companies:

If investors can’t easily click your download links to corporate presentations on their mobile phones, they most likely will stop engaging. If they can’t figure out how your email signup works on mobile, then they won’t sign up.

 

 

Conclusion: Get ahead of the competition and get mobile optimized

The above mobile usability statistics all show that more and more consumers are jumping on their mobile devices to consume content and make business decisions. It’s time to assess your mobile readiness strategy, not just for your website but for all your digital marketing and investor initiatives. An investor’s experience on your website should be seamless, no matter what device they’re using while viewing content. Further questions? Download our eBook about easy ways to get a mobile-friendly website and take our mobile optimization test to see how you’re doing!

 

 




mobile usability statistics




Improve investor relations on your website

Introduction: Why it’s important to improve investor relations online

You can be sure that current investors, potential shareholders, and other interested parties will navigate to your corporate IR website at some point for the information they need, even if it’s simply once a quarter to view quarterly results or watch a webcast. Regardless if it’s once a quarter or once a day, you need to be considering ways you can improve investor relations online. When it comes to converting investors with your website, or at least getting them to reach out and request more information, think of these three key items as guides when re-evaluating your online IR strategy.

Go beyond the overview. Download our free eBook for 9 specific ways to improve IR strategy on your website.

Accessibility/Usability

improve investor relations on your website

Can investors easily navigate to and have access to all the documents they need? The key to having a fluid website navigation and easy-to-find investor materials is to put yourself in their shoes. What do investors coming to your website want to see first? If you’ve recently released an interactive annual report, the link should be front and centre in your investor section. Do investors follow you on social media? Have you provided an easy access link from your social accounts to your most recent reports or quarterly results? Does your IR section have a highlights section? Improve investor relations online by having a plan for the content you’re releasing next, from where it will be displayed on your website to how many channels you will include as you publicize.

 

Mobile

improve investor relations on your website

Mobile is the #1 element you should be focusing on to improve investor relations online. A 2015 Adobe report called ‘The State of Content’ found that out of over 2000 US consumers surveyed, 73% of users said that company content “must display well on any device”. Here’s another stat a little closer to home: findings by the IRApp and IR Magazine in 2014 reported that out of 300 institutional investors surveyed, over 83% rely on mobile when it comes to their work. Have you looked at the way your corporate IR site looks on a smartphone or tablet lately? To improve investor relations, your investors must be able to easily access and download documents onto their phones or tablets. But it’s not just about the way your website looks on mobile. What about how well your website and IR site does in Google search results? If investors can’t find you easily on Google, they may give up and navigate away. Specific tips within our 9 tips to improve investor communication on your website eBook show you how to do a quick mobile assessment.

 

Investor messaging

improve investor relations online

Investors care about your company story. A B2B survey conducted last year by three reputable marketing firms found that on a company’s homepage, 86% of visitors want to see information about the company’s services and over 52% are most interested in ‘About Us’ information. Some questions to ask yourself when going over your company content could be: Is your main product, project location, or selling point easy to grasp? Can investors understand the initial value of your company upon 5 seconds of landing on your investor page? Are the most important call-to-actions for investors easy to spot on the page?

 




9 tips to improve investor communication with your website




How the Canadian Anti-Spam Laws affect IR communications

Introduction

The Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (or CASL for short) and their specific rules have been talked about a lot over the past few years, and many still have questions. How will CASL affect your public company, as well as your email lists? Are you staying compliant? This week’s blog breaks down the basics. For specific step-by-step directions, get a copy of our free Complete CASL Guide: how to keep compliant and grow your subscriber list.

Canadian Anti-Spam Laws affecting IR communications

What are the Canadian Anti-Spam Laws?

CASL is a set of laws that were passed in 2010 and went into effect in July of 2014. These laws are focused around keeping commercial messaging more truthful and less spammy. Three main government agencies are responsible for the enforcement of the laws, including the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), who will fine anyone who violates the new CASL laws. (yikes!)

What is CASL affecting?

CASL is aimed at regulating the way electronic commercial communication happens. That means sending emails, social networking messages, even text messages with a business purpose to clients, customers, or prospectives. We’re going to stick with the email laws, since that has the biggest affect on public companies. In terms of email, CASL dictates:

  1. The specific elements to include in each email sent for business purposes.
  2. Who you can and cannot continue to email based on whether or not they have given you express consent.

Get more specifics here: The Complete CASL Guide: keep compliant as you grow your subscriber list. 

Canadian Anti-Spam Laws affecting IR communications

What are the CASL rules for public companies?

If you’re a public company reading this blog, CASL will affect you! But let’s break it down. The CASL ‘Fast Facts’ site provides an easy three question survey on the matter of compliance. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these three questions, then yes, CASL applies to you.

  1. Are you using email, SMS, social media or instant messaging to send commercial or promotional information about your organization to customers, prospects and other important audiences?
  2. Do you install software programs on people’s computers or mobile devices?
  3. Do you carry out these activities in or from Canada?

Don’t worry, you have some time!

The regulatory agencies for CASL have set a three year grace period for all businesses to refine their email lists and get their subscribers compliant. So learn the steps and send ‘good with the law’ emails!




The Complete CASL Guide:




3 simple ways to engage investors on your website

Introduction: Get investors to listen up

Your website is your first impression when it comes to getting attention of the investment community. With such a short window of time to grab that attention, how do you guarantee they’ll listen to your story? We’ve written many blogs that got really in-depth and technical about ways to make your investor website stand out, and we encourage you to read them if you’ve got the time. But this week, we’re giving you a quick one-two (three) punch of three easy takeaways that you can implement on your website right away to gain investor attention.

 

1. CEO Message or Project Video

Videos are great because they have the ability to clearly and efficiently convey a message. Think videos aren’t useful for public companies, or for your industry? Think again. Our friends at Brazil Resources Inc. needed a way to communicate their plan for the future to their shareholders, especially with the tougher markets. The CEO and Chairman were able to touch on all the market opportunities for the company. The video emphasizes that a downturn can be the best time to grow a new company.

3 simple ways to keep your investor website engaging

2. Investor Highlights Page

Investors are short on time, so your investor website should give them all the info they need to know right away, in a visual and engaging way. Check out how BRI’s investor highlights are displayed below. The first element a viewer sees when clicking onto BRI’s IR site is a visually appealing highlights area. Each area focuses on a strong tagline informing investors why the company is worth the investment. ‘Strong Management’, ‘Strategic Acquisitions’ and ‘Why Brazil?’ answers the questions investors have before they even need to ask them.

3 simple ways to engage investors

3. Mobile-friendly reports and presentations

If investors are interested in learning more about you, they’ll most likely try to locate your most recent annual report or investor presentation. It’s important to make sure all that important info is presented with ease. Investors will thank you for it. And make sure it’s mobile-friendly! How easy is it for investors to click your presentation link on their phones and have the material pop up? Check out how Teck Resources and BRI showcase their reports with ease on desktop and mobile.

 

3 simple ways to engage investors on your website

3 simple ways to engage investors on your website

 

5 reasons for a website redesign during a slow economy

Introduction: A slow economy shouldn’t slow you down

The bleak resource sector provides the perfect opportunity to take stock of your current website and any other ways you’re attracting investors digitally. What areas can you improve? How can you stand out from the crowd? During a slow economy, website redesigns are one of the best ways to attract those who are still looking to invest. Here are five reasons why a slow economy is the perfect time to refresh your website.

 

Redesign in a slow economy: Less attention calls for more strategy

A slump in your industry is also the most crucial time to streamline all the information on your website. Those in the IR profession who are still visiting your site need to be able to find what they want right away. If you don’t have a good content strategy, you’ll lose the audience that you do have. During the slow economy, take the time to assess every pathway on your website in terms of your company’s main goals. For example, is it more important for your website to feature a new mining project or get people downloading your latest quarterly report? When there’s less noise in the markets, it’s time to refine your message and get it cutting through.

 

 

Redesign in an slow economy: Position yourself as an industry leader

A slow economy means bad times for everyone, your competitors included. Be that phoenix from the ashes. Take this time to review your competitor’s websites and take stock of what you can do to perfect your own strategies. While your peers will reduce their marketing efforts and abandon any attempts for some digital upkeep, you’ll have the stage all to yourself. With a website redesign and refreshed brand in a slow economy, you’ll be able to transform your brand into one of the industry’s leaders: one that is strong enough to endure and evolve in tough times.

 

 

Redesign in a slow economy: Creating a great investor space now means better gain later

Your website’s main goal is to generate interest and investment, just like any other marketing material. And, just like any other marketing material, the greatest gains will be seen over time. A website redesign now will mean better investor strategy later. (Think easily downloadable presentations, IR materials, and a streamlined navigation). Once your website redesign is complete, you will begin to see your digital marketing efforts pay off. You want the momentum to build over time, so your redesigned website is generating the most interest RIGHT when things get hot again. 

 

 

Redesign in a slow economy: Fewer companies are looking to be innovative

As we said above: a slow economy is the perfect time to show everyone that your public company is strong enough to endure the tough times, and also evolve during them. The strategy for many companies will be to wait it out, and postpone all digital initiatives until things start picking back up. This is a golden opportunity for you. While your competitors are choosing to be silent, your efforts will be amplified. See what’s being done in terms of website design, and see what makes sense for your company. Is there a new way to feature your annual reports on your website? A more eye-catching way to display project maps, or feature the most recent news release? Figure that out now and have everything implemented by the time the markets pick back up. And side note: is your site still not a responsive one, meaning people can’t read it properly from their mobile phones or tablets? Time to get on that.

 

 

Redesign in a slow economy: Wait, and it's too late

We all know where the ‘I’ll take of it later’ mentality gets you. Not very far. If you’re thinking of waiting until the slow economy is a thing of the past before redesigning your website, you’ll be left behind. You’ll be the one attempting to send potential investors a Powerpoint presentation as an attachment in an email, while your competitor’s redesigned website allows investors to access any presentation easily right on their smartphone. Be that public company that gives investors new, user-friendly ways to access information on your website, and, better yet, be the first to do it.

 

 

 

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations

Introduction: Why having Call-to-Actions for investor relations is useful

Most people are familiar with Call-to-Actions when it comes to buying a product online or starting a free trial with a company. But what about public companies and their investor relations strategies? With a public company IR section or IR website, you often get a very short amount of time to articulate the most information to potential investors. CTAs are great because they can help fluidly move viewers throughout the different pages of your site. Here are seven different ways to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations to get potential investors directly to the pages you want them to see. Interested in specific ways to improve your digital investor strategy? You can also download our free eBook for 9 tips to improve investor communication with your website.

 

1. Joining an email list

The CTA for your email signup should clearly explain upfront what the subscriber will get. ‘Subscribe’ buttons are great, but consider adding a quick sentence underneath outlining what to expect from your emails. Amcor takes the classic investor ‘subscribe’ and turns it into more of an information filtering system. Some investors may not want to sign up if they think they’ll get pestered with emails, but would be willing to participate for specific annual reports and briefings.

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations

 
 
 

2. Read/download thought leadership

If you’ve produced a whitepaper, a guide, or any other form of thought leadership available for download, highlighting it on your investors section shows that your company is an expert in the space. Let investors know that it’s free with phrases like ‘Get your free guide now’ or ‘Send me my free ___’. General Electric is well-known for the content they produce in their thought leadership section that they describe as “innovation insights, bringing you the latest from clean technology, commercial innovation, energy, mining and oil & gas”. In a smart move, GE includes a Call-to-Action to read thought leadership on their main investor relations page. In addition to financial information and pushing their investment opportunity, General Electric knows that showcasing their innovative endeavours greatly helps their case.

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations

 
 
 

3. Showcase events you’re attending

We love the call-to-action Mastercard added to their IR homepage page underneath their upcoming investor events. The CTA button ‘Add to Calendar’ makes it a cinch for anyone to immediately have the event included in their personal calendar with the date, exact time, and reminder. It’s a subtle yet forceful way to make sure people people will listen in or at least be aware of  your next earnings call.

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations MasterCard

 
 
 

4. Highlight your investment opportunity

We love Silver Standard’s CTA on their investors page that immediately directs interested parties to ‘Watch Our Corporate Video’. Clicking the button opens the video right on the page, without any extra effort. It’s a great idea to pull out 1-2 of your most enticing investment highlights or the most important aspects of your company, like your annual review, and feature them with their own CTA button. This CTA gives important features more real-estate on the page and subtly directs users to other pages on your IR site.

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations

 
 
 

5. Direct to other pages

For consumer and retail brands such as Under Armour and Lululemon Athletica, their website is also one of their main sales tools. Under Armour’s investor section features an area where browsers can easily click onto their main corporate site through an easy ‘gateway’. Use your discretion about when and where it’s best to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations in a way that directs your audience to your corporate site. These CTAs are useful on an IR homepage to push browsers deeper into the website and encourage them to learn more about you than just your highlights and greatest hits.

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations UA

 
 
 

6. Follow on social media

‘Stay informed’ is one of our favourite ways to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations when talking about social media. This type of Call-to-Action includes the immediacy-type language that highlights the main benefit of following a public company on these channels. Both General Electric and FedEx embed their Twitter timeline on their investors page with a CTA button that makes it easy for anyone to become a follower.

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations GE

 
 
 

7. Contact IR 

A public company’s investor section is full of information, so include a Call-to-Action that connects a user directly with an IR point of contact who can answer further questions or provide investment information. Most investor relations sections already have the general ‘contact’ tab, but including an easy-to-find button that sends an investor directly to the appropriate email address erases that extra step and makes life easier for them. (Always be thinking mobile-friendly, too. A ‘Connect with IR’ CTA button that opens straight to an email? They’ll thank you later).

How to use Call-to-Actions for investor relations

 
 
 

Conclusion: it’s all about making lives easier

Call-to-Actions for investor relations take all the guesswork out, and that’s a good thing. Most of the time, investors navigate to your IR section for a specific document they’re looking for. CTAs push them right where they need to go. For those visiting your IR website simply to browse, a very obvious Call-to-Action on the page that prompts viewers to request more information or sign up for a newsletter is a good way to hope they stick around.

Now that you’ve learned about Call-to-Actions, what are some other areas of your IR website that can be improved to help your company get more investors? We’ve done years of research on this subject, and written an eBook too. Download it below!



9 tips to improve investor communication with your website