Annual Reports: What Are the Key Things to Include?

Annual reports (community benefit reports): what key things should a marketer consider when putting one together/designing one? Are there specific details that could make an annual report a more effective marketing tool? 

Like all promotional efforts, the most challenging aspect of developing an annual report is identifying (and come to consensus on) the TARGET AUDIENCE and OBJECTIVE. Just who is this annual report trying to reach and what is its purpose?  

Chances are pretty good that your administrator would like this one little document to speak to every stakeholder imaginable – physicians, donors, employees, payers, community leaders, board members, volunteers, the dog catcher. (OK, so not the dog catcher, but you get the idea.) And he or she wants it to boost morale, increase awareness, generate volume,  raise money, recruit nurses and doctors, and make the board feel good. Oh, by the way, you have a budget of $1134.92 to do all that and more. Yikes, no wonder just the thought of producing an annual report gives you hives. 

Here are a few tips to help you survive this annual dilemma: 

• Prepare a Creative Brief and get all the decision makers involved to approve it before you start concepting, writing copy and designing. What is a creative brief? Basically it is a road map that everyone says “amen” which guides the creative process. Here is an outline of a simple creative brief – adapted for an annual report. 

Marketing Objective: 

What do you want to achieve? What problem are you trying to solve? 

Target Audience: 

Who are we talking to?  

Key Message: 

What is the single most important idea (no cheating – only one!) the reader 

should take away from this AR?  

Support Points: 

What facts or information support the key message – what did you do this year 

worth sharing? 

Consumer Benefits: 

What benefit do you want your AR to present? 

Brand Support: 

How does your concept and content support your organization’s brand? 

Response Mechanism: 

What action would you like reader to take in response to reading your AR? 

Mandatory Information: 

What information must be included (logo, address, phone, web site, sponsorship 

line, etc.)  

• Think outside the box (or in this case, outside the book). Who says an AR has to be a 4-color glossy booklet that is mailed in an envelope? Why not make your packaging fun, engaging and distinctive? I’ve seen fabulous ARs that were calendars. One was an engagement calendar – something you would want to keep and use. The other was a calendar in a jewel case with beautiful photos for each month and copy on the back proclaiming that year’s achievements. A number of hospitals and health systems are now doing electronic-only ARs – and saving a ton on printing cost. They are pushed by email and also posted on the web site. Think of fun packaging that is likely to capture the attention of your target audiences and make them want to learn about your organization.  

• How many ways can you use your AR? Let’s face it, we all have to be more fiscally prudent these days (that’s a fancy way of saying our budgets have been slashed and burned). One way to save money is to give that expensive AR nine lives – or at least more than one. Here’s an idea, produce a gorgeous general brochure about your organization with a pocket. Insert financials and waaala, you have an AR. Insert patient information and you have a Patient Handbook. Add a welcome letter and magnet and it’s an instant newcomer piece. Or, put in a job application and watch it magically turn into a recruitment kit. I could go on for days – but you get the idea. 

• A picture really is worth 1000 words. Name one person who really, really wants to read pages of financial information. OK, maybe your CFO. But I dare you to name one other person. We all, however, love to look at fabulous photos – especially ones of people, with captions so we know who they are. And we all love stories. Now, if you can just convince your CMO that a photo of 58-year-old men in white coats is not the most exciting visual in world, you stand a chance of producing a captivating AR that your various internal and external audiences will enjoy reading! 

- Susan Dubuque, President

This "Ask The Experts" column was originally written for HealthLeaders magazine.

Comments

[Katie Rae Sidenberg]

How insightful! Those tips have definetly come in handy over the past couple weeks. I took all points into consideration while brainstorming and organizing ideas. Now, onto conceptualizing...