In today’s competitive digital age, one of the most important aspects of online marketing is digital competence. To create the most efficacy, companies need to provide accessibility with all types of digital platforms to create the best user experience possible. According to new research, most businesses are not delivering the kind of digital experience that consumers want and need, which has delivered a strong message to chief marketing officers to make a change.
As stated in Radley Yeldar’s FTSE 350 Standout Digital Survey that focused on the performance of corporate websites, companies in sensitive or highly regulated industries have been becoming digital communication leaders who are working hard to become more transparent and well-known. This applies in particular to the pharmaceutical healthcare and energy companies.
Compared to many different industries, websites for companies in the financial services are continually among the poorest performers that maintain a performance score of merely 32%. However, AstraZeneca has become a leader in the industry and is the best performing corporate website, which is a first-time entrant to the top 10. In fact, AstraZeneca’s website is now up 63 places since last year, which shows drastic improvement. This company has an exceptional 76.8% performance rating which is closely followed by last year’s winner, SABMiller, and other companies like GSK, Shell, and Unilever.
Important facts stated in Yeldar’s research was the following:
The digital experience of FTSE 350 companies has consistently remained weak.
Businesses scoring below 40% on website experience among users.
36% was the average score for digital content across these companies
Only 15% of companies made it simple to complete tasks like employment forms on their websites,
Based on the research compiled by Yeldar, the most efficient corporate communicators are actually among the FTSE 100 companies. In comparison, some FTSE 200 companies are way behind. Of more importance, the vast gap between the leaders and the businesses that have fallen behind is only getting bigger.
Yeldar’s research shows that the gap that once existed between traditional communications and marketing are trying to tell their story and address broader industry issues in a more creative way. The campaigning brands voiced their opinions and had been trying to change their ways.
The most important factors of Yeldar’s study emphasizes six key indicators that shows that the most successful companies are the ones that are using a new and more integrated approach to website communication, such as:
In this year’s study, the digital communications were assessed were not just concerned with business but focused on bigger issues, challenges, and problems. It is important for companies within different sectors to solve their issues to experience the results they want through utilizing progressive techniques to tackle issues head on. Companies can work to solve issues while also encouraging transparency with content created to demonstrate the progress that is being made.
Wholefoods is a great example. As a store known for selling natural foods for higher prices. Whole Foods faced scrutiny in the past for selling non-GMO products and even a class-action lawsuit. Since then, they have made it their mission to be the first national grocery chain to offer full GMO transparency
The most successful companies in digital communications are now experimenting with visual and moving content to expand their role of online digital content. Leading this movement are two companies, AstraZeneca and GSK, who have incorporated a highly efficient approach to visual content. Also, two noteworthy companies have become leaders, such as Sainsbury with their video-based “Little Stories” and Tesco with their social media homepage takeover.
Embrace the Art of StorytellingThe brands that elicit the most effective digital content are those that identify the purpose and honesty of the challenges they are dealing with. These companies do not view their published digital content as just another way of recreating their traditional press releases. Moreover, the stories are introduced to show their core concerns and pique the interest of their audiences to stand alone away from the corporate context. Interestingly, some significant examples of this type of activity include GSK’s “Behind the Science” and Shell’s “Inside Energy.” Both are powerful pieces of digital storytelling that reflect their makers’ goals.
When it comes to investor relations sections on corporate websites, the least effective communicators treat this section as just an asset repository instead of a means to capture the attention of their audience. On the other hand, the most effective corporate websites take a more active approach to creating their own investor story that pulls in key information from presentations and reports while also working to expand their target audiences. Especially for banks, websites are used to meet their potential by meeting the demand for greater openness and transparency. Setting a great example is Royal Bank of Scotland’s “Investment Case” page that describes how the opportunity for retail and institutional investors provides an effective case in point.
Careers content is actually the most visited section on any corporate website. The most successful corporate websites have become more innovative in their representation of this type of content. In the past, careers content had traditionally been fragmented across micro-sites, local sites, and even social media channels. Although different channels are in existence, the most powerful communicators are working harder towards engaging their users with their corporate website - not just with the designated careers section. In essence, it has been noted that the strongest websites are able to craft effective content integration supports the employee journey while creating a deeper engagement throughout every aspect of the recruitment process.
When it comes to investor relations sections on corporate websites, the least effective communicators treat this section as just an asset repository instead of a means to capture the attention of their audience. On the other hand, the most effective corporate websites take a more active approach to creating their own investor story that pulls in key information from presentations and reports while also working to expand their target audiences. Especially for banks, websites are used to meet their potential by meeting the demand for greater openness and transparency. Setting a great example is Royal Bank of Scotland’s “Investment Case” page that describes how the opportunity for retail and institutional investors provides an effective case in point.
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