Just the words alone, Annual Report, sound impressive and big league.
Most corporations are required by law to publish an annual report, and many reports are available online. But what about a small business that doesn’t have any investors or shareholders and isn’t required to do a yearly summary?
Annual reports are not just for the big corporations anymore.
It makes perfect marketing sense for the smaller business to get into the game.
It’s a great way to be different, a great way to keep in contact with your best customers, and a great way to draw in new customers. Serious customers want information about what they’re buying and with whom they’re doing business. An educated customer is the best kind.
This type of annual report isn’t a huge, expensively printed and bound book with a fancy embossed cover. An online PDF will work perfectly.
It doesn’t need, and in fact shouldn’t have, any charts, graphs, numbers or financial outlooks.
But, this kind of annual report must have one thing in common with the big corporate reports: great photography. Pictures can and do say a lot about a company.
- Let customers know what to expect from your company: any new products or services coming in the next few months?
- Profile some of your employees, and not just the executives: what exactly do these employees do for the customer?
- Feature customers who use your products or services: testimonials always get reader attention.
- Show a behind-the-scenes look at your repair department, customer service area, quality control lab, or any other area that is ready to support the customer.
- Give out as much information (text and visual) as possible: where do you source your materials and why; what goes into your quality control; what do you do with customer feedback; what’s good about your industry.
- Bonus points for being upfront and honest with your customers: if a product or service you offered was a flop, tell them and explain why. Show that you’re on the consumer’s side.
Many businesses offer online newsletters or other e-subscription material. Most of these are just thinly-disguised advertisements or outright spam.
To separate your annual report from the hordes of online newsletters and other spam, your publication must use original photography, not clip art or stock pictures, and contain real information not advertising.
An annual report isn’t about advertising, it’s about enhancing your brand. Small businesses have to think big league.
