If we said to you that we enjoyed writing reports, what would your first impression be?
You might think that business reports are boring.
Dull even.
Perhaps you see them as a compliance requirement that is something you have to do, rather than want to do.
But we believe that too many UK businesses are not making the most of their annual reports.
Amy Dawson, from Gatekeeper Communications is advocating for businesses to use a variety of B2B written reports, whether that’s gender pay gap reporting, annual reports, sustainability reports or sector-specific research, to enhance and supplement your PR and marketing activities.
As an experienced report writer, our value goes beyond merely writing your report. We want you to maximise every part of your content as far as possible, whether that’s through subsequent blog copywriting, media relations outreach, thought-leadership opportunities or social media.
Let’s look closer at what you can do to make the most of your annual report.
It’s time to actively use your written reports
Too often, businesses tuck their written reports on a rarely-visited part of their website, not expecting audiences to download and read them.
But that is doing you a disservice.
If you invested time and money (whether you’ve hired a report copywriter or relied in your inhouse team) on your report, you should be doing whatever it takes to get your information shared out to your audience.
There are a few ways that you can do this.
Create a dedicated report/resources section on your website.
Firstly, we advocate for creating a detailed report/resources section on your website. This is where you can upload your published reports in one clear place.
Maximising this page for SEO purposes will allow you to self-publish your key highlights and get found at the top of the search engine rankings. You could choose to publish your reports behind a paywall, turning your written reports into lead generation opportunities.
Your professional report writer should highlight any interactive features or infographics
Report writing shouldn’t be dull. Ideally, your report writer will know how to maximise the visual impact of the content. They should be willing to work closely with your graphic design team to pull out relevant statistics, key commentary and infographics.
Where possible, you want to create a suite of assets that you can use in a variety of ways, from social media to PR outreach.
Why not create the following to maximise your visual storytelling?
- Graphics (resized for social media, blogs, emails, website, PR)
- Downloadable PDFs
- Statistical graphs and charts
- Video reels
- Infographics
- Behind the scenes videos/commentary
- Interactive quizzes or polls
- Geographical maps showing how the data changes in different regions
- Demographic mapping showing how the data changes for different demographics
Use insights and commentary for media outreach
Your report writer will probably have interviewed your key personnel or conducted detailed research to drive your report. Its essential to look through that data (anecdotal, qualitative and quantitative) to see where there are any newsworthy opportunities.
Spotting those newsy highlights will give you the opportunity to invest in a detailed media relations campaign.
You should be sharing details of your written report with local media, trade media or even sector publications to reach a wide audience. If your report is a legislative requirement (such as a gender pay gap report) and you believe that your insights could be better, why not turn that into a positive thought-leadership opportunity?
For example, if your gender pay gap shows you need to make more progress, why not explore what is happening elsewhere in your sector? You could talk openly about how you plan to address those issues. Being open and transparent about your report insights can help to boost your credibility and reputation amongst your peers and target audiences.
Our PR agency services make us an ideal partner to collaborate with for your next report.
As standard, Amy will always review your content through a lens of wider PR activities as well as report writing expertise.
Announce your results/research through webinars or corporate events
Once you’ve written your corporate report, why not think about how you plan to launch it?
You don’t have to just publish it on your website. You could invest in webinars or corporate events or conferences to publicise your report findings with your target audience.
This not only has the added value of building your reputation with your peers, but the networking and lead generation opportunities mean that you could gain added value for your findings.
If you’re not sure how to do this or what possibilities are available, why not book a call with Amy to discuss your options. As a professional report writer, Amy will be available to offer advice and guidance to help you maximise the impact of your report.
Share your written reports widely with your audience
If you’ve read our previous article, “how to make your blog work hard” then you’ll know that repurposing is the key to your content strategy.
Once your report is published, you need to actively drive audiences to your download.
- Explore which areas/chapters can be repurposed into shorter blog posts
- Share it widely on social media
- Add it to your email marketing campaigns
- Use PPC or paid advertising to raise awareness
- Attach it to your email signatures
As your professional report writer, Amy Dawson can help you make the most of your content
Hopefully, this has given you some insight into how you can maximise the impact of your next business report.
At Gatekeeper Communications, our report writing services are there to help you maximise your investment. Our promise to you is that we will always go beyond the delivery of the final report to help you explore any publicity opportunities, as well as blogging possibilities and SEO content support.
That way, you will get the most impact from your report. You will be able to reach new audiences, build a stronger reputation and become an authoritative voice in your sector.
If that sounds good to you, why not talk to Amy to discuss your options?
