Mining companies that commit to delivering superior digital marketing communications and investor relations (IR) content for their constituent stakeholders, keep them coming back. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series.
There is no doubt that digital technologies can dramatically improve performance across all business functions – and to take full advantage of the promise of digital, mining companies need to build a focused strategy that incorporates digital, and aligns it with their business model, processes and organisation.
A digital content and communications approach empowers your IR functions to exceed user expectations like never before, ensuring investor retention. Here are some of the most relevant benefits for companies who embrace a robust digital corporate communications strategy:
1. Accessibility and scalability of digital content
The Covid-pandemic era has seen an increase in people accessing online content across a variety of portals – smartphones and tablets as well as laptops and desktops. As a result, a digital content approach requires content to be optimised for consumption and use across each of those platforms. Some interesting statistics, according to Biteable – a video marketing statistics company – are that 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. Add to this that 59% of executives say they would rather watch a video for corporate communications or IR purposes, than read text, it’s not hard to see that people want to access the information they want when they want it – and this is where digital content can deliver.
2. Increased shareability and amplification
Not too long ago, the corporate communications function relied almost exclusively on in-person conferences and face-to-face meetings, while the IR group depended almost entirely on city-to-city roadshows.
Nowadays, digital materials are infinitely scalable, and any digitised collateral can instantly be shared globally with thousands or even millions of people across the world. All it takes is clicking ‘post’ on social media, sending a message to an opt-in email list, or sending an invitation to a virtual meeting.
Digital formats make it easier for stakeholders to share the content they want to share – where, when and how they want to share it.
3. Enhanced stakeholder conversations
A digital marketing approach ensures direct interaction with stakeholders via text/instant messaging, or online meetings. Web-based options provide immediate real-time engagement with relevant individuals in an unprecedented manner.
Network platforms are only as good as the information they provide. Relevant and reliable information is a cornerstone of trustworthy digital performers. Focus on getting real, applicable insights from data and sharing them clearly and effectively with your stakeholders.
4. Improved search engine optimisation (SEO)
Securing high-quality placements of digital content on relevant web pages boosts both SEO and organic traffic to your website. Exposure, and ultimately presence, is key! The more ‘present’ you are, the more trustworthy you’ll be.
5. Sustainable, engaging content
Digital content can be easily transformed and repurposed into a variety of different formats. For instance, an online webinar can be transcribed and repurposed into the agenda for a follow-up virtual stakeholder meeting, or as a focus area for an upcoming virtual roadshow. The increasing importance of digital content cannot be overstated.
6. Direct measure of impact and results
Digital materials provide precise and accurate metrics. You can track the time spent on a particular web page, click-through rates for a blog post, an email’s open rate, the number of views a video receives, how many investors downloaded a report, and so on.
Digital drives measurable insights regarding impact — and that drives understanding of what’s important to your investors.
An effective digital approach to your corporate communications and IR content is knowing what your stakeholders prefer to consume, which enables you to give them what they want and then a bit more, to keep them coming back.
