For many companies, the annual report is the most important publication of the year. It is read by interest groups, such as investors, shareholders and representatives of the media as well as other important stakeholders. Alongside the traditional printed version, companies have come to realize the importance of a versatile and interactive online version of the annual report.
Why publish the annual report online?
- Versatile presentation of the content. In an online version, you can use various features – such as animations and video clips – to support the content.
- Multi-channel. An annual report that is published online is a new channel for distributing the report. Rather than replacing the traditional reports it can also be used to support the previous channels. A responsive online report ensures that the overall layout looks great on all devices.
- Dynamic. An online annual report is dynamic: it can include graphs or display information defined by the reader's search criteria.
- Independent from time and place. Important interest groups can read the report when it suits them best.
- Digital continuum. During the past years, a vast part of companies' communications has been transferred online. While all of the communication and informing about the annual report already takes place online, it is merely logical and natural to take the report online as well.
- Analytics. A digital channel registers data about the readers, unlike the more traditional channels. This data includes visitor numbers and time spent on the site, for example. You can use it to analyze the success of the annual report and further develop it.
- Interactivity. The reader can choose the most important and interesting bits and pieces for example by using the content cart or pdf generations. You can also involve readers, for example, by asking them for feedback or adding a poll on the site.
- Ecological. An online annual report is an environmentally friendly option. In many cases, online annual reports don't completely replace the traditional channels of reporting but rather work as a supporting element.
- Sharing and Word-of-Mouth. You can easily make social media a part of the online annual report. Social media integrations encourage sharing and involve the readers in the discussions.
Examples of online annual reports
Here are some examples of online annual reports published with LianaCMS™:
Case Fingrid: Functionality and visuality to financial reporting
The annual report is the most important financial publication of the year. Nowadays it is not merely an infinite mass of text but a carefully planned and animated entity online. It must successfully communicate the financial indicators but also showcase the triumphs of a business. Fluent communication is key to a successful project. Fingrid’s annual report project with Liana Technologies hit all the marks.
The annual report for 2019 was Fingrid’s fourth collaboration with Liana Technologies. The company was so pleased with the report from the previous years that they wanted to utilize LianaCMS™ again. When Fingrid initially chose Liana Technologies as their technical partner, they had benchmarked the features they wanted the next online annual report provider to offer and Liana Technologies met these needs.
Dynamic features to visualize numerical data
Two technical features have risen as the main deciding factors for choosing LianaCMS™. An annual report is mainly a financial publication that includes a lot of numerical information. With LianaCMS™, this numerical information can be presented with charts that have dynamic visual effects. These make the information easy to read and absorb. Another important factor has been that the attachments of the financial statements can be added straight into the annual report’s charts by Liana’s team instead of using static screenshots.
Fluent and flexible collaboration
For the 2019 annual report, the financial and communications teams from Fingrid worked closely with communications agency Miltton and Liana Technologies so that the annual report could be published a few weeks after Fingrid’s financial statements.
The whole project that spanned over four months – from the November design phase to the delivery of materials and further to the March release – ran fluently and flexibly. Cooperation with the creative partner Miltton was straightforward and structured. Lines of communication were also open between Liana and Fingrid. Fingrid’s team was particularly impressed with the reassuring atmosphere and that all the wishes they had concerning the project could be fulfilled.
View Fingrid's online annual report, which in the spring of 2020 was awarded as the best annual report by an unlisted company in the annual report evaluation organized by ProCom – The Finnish Association of Communication Professionals.
Find out more about the implementation of an online annual report with LianaCMS™. In addition to online annual reports, it can be utilized as a platform for innovative company presentations, among other things. You can also contact us directly and we will be happy to help.
