Your Guide to Surviving Annual Report Season

Ahh, fall. The season of crisp air, colorful leaves, and pumpkin-spiced everything. However, for corporate communications teams, the onset of fall means something else entirely: It’s Q4. It’s time to actually start planning for the company’s annual report. (Cue the horror film music).

Creating an annual report is a challenging project for many reasons, but when done right, can be so rewarding. We know, because at Moncur, we’ve helped our clients power through many (often-dreaded) annual report seasons. Here, we’re outlining some of the common challenges we see throughout the annual report development process and sharing our insider knowledge on how to overcome them.

You Don’t Even Know Where to Start

An annual report is inherently complex. It needs to reflect your entire company, encapsulate an entire year, and bring value to a wide range of audiences. It should be a blend of vision, compliance, finances, and social responsibility. We like to think of it as a big puzzle, and have found that one of the most effective first steps is laying out all of the pieces on the table. First, define your goals and assemble a cross-functional team that will help you achieve them. Assess everything you have to work with—the past, the present, the future—then you can begin to see common threads emerge.

At Moncur, we specialize in identifying these common threads and transforming them into strategic concepts. Distinct directions that not only lead to beautiful visuals, but more importantly, annual reports that communicate beautifully.

You’re Struggling to Achieve that “WOW” Factor

For some companies, an annual report is simply a black and white 10-K sent to company stakeholders. For many others though, an annual report is that once-a-year opportunity to really wow. To push the boundaries of a brand. To tell an incredible story. However, if you’re going to achieve best-in-class status, you have to be best-in-class from a creative point of view. It starts with a strong concept and ends with a deliverable that differentiates a company from the competition. If you’re struggling on the creative front, don’t be too hard on yourself, especially if you’ve been with the company for some time. You may just be too close to the brand.

Sometimes the best solution when you’re hitting a creative block is to get an outside perspective. Moncur can be that fresh set of eyes that you desperately need, bringing the current best practices, genuine creativity, and deep industry expertise that your annual report needs.

You’ve Had a Bad Year

Let’s face it—there are going to be some years when the financial performance just doesn’t live up to expectations. When it comes time to report on that not-so-great news, you have to amp up the creative factor a notch more. The most successful companies invest a lot in these types of communications because putting the right spin on the information takes a lot of effort. The performance may be ugly, but you can still tell a beautiful story, if it’s done well.

Moncur has been dealt this hand before, so we know how to play our cards right. The key here is finding creative and interesting ways to highlight the progress you’ve made and the ambitious goals you have for the future, rather than dwelling on the past.

Challenge Accepted

With decades of experience serving large, publicly traded, complex organizations, Moncur is no stranger to annual report season and the challenges that come with it. The good news is, we thrive on challenge and are eager to help you and your business develop an annual report that will truly impress.  

To learn more about how we can help you with your annual report needs, contact us today.