Convert your AR into an online symphony
Sep 16, 2009
In October 2006, I rolled up my sleeves alongside our COO Tony Zuck to dig in the trenches and learn from him about Investor Relations—and more importantly—online annual reports.
At first the IR lingo whizzed past my head like speeding bullets: 10K, the Wrapper, Annual Review, SEC regulations, XBRL, and stock quotes. More and more details from legal, Investor Relations and corporate branding would come pouring in. These documents are not to be taken lightly, nor the team involved. Every collaborator deals with extreme pressure to perform and deliver a report better than the last.
The annual report is a magnificent piece, articulately composed like a symphony. Every number, every note, every photo, every letter, every sentence, every punctuation mark is reviewed over and over until it is perfect. Only to be witnessed for the first time at opening night.
But time again the grand performance ends for me, abruptly. I want the show to continue the symphony on my player, the Internet. When I am presented with only one fomat—a PDF print format—I don’t want to download anything. I want both. I want to witness it now, not later. I want to search and bookmark float from Financials to MD&A in any order I wish. Does this seem like a wild request for navigating an annual report—online?
Annual reports converted into online masterpiece are sometimes perceived as a luxury item. But based on best practices online annual reports are no longer a luxury, they are a standard. You might be surprised how affordable an entry-level model can be.
At our upcoming webinar on September 24th, I’m going to present online options every Investor can consider by breaking it down into small, medium and large budget categories. In the meantime, I would like to get your feedback about your experiences with online annual reports. Please post your comments in this blog or you can reach me on twitter @katregnier.
twitpitch: Convert your #annualreport into an online symphony. @zutweets @katregnier shares IR insights http://bit.ly/1eaBZW
Thomas Rosenmayr
Sep 16, 2009 13:34
For me Online Annual Reports are the masterpiece of online corporte communication. No periodical publication gets the same attention as this one.
If you do it right its very useful for any kind of reference a must have for a proactive Investor Relation work, e.g. Excel downloads, popular searches, online glossary, interactive keyfigure comparison. There is a lot you can do with it!
Go Katherine and spread the news about engaging your audience!
Thomas
Katherine
Sep 16, 2009 14:51
Thomas, I think you said it better than I did. lol… I appreciate the support. Understanding the importance of any document and sharing it appropriately is the key to success. Thank you for sharing your valuable opinion. 
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