Is Your Annual Report an Underachiever?

Your annual report is a mighty ambassador. Are you using it to its full potential?

Properly planned annual reports can be workhorses for branding, marketing, recruitment, philanthropy, employee engagement, lobbying and many other vital tasks.

Often annual reports are seen as a yearly obligation and a burden. If you step back each year, plan ahead and engage the annual report in your overall strategy, it can be invaluable.

Analyze your audiences and current communications challenges and then brainstorm possibilities for all your annual report could accomplish. Set clear objectives and communicate them internally, long before you begin seeking input for content. This guidance will help protect your company or organization from becoming narcissistic and bombastic when generating content. It will also drive your annual report toward fulfilling its intended roles.

A disciplined process that engages organizations in providing content based on a well-defined—and well-communicated—purpose yields excellent, effective annual reports.