Whether competing for investors, jockeying for recruitment or finding communications cut through, websites are an increasingly important touchpoint for Australian resource companies looking to make good first impressions.
Digital marketing expert and PWD Managing Director Oli Woods says user experience is king for mining businesses trying to stand out from the crowd.
Having recently worked with ASX-listed mining contractors NRW, Tiger Tasman Minerals and EV Metals Group to name a few, Mr Wood understands the niche of the industry and the challenges companies are facing.
And with a reduction in the number of IPOs in Australia and markets tightening, Mr Wood recommended telling the most compelling messages early — especially investor audiences.
It’s a matter of telling target audiences what those reasons are as clearly and quickly as possible,” he said.
“For example, a company focused on battery minerals exploration should use imagery that highlights the end game – so electric vehicles, renewable energy – rather than the outdated outback landscape.
“We need to think about how clearly and concisely we show what the company does, what its service offerings and credentials are.
“Too often websites require people to read pages of information, download long-winded documents, or on the flipside, don’t provide anywhere near enough information but just go straight to the hard sell ‘contact us for more information’ without earning that right first.”
Mr Wood said a company’s online presence can make or break a business in today’s highly competitive market, particularly when they have less than a minute to communicate messages to site visitors.
“On average users spend just 54 seconds qualifying the information they are seeing,” Mr Wood said. “Users are making an immediate decision on whether the pages and information presented looks credible, authentic. And then there’s the added difficulty of holding their attention.”
Mr Wood said his company had experienced a surge in clients looking to enhance their digital presence, with PWD’s focus being website load speed, navigability and device compatible design. “Up to 85 per cent of traffic is estimated to come from a mobile device or tablet in 2022, so these days you must think about mobile first design,” he said.
“If your site is taking more than three seconds to load, statistics say you lose about 50 per cent of your audience before they even get there.
“The overall user experience of a company’s online presence can be the difference between securing an investor or strategic partner, or losing them to a more tech savvy competitor.”