The 2024 deadline for UK Stewardship Code submissions has now passed and what is typically an intensive and drawn-out process is over – at least for this edition.
With the immediate deliverable completed, now is the best time for firms to evaluate if they are making the most out of their report.
White Marble knows well just how arduous a process the reports can be, having worked on nine submissions with a 100% success rate to date. With the amount of time, resources and knowledge-sharing that goes into crafting a successful report, it’s a missed opportunity to not be repurposing elements in some way or using the process as a pipeline for further content or marketing initiatives.
But how can you do so?
1. Actively use the process of compiling the report as a time to brainstorm for or feed into marketing channels.
These reports bring together stakeholders from across the business that may not normally interact on a regular basis. Take advantage of this cross-functional collaboration.
While you have the time and focus of different stakeholders, consider how the time can be leveraged to strategise for further content or campaigns. This means maintaining an open mindset in terms of what the outcome of your efforts can be – are you devoting weeks and months to only fulfilling a regulatory obligation? Or can you create new value and efficiencies with what you’re already doing?
2. Then, smartly reuse insights from the report.
The report in full cannot be shared or repurposed until the FRC does or does not approve it – which takes 6 months. As the reports can easily run into the hundreds of pages, they are not natural marketing documents anyway and by the time they are approved, they may already be outdated.
As part of the collaboration mentioned above, though, you can take moments during the process to examine – can this evidence point be used for other channels or activities now?
For example, elements such as engagement case studies can be very useful tools to bring investment and engagement processes to life in marketing collateral. These case studies present – in just a couple of hundred words – months or years of work by the investment teams. They offer an excellent opportunity to showcase the knowledge and expertise within your business across multiple media, from blogs to videos to podcasts.
Evergreen aspects, such as demonstrating how culture and values inform investment beliefs and strategies, are not as time sensitive and often represent significant work and collaboration across businesses. This language too can be showcased.
Another approach firms take is to create a secondary, condensed version that covers the key aspects. Such a document also lends itself more naturally to serialising in an email campaign or similar initiative.
If evaluating for insights after the report is complete, you have the additional benefit of everything having already gone through compliance.
Example content plan stemming from UK Stewardship Code submission:
- Two-page “Key takeaways from Company X’s UK Stewardship Code report 2023,” led by an infographic.
- Three-part email campaign focusing in turn on the key takeaways, such as engagements that resulted in significant outcomes, examples of industry collaboration or commentary from key stakeholders within the business.
- Monthly or quarterly podcast series featuring specialist analysis and portfolio managers from across the business, as well as representatives from investee companies if possible, for a deep dive into an engagement case study.
- Accompanying LinkedIn campaign coordinated with emails and podcast releases – featuring infographics or short videos with the analysts driving investee company engagement.
3. Use the Stewardship Code Report process as a moment to align on your purpose, culture, and values.
Every firm strives to authentically embody the mission and values they seek to uphold – but we also know just how hard it can be to devote time to such a high-level exercise when you get bogged down in day-to-day tactical operations. Because of this, look at the UK Stewardship Code reporting process as a moment to check your alignment.
As part of Principle 1, firms must explain the “purpose of the organisation and an outline of its culture, values, business model and strategy.”
Rather than automatically repeating messages from past years, try to take a moment each year to thoroughly analyse your alignment. This doesn’t mean pursuing a brand refresh and new set of values every year – but rather, taking a reasonable amount of time to sense check if what you’re submitting still resonates and if there’s anything that can be updated or changed to ensure you are authentically representing your purpose, culture, and value as of today.
Your UK Stewardship Code submission can be more than just checking a box on the regulatory to-do list. By stepping back and considering ways you can repurpose the process or information, you can reap greater efficiency and value - a boon for today’s resource-constrained firms.
Interested in discussing more about your UK Stewardship Code submission (or other regulatory reporting) and how it can be repurposed? Get in touch today.