In October 2008, when the Financial Crisis was in full tilt, Lundquist Srl, a corporate communications consultancy based in Milan, surveyed 51 of the worlds most important banks to discover what information, if any, they were putting on their respective websites.
The research highlighted a growing gap between the demand and supply of corporate information. While users are increasingly turning to online resources for answers, on the whole banks are ignoring this important medium as a means of sharing key information.
Learning from the survey, Lundquist suggest that to effectively communicate online the following principles should be kept in mind:
- Honesty – demonstrate awareness of the situation as the first step to regaining confidence
- Clarity of language – make the information easily understandable, include things such as an investor Q&A or a well written management statement
- Completeness – provide background by explaining the context
- Link to other resources – such as reliable third party information
- Authoritativeness – the presence and opinions of company management should be felt
- Easy to find – make the information users want to find highly evident
- Coherence – online message must be integrated with traditional media channels
- Interactivity – make use of technologies such as: video, Q&A and dedicated contacts
A summary of the survey’s findings was presented earlier this year to the annual meeting of the world federation of stock exchanges Zurich. For more information, download a copy of this presentation >
Melitta
