Your boring corporate home page is putting people off

A client said something about corporate home pages the other day that really resonates.

She thinks of her home page like the company’s front door

Does your digital front door look striking, modern and inviting? Is it off its hinges and in need of a lick of paint? Or does it look just the same as every other damned door on the street?

Most digital front doors I see play it far too safe.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: Rotating carousel with images of (take your pick) the headquarters building, wind turbines in a green field, hands holding a globe, someone in virtual reality goggles, maybe the cover of the annual report. The images have not changed in six months. Underneath the banner is a list of press releases and a photo of the management team.

In other words, boring.

The client I mentioned gets around the problem by having an editor whose job is to manage the home page like a news channel. Someone whose job it is to push back against the risk managers and publish something interesting that shows the company’s personality. Someone to choose content and images that show why people should work for you, invest in you, write about you, and – you hope – think better of you after they visit.

It is an unusual, even radical, step. But it shouldn’t be.

The best corporate home pages in the Bowen Craggs Index are from different parts of the world and different sectors, but they have two important things in common. They are actively edited and they are distinctive.

LVMH: Accentuate the brand

Most people know the French luxury goods maker through its subsidiaries such as Christian Dior and TAG Heuer. LVMH ensures that the corporate site promotes quality and creativity through careful curation of beautiful imagery, and targeted messages for employees and jobseekers. You may not have the design budget of an LVMH, but you can ask how your corporate home page does or does not support the brand presence on other channels.

Verizon: Deciding what matters

The US telecoms giant has five well-chosen features on its corporate home page at any one time in a high-quality monochrome design that manages to stand out and stay true to the consumer brand.

To discuss how Bowen Craggs can help you address this, and other challenges, please get in touch.