Publish your Annual Report online!

Online corporate publishing is paramount to business communications success in today's fast-paced commercial world with the benefits of digital technology. The publication and relaying of information must be instantaneous, with no allowance for delay, in order to keep corporate board members, officers, employees, clients and shareholders continually up to date with your latest financial data.

Easy to publish HTML company reports
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Online Annual Reports

Monday, December 1st, 2008 | Online publishing | admin

New Legislation for online annual reports

The Companies Act and Transparency Directive have altered the legislation making electronic communications to shareholders easier. This new legislation is going to be beneficial to companies that are publicly listed with ten thousands or more shareholders. Over the long term, this will reduce the costs of producing printed Annual Report. However for the short term this will require additional budget funding to complete the transition. This results in a current mix of printed and online media.

Some smaller cap plcs may feel that the savings from electronic communications will not effectively benefit them. Where does the current mix of media leave companies such as this? At Online Annual Reports.co.uk we have developed strategies to help you to manage your assets and keep your costs under control. We will partner with you. One of our representatives will be happy to explain the options that are available to you. We can help you avoid high agency fees that you may be expecting and help you be able to communicate using the new mixed media. With Online Annual Reports.co.uk, it is possible to transition your smaller cap plc, and we can provide the creative minds to do it.

Same Day Delivery as Annual Reports

Our comprehensive solution was developed so as to be launched consecutively with your Annual Report to Shareholders. It is fully project managed through collaboration between your Account Director and our web development and print teams.

Mixed Media – In print and Online

Incorporating digital and litho prints and the latest in web development technology including videos and podcasts, you can ensure delivery of your reports to your shareholders in a medium they are comfortable with. Let our offices advise you on the benefits and drawbacks of each type of media and which options are best suited for you.

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The advantages of HTML via PDF in online publishing

Friday, November 28th, 2008 | Online publishing | admin
Prior to the early ‘90s, bringing documents to a printer was a real problem. The files frequently wouldn’t fit on a disk, the images had to be included and re-linked by the printer, and though printers carried all the major software, they’d frequently have a different version or lack the fonts used in the file. Since email wasn’t yet common, shipping files involved mailing or driving the disk to its destination, and when changes had to be made to a file or a proof had to be sent, the process became further slowed. 

A revolution in the publishing documents online.

Adobe came out with Acrobat software in 1993, designed to standardize the process. Suddenly, companies with different software and fonts could transport files to each other as WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) meaning that what the creator saw on the screen was what the recipient also saw, regardless of software. This was pretty innovative thinking at the time, and very quickly became the standard for delivery of print files.

As the internet became widely embraced, many companies with annual reports decided to take their print-ready PDF and publish it online. This was a matter of convenience and timeliness for shareholders, to be able to download it this way and not wait for the printed issue; it was convenient for the corporations as very little effort was required. Unfortunately, despite the disadvantages to this system, it is often perpetuated solely because it is simple and is at this point a habit for most companies. 

The internet has various features that are not available in Acrobat. A webpage can feature interactivity and multimedia elements such as video and audio, or even animations to further illustrate a point or to simply draw the reader’s attention. An HTML file can also be used on other mediums, such as PDAs or mobiles.

If the creator of the Acrobat file didn’t set it up to export as text, the file might be a series of graphics, with no text searching capabilities for the end user. This also means that search engines cannot search the document, so it won’t be shown to end users in their search results. And when Acrobat files DO show up in search results, the end user frequently will avoid clicking on that entry, knowing that loading an Acrobat file will slow down their search.

To find a small piece of information, the end user needs to wait for the entire Acrobat file to download, then they may need to find that file on their computer and manually launch it (depending on their settings). This might mean waiting for a hundred page document to download, then finding the appropriate heading in the table of contents, then advancing to that page number. On the internet, they would have simply clicked on the hyperlink for that page and would long since have found what they needed. (Acrobat DOES support hyperlinks, but many creators do not know how to correctly export with the hyperlinks intact, and many users of Reader do not expect hyperlinks in Acrobat so may not even realize that they can use them when they DO show up in a document.)


Why publish you annual report online?

Remember that a primary objective of online posting of an annual report is to reach a new audience of potential investors. Waiting for a large file to download (that is likely to seem like a dry read once launched) is not the way to grab them and give them a good initial impression of your corporation. How many times have you been really enticed and captured by a PDF you found on the internet, and how many times have you been immediately interested in something that caught your attention on a web page? Unless you’re simply posting your annual reports out of obligation and have no interest in attracting new investors or providing your current ones with a satisfying experience, consider the distinct advantages of HTML.

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Online Annual Report Production

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 | Online publishing | admin

Gathering Dust or Garnering Interest?

Every year, businesses spend millions in an effort to establish their identities, communicate their corporate messages, and convince the public that they are leaders in their industries.

As a component of those efforts, these same businesses publish annual reports that, for the most part, gather dust on the desks of their stakeholders. Printed annual reports are just not engaging, so most people choose to go online to review them. But the annual report can be the perfect opportunity for companies to create a truly interactive experience for their stakeholders.

Companies like online-annual-reports.co.uk have made a business of bringing annual reports to life. Starting with a company’s simple .doc file, we convert the report to HTML. The information is packaged with a slick design, video web casts, interactive charts and historical data. A printed report just can’t compete.

Not only are online annual reports more engaging, they are more user friendly. The online user interface allows readers to use search and send-to-a-friend functions to find and isolate relevant information quickly.

With these features, online annual reports become an excellent marketing and recruiting tool. Journalists, job seekers and potential investors are all more likely to browse a company’s online report than thumb through a printed tome.

Cost savings should not be overlooked. Actual savings will depend on how many stakeholders the company has and the type of online report selected. Our advisors can help businesses decide on the right online annual report for their needs.

If you need more convincing, take a look at some companies who use our online annual reports: Mitie, ARM, Flomerics, to name but a few.

We might expect companies like these to take advantage of online annual reports. The good news is you don’t have to be one of them to do the same.

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Online Corporate Publishing

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 | Online publishing | admin

Online Annual Reports and Corporate Publishing

Each business-related entity has a stake in the total operation, and thus it’s to the ultimate interest of the corporation to keep all such interested factions well informed of any and all new company developments.

Live share feeds are highly effective way of keeping all stakeholders updated and informed. By consulting the corporate web site, members of all the various factions within the company structure (as well as shareholders and clients) can stay abreast of company initiatives, reactions, production levels, sales or gains, any business-related losses or setbacks. And, of course, everyone involved is eager to keep up with rates of profit.

By monitoring productivity and profit rates, all levels of administration and operations as well as trustees and corporate advisory board members can have immediate knowledge of any noteworthy business activity. Information from any division, department or office of a corporation which is pertinent to other officers and staff is most easily and efficiently distributed by use of live feeds on the corporate web site.

It s always helpful to have a central distribution point for dispersing company-related communications, and the official business web site is the best location. Many corporate sites also allow staff members input in the form of appropriate articles and business-related information on the company live share feed. The feed may also include relevant business news from outside sources of interest to the corporation s staff.

Corporate web cast

Another highly effective element of corporate publishing is the web cast. By means of a web cast on the corporate site, the CEO, chairman, and other officers and administrative staff can call attention to important business announcements, statements and news items, as well as addressing the general staff on any important subject whenever necessary or advantageous to maintaining a well-informed corporate community. Inter-departmental web casting can also be an extremely valuable tool for sharing training methods and any business-related input.

Annual financial figures and other statistics can be readily available to staff members, shareholders, clients and other interested parties with the help of professional graphic presentations on the corporate web site. In some instances, video or animation can aid in creating a dynamic and appealing business presentation, along with appropriate graphs, charts and even digital streaming of data, where helpful. All concerned parties will agree that the corporate web site, easily accessible on the Internet, is the most professional, economical, dependable and efficient location for providing all business-related communications of interest, value and importance to business success.

How to publish your report online.

Let us convert your report from word, quark, in design or any other similar software. We can create a fully interactive accessible report within days.

For more information on Online Annual report design and production please contact us on 01527 595595.

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The Benefits of Online Annual Reports

Monday, February 12th, 2007 | Online publishing | admin

Are you considering using an online HTML annual report rather than the same old paper report? You are not alone. An increasing number of companies are publishing html reports, including annual reports, on the internet. There are several reasons this makes good sense for both your company and your stakeholders.

Online annual reports save money. All the money spent on printing costs and postage could be completely reallocated. This is an easy way to save money in a tough economy.

Most stakeholders prefer online reports. Do you have enough paper clutter on your desk? Chances are good that your stakeholders do as well. An online report offers the same information without the pile of paper to sift through.

Online reports offer more information and a user friendly, interactive format. Some companies simply upload a Word or PDF file, but others are opting for a fully featured HTML report with colorful graphs and charts. These help your stakeholders stay informed and help your company maintain its professional, technologically savvy reputation.

Online annual reports are a greener option. If you are trying to present your company as an eco-friendly group, reducing the impact from paper and transportation is one cost effective way to help get that message across.

An online HTML annual report can’t get lost, misplaced, or accidentally discarded. Do you honestly think that your stakeholders save every report mailed to them? Of course not, but this can put them in a bind if they find they need some of the information contained within. An online annual report allows them to access the information when and if they decide.



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