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If your business is required to produce an annual report, here are 12 easy steps you can follow to ensure that it will be a success.
1. Define your annual report’s objective.
Your company’s annual report serves several purposes, the most important being investor relations and communicating with key stakeholders. The best way to determine what figures should appear in your report is by defining the objectives of its publication. It may include:
- Meeting legal requirements or complying with statutory guidelines;
- Fostering good relationships with investors and other stakeholders;
- Raising funds for new projects;
- Maintaining transparency regarding current operations and future plans.
- Promoting the achievement of specific targets achieved during the year.
In order to work towards these objectives, you will need to gather reports from different branches of your company and department managers. There are a number of annual report templates available online that can help guide you through the process.
2. Set deadlines for submission of documents.
Your annual report won’t be of much use unless it provides relevant information on time. Make sure deadlines have been established beforehand so that nothing falls through the cracks and all employees involved in its publication have ample time to collect relevant data and prepare their own contributions.
3. Invest in great design work.
You can save money by having someone from within your office produce the design layout yourself, but using professional graphic designers is one important step that shouldn’t be overlooked. If a major stockholder or potential investor sees your report, you want them to think that you have a modern and well-organized business. When selecting a design company, look for one that specializes in annual reports and has experience working with businesses from within your industry.
4. Use the data you collected to tell a story.
The best annual reports don’t just show numbers—they use them as examples of how the company is growing and achieving its goals through the help of its employees. Consider having each person who contributes to your report give an “elevator pitch,” explaining in a few words what she does at work and what her major accomplishments were over the year in question. This can add a personal touch to data collection while also encouraging employees to give their best.
5. Pick a great title.
Your title should also contain a story or message that ties in with the data and findings you present in your report. Doing so will make sure they all compliment each other and provide a complete picture of how your company is doing. If you need help, there are professionals who can write compelling titles for annual reports.
6. Review your report before publishing it.
When preparing an annual statement, most businesses tend to rush through the process as quickly as possible. However, taking time to review all materials before publication can save plenty of embarrassment later on—and give you the opportunity to catch any mistakes before it’s too late!
7. Choose the right printing company.
Finding a printing company that’s capable of producing top-notch annual reports doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Make sure you choose a company with a lot of experience in this area and one that is able to meet any deadline.
8. Publish your report on time.
Last but not least, make sure your report is published on time — whether that means putting it online or handing out printed copies. Nothing says “useless” more than an annual report delivered late! Whether you’re publishing it electronically or on paper, believe us when we say that the best businesses all follow the same steps to ensure their annual report is a success.
9. Include a business goals section.
To show how you have been using your resources to meet company goals. Include metrics from the previous year, such as sales revenue and market share. Discuss what actions you took in the past years to improve those numbers. In addition, include a brief overview of projected growth for the next year based on your current initiatives.
10. Include an executive summary.
Your progress report sample is the best opportunity you have to quickly convey important information about your company to investors, employees, and customers. An effective way to do that is by including an executive summary towards the beginning of your report that highlights some of your most important achievements over the past year as well as what you expect from the next year.
11. Have a section where each employee can share their highlight of the past years.
This gives employees a sense of ownership over their work and how they contribute to making a great company. Not only does this help illustrate how much they actually do, but it encourages communication between employees who might not interact that frequently otherwise.
12. Use an annual report maker like Venngage.
Create your annual report without any hassle with Venngage — an online graphic editing platform that provides a wide range of various infographic templates you can use anytime. All you need to do is create a free account, browse their templates page, and edit the template to your liking. To give you an idea, here are some report examples from Venngage.
Venngage
Venngage
Venngage
Annual reports are an opportunity for companies to show their successes and plans for the future. If you’re looking to create a professional, impactful annual report that will be well-received by investors or customers, look no further than this article! We provide tips on how to pick the perfect title, what data should go into your report (including goals), how to ensure it is published correctly, and more.
With all of these aspects taken care of in advance, and a little help from Venngage for your report template needs, your company can enjoy success with its next annual report—and beyond. Check out Venngage templates and create your best annual report for this year!
