Do you want your IR website to stand out, head and shoulders from the rest? Then it’s time to check in with the best IR websites for direction to see how you can elevate your digital presence. Here are some lessons about investor sites teaching you what it takes to be an elite online destination.
1. Tailored Content According to Your IPO Path
For those companies that are just starting their journey towards becoming public, specialization is the biggest lesson you can take away from today’s guide. You need a tailored IR website that reflects your unique path to the Street.
While an Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the most common way companies go public, alternative types of public companies are gaining ground. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) had a particularly hot year in 2021, at which time 298 SPACs raised nearly $88 billion.
As a SPAC, your process to becoming publicly listed can be much shorter than the typical IPO. In some cases, you may raise enough capital in two short months. With this truncated timeframe a real possibility, special purpose acquisition company websites need to be scalable at a rapid pace.
An effective SPAC website must be able to go live in as little as two weeks, but more importantly, it must grow alongside your evolution as a public company.
2. Transparent ESG Disclosures
Whether you’re an IPO, SPAC, or an established fund on the Street, you need to position your ESG initiatives front and center in 2022.
Why? For one thing, investors are scouring the web for sustainable and ethical funds to support. Last year, ESG assets climbed to a whopping $35.5 trillion, with experts forecasting it will surpass $50 trillion by 2025. As of right now, ESG assets take a third of all assets in five of the world’s biggest markets.
For another, sharing this information may become the new standard as the SEC codifies its ESG reporting regulations. Under these new rules, every company will have to share climate-related risks in transparent disclosures.
Having a dedicated ESG website can help you position yourself as a sustainable asset to green investors. But more importantly, you’ll ensure you’re meeting new disclosure compliance.
3. Archived Webcasting, Conferencing, and Capital Markets Virtual Events with Transcripts
If you’re like many IROs, you may have this question on the brain: how will my investor events look like in a post-COVID world? You may not get your answer very soon, as the pandemic is still impacting the way corporate access heads organize and host capital markets events.
A hybrid model is the new-normal of investor conferences, webcasts, and capital markets events — one where half of your audience attends in person, while the other half signs in online.
While your main priority is to learn how to run a hybrid capital market event or conference, you shouldn’t overlook how you archive this content on your IR website. The best IR websites include transcripts of this digital content so that analysts and investors can review this information without watching an entire online event.
4. Merged IR Tools
On the operational side, your site should belong to a lush ecosystem of IR tools that interact with one another. In other words, your site data should integrate flawlessly with your CRM desktop tools. This way, your CRM team can track your site’s success and examine visitor demographics and other key analytics that help your team stay ahead of the curve.
The Takeaway:
Your IR site has to reflect your unique position on the Street while satisfying industry standards. Keep these tips in mind while you update your website to ensure you’re standing out from the competition.
