how investor friendly is your website?

How investor friendly is your website?

Roz BulmerDirector, Digital & Print Media

Agenda

• Who am I? Why listen to me?

• Research study: What the European investment community really wants from online IR!

• Research study: Key conclusion

• Research study: Comparison to the entrants in The South West Financial & Corporate Communications Awards

• Research study: Highest scoring companies

• Post awards consultancy

Focus group

Analysts and brokers from the following organizations were pleased to take part in the survey:

• ABN Amro• Citigroup• Credit Suisse• Dresdner• Goldman Sachs• Merrill Lynch• UBS

What the European investment community really wants from online IR!


Questions askedQuestion 1:How important is the IR website as a resource to you?

Question 2:What are the communications channels you rely on when researching and following a company?

Question 3:What are the key things you need to access on the website?

Question 4: How do you want to take this information away with you?

Question 5:How many years’ historical data do you prefer?

Question 6:Who do you want to hear from/be able to contact from within the company you are interested in?

Question 7:Do you like email updates/communications direct from the IR department and what messages are you most keen to receive from them?

Question 8:Where do you think IR sites currently fall down?

Question 9:What has impressed you most about an IR website?

Key Conclusions:


Most admired sites:

1. Simple, clear and intuitive navigation and labeling

3. Keep everything up to date – especially as soon as results or announcements are made

5. Link all related documents, presentations and webcasts

7. Archive all previous publications, presentations and announcements – don’t remove them from the site

9. Be the most definitive source of information on your company and market sector

1. PDF downloads of all reports, accounts and presentations

3. IR homepage with highlights and ‘quick links’ to share price etc

5. IR contacts with phone and email details

7. User registration for email alerts/updates

9. Operational and market data (including market share year on year)

Need to do…Must haves…

www.bat.com www.bp.com www.cadburyschweppes.com

http://www.bat.com/

http://www.bp.com/investorhome.do?categoryId=132&contentId=2004195

http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN/InvestorCentre/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Batlogo.png

http://www.bp.com/home.do?categoryId=1&contentId=2006973

http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN/

Comparison to the entrants in The South West Financial & Corporate Communications Awards

78% Downloadable PDFs but not all

reports were indexed to help the viewer jump to the section they need

Good example: www.futureplc.com

39% Didn’t have any financial

highlights or financial fact sheets with up to 5 year comparisons

Good example: www.mearsgroup.co.uk

Must have No.1 - PDF downloads of all reports, accounts and presentations


Must have No.2 - IR homepage with highlights and ‘quick links’ to share price etc

67% Have a good IR homepage

Good example: www.vectura.com


67% Provided IR contacts with

clickable emails and phone numbers


Must have No.3 - IR contacts with phone and email details


61% Provided clear, concise and

simple user registration


Must have No.4 - User registration for email alerts/updates


11% Only, provided operational and

market data about their industry and market sector!

Good example: http://www.smallboneplc.com/home.php

Must have No.5 - Operational and market data (including market share year on year)

http://www.smallboneplc.com/home.php

http://www.smallboneplc.com/home.php


72% Of the SW entrants had

simple, clear navigation


Need to do No.1 - Simple, clear and intuitive navigation and labeling


100% Of the SW entrants had

excellent maintenance of timelines i.e. up to date publication of news, publications and announcements!


Need to do No.2 - Keep everything up to date – especially as soon as results or announcements are made


28% Only, of the SW entrants had

helpfully linked all related webcast, news releases and publications together!


Need to do No.3 - Link all related documents, presentations and webcasts


61% Kept good archives of all

previously published items


Need to do No.4 - Archive all previous publications, presentations and announcements – don’t remove them from the site


11% Only, were the definitive source of

information on their companies. Many sites were shockingly vague!

Good example: http://www.futureplc.com/future/investors/ataglance.jsp

Need to do No.5 - Be the most definitive source of information on your company and market sector

http://www.futureplc.com/future/investors/ataglance.jsp

http://www.futureplc.com/future/investors/ataglance.jsp

The South West Financial & Corporate Communications Awards 2007 top scorers:

Future plc – 100% score www.futureplc.com

Rok Property Solutions plc – 93% score www.rokgroup.com

Cobham plc – 90% score www.cobham.com

Vectura Group plc – 87% www.vectura.com

Pennon Group – 87% www.pennon-group.co.uk


Consultancy

For website critiques and recommendations please contact Roz to book a consultancy session. We can also work with your existing agency or in-house IT team to implement the changes, or deliver a full web design service.

If you were an entrant in The South West Financial & Corporate Communications Awards 2007 and would like to book a consultancy session to go through your specific scoring, with recommendations of how to improve your general and investor websites please contact Roz to arrange a meeting.

Profile

Roz comes from a graphic design and communications background with extensive experience in user interface design and architecture of browser based sites and applications, dealing primarily in the professional services, financial and insurance sectors. An in-depth knowledge of online and print media coupled with excellent communication skills makes Roz an ideal intermediary between clients, technology professionals and the end user.

Roz has worked for a number of leading companies including: Addleshaw Goddard, Banque Paribas, CMS Cameron McKenna, Cox Insurance, Global Asset Management, Gottex Asset Management, Rio Tinto, Royal SunAlliance, Safeway, Spectron Group and Taylor Wessing.

Roz is also the author of ‘Digital Investor Relations – A best practice report’.

Email Roz: [email protected]

Roz Bulmer: Director, Digital & Print Media

how investor friendly is your website?

Documents