Digital Annual Reports That Actually Get Read

Why create annual reports nobody wants to read? As businesses embrace digitalization, annual reports should evolve from necessary paperwork to engaging storytelling.

Digitalizing is not creating a PDF in magazine format – but creating visually engaging websites with interactivity, video and animation. And as content is increasingly viewed on phones, (80% of web traffic is mobile) – annual reports should be mobile-first and scale beautifully to larger screens.

Think of how happy you were the last time you read an excellent executive summary at the front of a lengthy report, and you have the right idea about how a digital annual report should feel: to the point and easily accessible. Cut out all the fluff and focus on clarity. Put the important things front and center. And lastly, put the nitty-gritty details in a downloadable PDF for those that want them.

“Nobody reads our annual reports, except our board.”

- Creative professional in the service sector

Digitalizing annual reports offers a range of benefits, from increased interactivity to improved accessibility: images, infographics, charts, and other visual elements can convey complex information in a more digestible format, making readers more likely to understand the information presented.

As accessibility is becoming an essential consideration for businesses, the internet has made life vastly better for visually impaired people. Websites allow people to change the size and format of text, increase contrast, and even get text read aloud.
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As an added benefit, companies switching to digital annual reports reduce the need for printing, limiting their carbon footprint. And for businesses that require a printed version? Go for a smaller print run for shareholders, the board, the C-suite, and a handful for each company department.

Contact USE Agency partner Ari Haack Marteinsson to learn more about our digital-first approach to annual reports.