Against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 uncertainties, investors are increasingly looking for more transparent, consistent, accessible and timely information disclosure from businesses. In response, many companies are now looking to their investor websites to provide a go-to destination for their shareholders and to provide a channel that deepens understanding and builds trust and confidence in the long-term future of the business. This requires the investor website to seamlessly introduce the broader corporate narrative such as purpose or sustainability.
As well as the different type of investors, an investor website also needs to meet the needs of both investors who know the company and those who don’t, and therefore needs to provide quick access to ‘live’ content such as results and share tools; to narrative content such as the investment case and ESG; and to evergreen content such as annual reports. It is also increasingly a channel through which rich media can be exploited to build more direct and personal contact with your investors.
We have seen a notable improvement in the number of companies that clearly set out the reasons to invest (42% compared to 34% in 2018). Around a third of companies also extend their investment case discussion beyond financial strengths to encompass intangible value drivers such as people, culture and innovation. Moreover, about a quarter link their investment case to performance indicators. This upward trend may reflect companies’ renewed focus on articulating and reinforcing their strengths and resilience in a more succinct and accessible way.
Our research also suggests that over 75% provide webcasts, which is an encouraging sign that companies are adopting technologies to make events and presentations available for a wide range of audiences. A slight uptick in investor factsheets this year also demonstrates companies’ effort to provide a snapshot of the latest company information (37%). However, an IR section is not the only place that investors visit on a corporate website. As evidenced in our website analytics data, investors also tend to view ‘About us’ sections to learn more about the company. Yet, this year fewer companies are including an ‘At a glance/overview’ page (53%) which provides a summary of company information.
Black Sun is a global stakeholder communications company with offices in London and Singapore. We are united by a common purpose of making businesses more valued by their stakeholders. We are powered by a unique mix of strategic insight, creative inspiration and technology advantage, and help businesses communicate authentically how they deliver value to their stakeholders. We believe that inspiring strategic communications can spark positive change and drive long-term, sustainable performance.
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