Your website is due for a redesign and you know it. But you're still ignoring the need for it.

You realise it has passed its prime. It's outdated and could perform better. Yet somehow it still works, so you don't bother replacing it. You're quite attached to this website.

Perhaps like your old laptop, which you eventually gave up on because it no longer functioned properly. You then had to get a new one. Soon as you started using that brand new laptop, you couldn’t imagine why it took you so long to make the switch.

Ever wonder what investors want online? Particularly in this time when your message needs to be even more clear on the Web?

Investors are not just looking for your company’s financial information.

They want details on your business and your investment proposition. They want to know the latest happenings through your company news.

Let’s be honest.

You look at your website and you know it can do better.

It looks old and out of date. It’s slow and unresponsive. It doesn’t represent your growing business at all. And it would give investors the wrong impression, wouldn’t it?

A good quality website is an integral component of your business. It should exude professionalism and credibility for your brand as well as generating confidence that assures investors you mean business and you’re there to stay.

With all kinds of website designs in the market, it’s important to pick one that will best serve your needs. A website design that’s created uniquely for your company. Presenting your business in its best light, while looking professional and modern. Enticing investors and leaving a lasting impression on them.

That feeling of achievement when you finally upgrade your website.

You're frustrated with your website because it's hard to manage. You want to announce your new business venture or post your CEO’s video interview but how? You can’t even update the pages because the system requires a web developer for simple amends.

It’s definitely time for change!

Snapshots at a point in time.

Your reports are dated documents prepared to communicate your status.

Whether it's your prospectus, annual report or sustainability report, these summaries deliver messages that stand through time. Locked into the format of the report.

Like any Australian listed company, you publish your reports, presentations and newsletters as ASX Announcements, an entirely online media. Exactly why a strong online presence is needed to fulfil this information need.

Every website’s purpose it to reach its audience. This is key, particularly if the site is targeting investors for your company.

Connecting with investors is not an option but a requirement to succeed in your business. Because drawing investors into your website would increase their engagement, and later on their involvement as shareholders.

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.

The SSX is a Tier One licensed stock exchange in Australia that provides a fresh, flexible alternative for companies seeking opportunities for growth only listings can bring.

The SSX is passionate about furthering financial market education and continues to be an advocate for lifelong learning for every member of staff. As a group, our teams continuously develop their thinking through formal education and professional memberships.

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.