Those who harness the digital transformation will be better empowered to deliver engaging and authentic content, to own their corporate story and protect their reputation.
This will ensure they are better understood and more valued in the eyes of their stakeholders.
We have been analysing the digital landscape for nine years, understanding how companies are rising to the challenge of digital communications, assessing both the content and the drive for engagement, to help our clients understand how they can better leverage their channels to deepen stakeholder engagement.
The analysis we do is grounded in our deep understanding of stakeholder needs drawn from our own experience and from expert organisations that represent these stakeholder groups.
The result is a powerful tool to create enriching digital experiences that will deepen stakeholder engagement and improve the performance of your digital communications.
We assess approximately 200 variables and three constituent groups: a select number of global companies, the FTSE100, the STI30.
For our analysis of websites, the variables we examine address each of the key stakeholder groups’ content needs – investors, employees, customers and job seekers, the media and society at large – along with the overall corporate narrative which, of course, bridges all stakeholder groups.
We also assess the commitment to drive engagement in terms of interactivity, types of content designed to increase recency and frequency of visits, providing contacts and feedback loops.
For social media, we have analysed the different social channels used, and the primary content shared through the channels.
Every year, based on the research results, we develop themes to communicate the shift in company priorities.
This also provides an insight into the changing landscape.
The 2022 theme ‘Sparking value from a purposeful website’ reflected the rise of Purpose up the corporate agenda.
2023 saw companies ‘Bringing their story to life’ as they enhanced their corporate narrative and enriched the user experience.
This year the theme ‘Communicating with impact’ reflects, in our view, the desire for companies to better communicate their impact and positive outcomes to their different stakeholder groups. To go beyond strategy and narrative, and evidence their wider stakeholder value creation, build their reputation and earn a licence to operate.
Provide sustainability data
Provide sustainability case studies
Deliver thought leadership content
Present customer stories
Enable search and apply for jobs
Growth in use of social media
Two years ago, we highlighted the dramatic rise in purpose-led corporate narrative, with last year bringing this to life for each stakeholder group. This year we see sustained efforts to deliver a clear corporate narrative for each of the key stakeholder groups – with a greater emphasis on outcomes.
How companies communicate their wider value creation story has undergone a total transformation. This year we see a step change in providing specific sustainability objectives, sharing performance data and evidencing impact through case studies and stories.
Increase in sustainability data
Provide specific sustainability objectives
Present sustainability case studies
Attracting the best talent continues to be a top priority. Companies continue to make their career sites work hard to recruit talent – articulating their employee proposition, addressing their priority audiences, enabling search, applying for jobs and creating talent communities.
Address specific audiences
Enable search and apply for jobs
Offer talent community
This year, we have enhanced the research to encompass how well companies are using their sites to deepen engagement. There has been a marked increase in content that evidences market leadership through insights and research, and content and features designed to extend readership.
Publish podcasts
Publish leader articles and interviews
Deliver thought leadership content
There is a clear trend for companies looking to extend their reach. Firstly by better harnessing the power of social media to reach and engage their audiences and secondly through search engine optimisation to raise visibility and presence.
There is a growing gap between those companies actively embracing their digital channels to better communicate their corporate story, actively engaging with their stakeholders and leveraging channels to reach and engage with their audiences.
Whilst we recognise that every company’s position is unique, and that different channels or stakeholder focuses vary, it is striking that there is now a 52% gap between the top and bottom scores in our analysis.
Are recognising that their website is their primary ‘owned’ channel. They have invested in crafting and communicating their corporate narrative, creating content that evidences or reinforces their leadership position, and share with stakeholders how they have made a difference – through ‘business in action’, sustainability case studies, employee profiles and customer stories. They also actively amplify this content through social channels to extend their reach and engagement.
Are adopting a more minimalist approach, presenting only the essential content required, without a strong corporate narrative or providing ways for stakeholders to engage with them. They also typically have a minimalist approach to social media.
If you'd like to know how your digital communications stack up, get in touch. We'd love to share this information and give you some recommendations on how you can better engage your stakeholders through digital.
Explore our thinking and learn from global thought leaders through
our blogs, podcasts, webinars, and events.