It takes you only milliseconds to form a first impression about a person. The same is true for websites.

Website visitors’ first impressions on your business are almost 95% web design. That’s why a modern web design is important. Not just for the look and feel of your site, but also for its functionality.

Investors are going through a journey with you. They are in different stages in the process of finding you, liking you, buying, and selling your shares.

How do you engage with them to help them make progress in their investor journey? Through your news.

Your news is probably the trigger investors need to move from one stage of the journey to the next.

What’s usually the only time during the year when your shareholders and executives interact?

You guessed it! Your annual general meetings (AGMs).

Now getting to be more virtual, these mandatory meetings are a means of building stronger and more engaged relationships with your shareholders. Your AGMs also offer investors valuable information that’s extremely useful for their investment decision-making process.

As people progress through stages of not knowing about you, knowing about you, deciding to buy, buying shares and then selling their shares... that's what is called a journey - the Investor Journey.

People take this journey through the process of finding you, liking you, buying, and selling your shares. Current, potential and past investors are simply people at different stages of their investor journey. Each person's journey is different and personal. 

Resource industries are known to be slow in catching on to modern technology. Just look at the out-dated websites of many mining and exploration companies. Others do not even have their own websites in today’s tech-savvy world.

That is not always the case though.

Some exploration companies are not settling for any old website. They are blazing a trail in their industries with websites that are professionally designed and mobile-friendly too. Serving as an inspiration to their peers.

It’s not that you don’t have a website. Sure, you do! It’s just that it no longer reflects your burgeoning business. Unlike your growing company, your website is stuck at being clunky and outdated, with lacking functionality.

Your website should be able to support your business as it grows. That means it can be quickly updated, easily managed and that communications, particularly with investors, will go unhampered. After all, your website is the front door to your business.

A shot of adrenaline into any business is always a great idea, particularly through spinoffs.

If you’re a newly created spinoff company, operating on your own means pursuing independent growth, right? You’re exercising newfound agility and attracting new opportunities. All these efforts that need to be communicated well to your stakeholders, particularly your investment community.

In an earlier blog post, we identified investors as people -- they behave emotionally as well as rationally. We looked at ways to help them LIKE your company and SELL the first click. 

Now, let's think more about the details of who your investors are. Who are these people you need to connect with, and what is in their mind?

In the consumer world, marketers understand the concept of a "customer journey," the stages consumers go through to buy a product. If we think about the stages of buying shoes, here's how it could look like:

Attracting investors means having a powerful online presence. It means having a professional website that connects with investors, particularly if you're heading for an IPO.

A brilliant website will show investors that you are a serious contender for their investments. Your site should be well-designed as it provides quality content to focus on investors’ needs. It should also work smoothly on any platform they choose to use, whether mobile devices or desktops.

An annual report is a snapshot of your company... a summary that shows your financial picture, market share and outlook for the future.

However, preparing your annual report can be a daunting task, even more so in our "new normal". You’ll have to compile financial data, gather reports from management, craft your corporate message, among many other steps leading to a final copy that’s distributed to stakeholders. The struggle is real!

Thankfully, there are ways to make things easier for you. Like these 3 stress-buster tips for preparing your annual report:

Is your website outdated with limited functionality and just simply hard to handle?

With today’s technology, there is no stopping you from having a website you can be proud of. One that clearly defines your brand and reflects your company.

When you have the right setup, your website can be something you can boast about. It would communicate well with your investors and customers, while working responsively on desktop and mobile devices. Those are just some brilliant features to begin with.

Perhaps investors are institutions, funds, companies, super funds? That's how they show on share registers, right?

But organisations, as such, can't actually make investment decisions. Only the people in those organisations can make decisions. 

Investors are, first and foremost, people.

Stories are powerful. They create a picture in our minds to delight, inspire and motivate.

You have seen this happen in the movies and tv series you have watched. You have experienced it in the books and news articles you have read. Even in the conversations you have had.

Stories are all around us. Even in the business world.

But have you heard about storytelling your business?

Hosting an annual general meeting (AGM) is quite a challenge in our current COVID-19 situation.

Traditional in-person shareholder meetings are no longer feasible. What with restrictions on large-group meetings and travel. Not to mention investor concerns about social distancing and joining large gatherings.

Thankfully, technology today enables companies to hold virtual AGMs. So that requirements are still met, information is presented to shareholders and their questions answered.

Your website is the backbone of your company's online presence. It serves as an information hub where you can direct investors who want to know more about your business.

Much like consumers, investors go online to seek information about your company before they buy into it. That's why your website needs to clearly present details for investors to learn what your business is all about. As investors know more about your organisation, they will be able to make smarter investment decisions.

Your company is getting listed. Understandably, there’s a flurry of tasks to complete before your initial public offering (IPO).

But is your website all set for your IPO too?

Getting your website IPO ready is crucial in creating awareness about your business. It’s a game changer in converting prospects into investors.

Grab the IRM COVID-19 Offer and emerge from the crisis in great shape to attract investors!

When this is all over – and it will, investors will be critical in their choices of investments. They will choose to invest in companies that they trust, those who look like they improved even during this uncertain times and the ones who made efforts to keep them informed.

How to step up your game?

Enhance your corporate look. Optimise your corporate or investor website. Boost your investor communication.

You are probably over hearing about the COVID-19 crisis. But now is not the time to isolate yourselves from your investors. Now more than ever, your investors need to know it is business as usual or best as it can be in these trying circumstances.

Whether you are drilling for a resource, waiting for results on a study you recently completed or you are working tirelessly on a joint venture, now is not the time to stop the news flow.

Now is the time your investors will have the time to read your announcements, especially if they are working from home or are self-isolating. Right at this minute, they are crawling through your website and catching up on what you are doing.

Your apps, iOS or Android mobile operating system regularly update to work more efficiently. Thanks to the continuously evolving technology in this tech savvy world.

As well as that, HQi, your website’s content management system (CMS), constantly upgrades to make your site run smoothly for your investor relations (IR) needs.

HQi’s new features include stats and charts to help you analyse and tweak your email communications. Expanded functions cover your website’s image upload, contact form submission, among other capabilities.

Your Annual Report deadlines are just around the corner.

Thankfully, you’ve got it all covered -- the figures and the statements. Details of your activities, financial results and strategies. Well… almost.

You just need a better way to present your report and achievements over the past year.

No, not the old boring Word file PDF, please.