As someone who has been in the business of building private equity websites and interviewing portfolio companies on behalf of PE firms for more years than I’d care to admit, one of the biggest problems that I often see involves the fact that most PE firms branding efforts and websites are not nearly as effective as they think they are.

A poorly designed website is more than just a small problem. If your design aesthetic and messaging are not impressive, or if you’re just saying what everyone else is saying, you’re not communicating who you really are.

Not only will this lead to a general failure to attract the right companies, but you’ll also end up repelling prospective portfolio companies before you know it.

Oftentimes, this problem bleeds directly into what we call the “website apology” – a scenario where you often say to leads “here’s my contact info, but please don’t look at our website – it’s an embarrassment.”

The right website shows that you’re confident and excited about your brand. It backs up the great work you’re doing as a PE firm. It sets the tone and starts the conversation with prospects off on the right foot.

But if your website is more of a liability than an asset, all of this won’t just be difficult.

It will essentially be impossible.

Private Equity Firm Branding: It’s Time to Look Inward

If you truly want to determine whether your website and brand are an asset or a liability for your PE firm, you need to begin by going straight to the source. Take stock of your current brand and website and think about how you would feel if you were a potential client looking for a firm like yours to partner with.

While you do, ask yourself questions like the following and consider the answers very carefully:

• Does this site or does this collateral accurately represent who we are, both from the point of view of the visual aesthetic and the messaging?
• Does the language that we’re using on our site reflect the way we speak to clients every day?
• Are all elements consistent, including but not limited to the aforementioned messaging, the vocabulary and the tone?
• Does this site represent our ethos, our culture and our philosophy?

For the best results, the answers to ALL of those questions should be “yes.” If you went through that list and came up with one or even multiple “no’s,” unfortunately you have a problem on your hands.

With regard to the website itself, you also need to consider things from a functionality standpoint. Do all the links work? Is it updated regularly? Does it look just as good on a mobile device like a smartphone as it does on a desktop computer? Again – all of these answers should be “yes.”

In a larger sense, consider whether your website adds true value to the life of your prospective clients. Your PE firm’s website needs to be more than just a virtual business card. It should also act as an educational resource that gives people insight into important topics and that breaks complicated ideas down in a way that literally anyone can understand.

Finally, take a look at your competitors in the marketplace and see what you can learn from them on all of these fronts. What are they doing really well in terms of their branding, their website and their content – and what could you be doing even better?

Are those competitors attracting the types of portfolio companies that you’d like to? Why is that? Are they ranked better than you are for their content on search engines? Is it simply a matter of SEO, or do they have a few other tricks up their sleeves that you can learn from?

All told, transforming your website and your brand from a liability into an asset for your PE firm isn’t necessarily something that is going to happen overnight… which is why you should absolutely consider making an investment to that end by partnering with an organization that has real, tangible experience in your field.

Not only will working with a pro help make sure the answers to as many of those questions as possible are “yes,” but it will also help to further educate you on the processes and methods which will be yet another asset for the work you’re doing with your portfolio company clients on a daily basis.

The end result is that you’ll not only have more highly qualified leads, but you’ll also generate more confidence with clients, too. You’ll also be well on your way to attracting the right players in the first place, which may very well be the most important benefit of all.

Transform Your Website From a Liability to an Asset Today

If you’re eager to embrace the best practices of private equity web design in a way that transforms your website into the true asset it was meant to be, that’s great – and I might be able to help you do it. At this point, I’d recommend reaching out and sending me a message so that we can discuss things further. I’m more than happy to connect and provide a free, professional brand audit and website assessment to help you understand exactly what is possible for your PE firm online.