5 Great CSR Pages That You Need To Check Out

If, after reading about why it’s so important to highlight CSR on your website here, you’re not convinced that Corporate Social Responsibility is the right fit for your business, perhaps this will sway your opinion:

The Reputation Institute, a private consulting firm, invited over 40,000 consumers across 15 markets to participate in a study in an effort to rank the world’s most reputable companies. The study not only found broke ground in terms of discovering purchasing habits, it also found that willingness to buy is driven 60% by consumer perception of the company, with the actual products or services impacting only 40%.

Can you imagine?

The better the reputation, the greater chance of consumer purchasing. Which means that, instead of focusing primarily on your company’s product or services, it’s time to pay close attention to your reputation. Corporate Social Responsibility leads the way in developing and enhancing reputation, making it more important than ever to tell your story online.

We’ve developed some impressive CSR pages over our years working in Investor Relations, so we’ve done our fair share of research into great CSR pages that our clients have drawn inspiration from.

Which is why we’re sharing them with you now.

If your business is focused on enhancing the reputation of your company, and driving revenue while you’re at it, below are 5 great CSR pages that you need to check out now.

 

1. eBay

great csr pages ebay

Why we love it: It’s transparent.

With eBay’s CSR page, all information is transparent – which means that the end consumer is not left feeling confused or unsure of eBay’s CSR goals, impact and practices.

eBay clearly displays their CSR focus through their website; the website is easy to navigate, and it is mobile-friendly – two important features of any CSR page.

2. B2Gold

great csr pages b2

Why we love it: It’s interactive.

This is the only bias on the list because, well, we made it.

We love B2Gold’s CSR page because it’s interactive. B2Gold.com features an interactive map with their holdings around the world, which gives visitors to the site an opportunity to navigate through a Global map and learn about production, development and exploration sites. It’s truly a leader within the industry.

3. Whistler Blackcomb

great csr pages whistler

Why we love it: It’s mobile-friendly.

This is a must for any CSR site, and Whistler Blackcomb does it well.

Not only is the site easy to navigate and straight-forward in terms of the information featured, it’s also mobile-friendly, meaning that it is responsive on every platform we’ve tried here in the Blender office. This makes for a seamless experience for the end user.

4. Microsoft

great csr pages msn

Why we love it: We’re swooning over the design…

Microsoft’s creative and design teams are heroes in our books. This CSR site is clean, mobile-friendly, easy to navigate and transparent, all-in-one.

When landing on Microsoft’s CSR homepage, the focus of this company is clear – Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability. There is no lack of clarity, and the minimalist creative is simply stunning.

5. Mastercard

great csr pages mcard

Why we love it: It combines various mediums.

From video to photos, news stories to social media, Mastercard isn’t afraid to combine various mediums on their CSR site.

After just two scrolls on the homepage, visitors can consume a video on global financial inclusion, which is a focus of the company’s CSR goals and objectives.

We love seeing companies incorporate various mediums on their CSR site, and Mastercard is doing it right.

 

Don’t be boring.

If we can emphasize one key takeaway, it’s this.

CSR is meant to be fun. It’s meant to showcase the strengths of your business, while enhancing your reputation in the marketplace.

When designing and developing your CSR site or pages, remember to keep them interactive, mobile-friendly, and informative.

And, when testing, ask yourself this question: would I want to scroll through this site? Would I be interested in consuming this content? If the answer is “yes”, then give yourself a high-five. You could make our next “great” list.

 

5 Best Practices for CSR On Your Website

We’ve talked about how important corporate social responsibility (CSR) is for your company, and even various elements that should be included when you’re telling your story online, but, when you’ve made the decision to move forward with CSR storytelling (high five, by the way), what are the best practices for CSR pages on your website?

Thankfully, we’ve done the work for you.

Most companies are practicing a form of corporate social responsibility with the overall goal of contributing to their community. The storytelling aspect, however, has changed over the last decade; companies have felt increased pressure to “dress up” CSR and that they need to be delivering every single aspect of every single initiative on their website.

We’re here to tell you that you don’t. We believe that CSR activities should be expressed online in a way that focuses on the fundamental goal of aligning your company’s community projects and initiatives with its business purpose and values, making your CSR endeavours easy to consume online – not difficult to understand.

So, how can your company do it?

We’ve pulled together five of the best CSR websites online now, while providing best practices that will help you stand apart from your competition.

5 Best Practices for CSR On Your Website

1. Ensure that it’s mobile-friendly. Example: Cisco

We love Cisco’s mobile, tablet and desktop-friendly CSR website. It’s easy to navigate, it’s responsive, and it’s worked well on every device we’ve tested.

It’s important to have a mobile-friendly website for investors. 83% of mobile users say that a seamless experience across all devices is very important to their browsing habits, and it’s even more important when a potential investor is arriving to your website.

teck best practices for csr

2. Include a dedicated blog. Example: Microsoft Green Blog

When you’re putting together your CSR section or dedicated website, consider the power of a blog.

Microsoft Green is committed minimizing their environmental impact, so they’re working with partners around the world to focus on a sustainable, low-carbon future for our planet. On their website, Microsoft writes frequently about related topics such as Earth Day, press releases, and company events.

A dedicated CSR blog allows you to focus on internal and external activities as a business, giving you the ability to showcase authenticity and differentiate yourselves from competitors.

best practice csr - microsoft

3. Keep your CSR reports visible. Example: IBM

It’s important to have CSR report downloads from both current and past years in a visible, easy-to-navigate place on your website. This makes the research experience simple for visitors, including investors, and decreases the possibility of high bounce rates.

IBM does it right. The company has two clear navigational drop-downs on their homepage, with one being “Our Reports”. It’s easily found, providing a strong browsing experience.

IBM

4. Pull out the “big wins”. Example: Disney

We love how Disney pulls the “big wins” and displays it on the Philanthropy section of their website.

Disney isn’t afraid to display the massive 23.1 million books donated figure on their homepage, or 333.3 million in giving throughout 2015. Instead of including every single aspect on their site, Disney pulls only the statistics that matter most and have the most impact.

For your business, highlight the big wins; pull 2-3 key statistics that you’re proud of, instead of paragraph upon paragraph from your latest community event. With read rates and time on site lower than ever, you must attract visitors quickly.

disney

5. Make your purpose clear. Example: Google Green

When a visitor lands on your CSR site, there should be no question what the focus and goals of your programs are. Included in this should be your history, business, and overall economic impact of your CSR endeavours.

Google Green knocks this out of the park with their website. When landing on Google.ca/Green, a visitor knows that Google is committed to supporting resource efficiency and renewable power.

Google Best Practices for CSR

Conclusion

From building mobile-friendly sites to celebrating big wins, it’s important to have a CSR section or website that is focused on delivering the key information to the end user – whether it’s the investor or the customer. Too often, we see companies make the mistake of having the CSR site serve the purpose of Executive or Leadership groups, without taking user experience into consideration. With these 5 best practices for CSR on your website, your business will be equipped with the tools you need to break apart from the competition in Corporate Social Responsibility.