Predictive analytics and advanced algorithms – the same tools shaping the future of strategic forecasting – will empower reports to be sharper, smarter and more insightful than ever before.
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If an annual report was seen as a masterpiece rather than a mere manuscript, much more time would be spent understanding its audience and their motivations.
This foundation would then shape its messaging and execution, ensuring the document wields the greatest possible impact. However, driven by regulatory requirements, more effort is often spent on checking compliance boxes than determining whether the report brings true value to the organisation.
This has led to the age-old questions: “Who reads the annual report? What information captivates them? How are they discovering it?” While these are valid enquiries, they have traditionally been difficult to answer. Fortunately, the rise of digital channels in corporate communications – and the valuable data they generate – has started to illuminate who your reporting audience is and what they look for.
The digital report: what is the real benefit?
To maximise the value and reach of corporate reporting, businesses must focus on creating integrated, cross-channel communications driven by content and reinforced through digital platforms. This begins with a digital summary report of the document, whether presented as a dedicated microsite or embedded within an existing corporate website.
Rather than serving merely as a portal to a PDF, an online report should stand alone as a digital experience – educating, inspiring and engaging its audience. Facilitating experiences for users to scan, explore and immerse themselves with mixed content types, e.g. video, audio, etc.
See our digital-first reporting blog here, to learn who is really doing a good job.
The real power of this online report is that through tools like Google Analytics, we can discern which content captures the most interest and how users are interacting with it. Helping to constantly evolve digital experiences through data learning.
However, vanity numbers are not enough to demonstrate real audience impact. We have developed our audience intelligence platform which takes this a step further, transforming anonymous data into real company names, helping paint a clearer picture of your reporting audience and how they act.
Know thy audience: the evolving viewership of annual reports
Our analysis of online reporting audiences using our audience intelligence tool has revealed a shift in readership over time. Once considered a document crafted solely for the financial community, the annual report now holds interest for a much broader audience. Based on website traffic to online reports, we have observed up to:
- 20% from customers
- 15% from suppliers
- 10% from employees
This demonstrates that corporate reports are capturing attention beyond the investor community. However, the real question remains: “Are we making these reports accessible and personalised enough to encourage engagement?”
Spreading the word: the art of distribution
Many companies falter in their digital communications by failing to extend the reach of their reporting. While an online version is essential, its impact is diminished if organisations do not actively promote it across multiple channels, taking the key themes of the year and developing captivating short-form narratives that will capture attention amongst social noise.
We have seen up to a 20% increase in traffic to reporting websites from those companies who post on their social channels.
Announcements should extend beyond external channels to include internal communication platforms, particularly as employee readership continues to rise. The annual report should be seen as an internal moment of celebration, a chance to create connections with your people and to champion their efforts in the year. The importance here lies in making the content understandable and relatable – less EBITDA, more appreciate-ya!
These channels will provide valuable data, offering insights into which content resonates most, drives the highest engagement and keeps people coming back.
The future: a data-driven renaissance
The increased use of data in digital reporting presents a golden opportunity – not only to measure impact but to continuously refine and enhance reporting strategies. This is where data-driven understanding becomes essential, ensuring insights translate into action.
By developing personas representing the diverse audiences, companies can track how real users engage with content. Instead of merely asking what they think, we can observe what they do. Predictive analytics and advanced algorithms – the same tools shaping the future of strategic forecasting – will empower reports to be sharper, smarter and more insightful than ever before.
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Neither should you with your annual report. Become part of the Reporting Renaissance and illuminate the future of corporate reporting.