Releasing a CSR/sustainability report has been table stakes for companies for many years. Today, 93% of the world’s 250 largest companies and 86% of S&P 500 Index® Companies issue such a report. But given the substantial time and budget they put into this annual exercise, it’s surprising how often they leave stones unturned when it comes to sharing their reports with key stakeholders and making sure that their key messages resonate with the audiences that matter most.

After all that hard work, your brand deserves to get as much mileage as possible out of your annual CSR/sustainability report. Here are a few tips that can help you do just that.

Build an amplification strategy before you begin writing

A journalist considers her objectives and approach before ever putting pen to paper. Why should a CSR/sustainability communications leader operate any differently? Some extra thought on the front end about how your report will be used can help benefit – and streamline – the writing process.

Before you craft a report outline, consider brainstorming with internal stakeholders to define your key audiences and clearly outline any significant announcements or news from the past year that could become headlines. Putting in this effort before you start writing can help your brand be more strategic about the execution and flow of your report, as well as your timeline and focus areas.

It’s been a long time since simply launching a report has been newsworthy. But, if your report contains new announcements or commitments, there may be opportunities to attract media attention to its release. Savvy companies sometimes hold back sustainability commitments so they can announce them with their sustainability reports. This, obviously, increases the odds that media will take interest in other elements of your report. Paid integrations and third-party content in support of the key messages within your report can also turn up the volume on your accomplishments.

In addition, as you plan your report consider ways to shape and present key information that will translate well beyond traditional media. For example, look for opportunities to present key content graphically to make your report more compelling for social and digital audiences, too.

Engage new audiences in meaningful ways

Don’t just share your CSR and sustainability news with sustainability media outlets. Think holistically about who your brand aims to reach and who might benefit from hearing about your commitments to people, planet and sound governance. Are there key messages in your report that can show policymakers your company’s leadership on white-hat issues? Would other messages resonate with the key communities where your operations are located? How are you leveraging your report with investors – an audience with a growing appetite for responsibly managed companies?

And don’t make the mistake of overlooking your internal audiences. Employees, from executive to junior-level, can be the best advocates for your brand. Arm them with all the great things you’re doing by making sure they are familiar with the content in your latest report. Are there key messages that can be shared with team leaders? Could your CEO discuss key report content in an upcoming town hall? Would elevator wraps or floor decals help reinforce your team members’ understanding of your company’s CSR/sustainability work? Nearly 40% of millennials have chosen a job at least in part because of a company’s dedication to sustainability; leverage this annual record of your accomplishments to build pride in your company and promote employee retention.

Leverage report content over time

While launch moments are important, much of the content in your CSR/sustainability report has a fairly long shelf life. Consider re-sharing data points in your report about diversity, equity and inclusion on such relevant occasions as International Women’s Day and Veteran’s Day. Comb your report for news and media angles that could be pitched during Climate Week (September) or on Earth Day (April).

Crafting a robust social media calendar will help ensure that you leverage your messages throughout the year and multiply your opportunities to showcase your brand’s commitment to CSR/sustainability.

It is easier to eat a steak than a whole cow

Let’s face it – very few people who aren’t intimately connected to your business are going to read your CSR/sustainability report in full. Creating an executive summary or a series of one-page infographics or issue briefs will help you tell the most compelling stories from your report year-round. These resources can be shared online as separate downloadable files, distributed to media alongside pitches and shared with policymakers or community groups to highlight the common ground you share with them on key issues. Make it easy for your most important stakeholders to sink their teeth into your successes.

These ideas are just a starting point; hopefully they’ve primed the pump for more tactics that can help increase your return on this important investment. Best of luck as you launch and amplify your next report!

Consumers today are making purchasing decisions on more than just the customer or product benefits, also weighing aspects like what a company is doing for society and its environmental impact. Brands are increasingly aware of the expectation and supporting causes that they may not have touched 30 years ago. But taking a stand isn’t easy, and brands tend to gravitate toward issues that their peers are involved with, often sticking to the surface of those issues.

Consumers are taking notice that certain causes are trending and questioning if brands are making a difference. Terms like “pink-washing,” “pride-painting” and “woke washing” are entering our lexicon. As Alex Abad-Santos writes in Vox, LGBTQ Pride Month has become “a branded holiday,” with so many rainbows in store windows that it begs the question of what exactly brands are supporting.

With many companies focusing on these more popular issues, they may be missing out on an opportunity to differentiate themselves by addressing other topics that people also care about.

Consumers already expect companies to be out front on issues they create, impact directly or control. Data security (59%), data privacy (58%), climate change (53%), income and wage gaps (44%) and minimum wage (44%) are among the top issues that consumers expect brands to address according to FleishmanHillard’s 2019 Authenticity Gap survey.

Yet there are also topics that matter deeply to those same consumers with little expectation that brands would have an impact.

Take education. Our research shows that 79% of consumers say access to affordable, quality education is extremely important, placing it in the top five issues consumers care about. Surprisingly, only 32% of those consumers expect companies to take a stand here. As issues go, education has an intrinsic relationship to the bottom line. Companies rely on an educated workforce for their business to thrive. And brands don’t have to go too far to make a difference – education can happen in the form of on-the-job training. In fact, the ability to learn new skills tops the list of what people say makes a company a great place to work.

Engaged consumers say more than a quarter (28%) of their perception of a company is based on a company’s impact on society. That includes taking better care of employees, the community and the environment.

In a world where brands are expected to step up, there’s a greenfield for those willing to go off the beaten fund run or parade path, provided they do so in a way that rings true to their business and their values.

Download FleishmanHillard’s Authenticity Gap Report from our dedicated report page here.

Imagine for a second, you look at a tag or a label on a box and it tells a different kind of story. It’s not about what’s IN the box. It’s about HOW what’s in the box was created and by who.

Imagine a story that reveals the craftsmanship behind who made the product or how the service was delivered, how the company was fair to that worker, why it’s good for health and how the product was made in a sustainable way that created minimal, perhaps even positive, environmental impact. Is it a dream? It shouldn’t be, because these are the kinds of behaviors consumers expect of companies.

This year’s Authenticity Gap research finds that consumers care about people more than products.

WHEN PRODUCING PRODUCTS, THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW COMPANIES ARE:

• Understanding their customers’ needs (55%)
  • People are looking for companies to understand their needs holistically, going beyond their specific transactional needs for the product. They expect companies to connect with their values and larger sense of purpose, while also delivering the product benefits they want.
• Creating solutions to reduce their impact on climate change/environment (47%)
  • Today’s consumers are likely concerned about the environmental impacts of their consumption habits, and yet they still want and need those products in their lives. Many are asking about and paying attention to companies that take responsibility for environmental impacts throughout their product lifecycles so that individual consumption habits are less harmful to people and the planet.
• Impacting consumers’ health and well-being (42%)
  • Generational trends tell us that consumers are becoming more health conscious, and now our Authenticity Gap data confirms those trends as expectations for brands. People want to know companies are taking individual and population health needs into consideration when creating their products, by addressing health concerns and generating health benefits.
• Taking care of their employees (42%)
  • Consumers have a strong expectation that companies are looking out for the employees who are creating and manufacturing their products. Active conversations about pay equity, living wages and the importance of diversity and inclusion all weigh into their holistic expectations for the purchases they make, reflecting on their own brand and values.

Today’s consumers are looking beyond the benefits of “new and improved” and toward the thoughtful creation of goods and services that delight us, add joy and take away the guilt of consuming something. (Nod to Marie Kondo.)

Let’s broaden our understanding of product communications to go beyond just meeting these changing expectations. Let’s build new narratives that highlight HOW companies are thoughtfully approaching producing new products to benefit people. As some leaders might say, let’s commit to generating (and communicating!) benefits for all stakeholders.

Download FleishmanHillard’s Authenticity Gap Report from our dedicated report page here.

During an initial public offering (IPO), there are bankers, lawyers, potential investors, sometimes-jittery management teams … and more bankers and lawyers to wrangle, inform and mollify. It’s a months-long process of the company and communications team navigating challenges. Leading up to key milestones, such as the IPO roadshow and list day celebrations, the lengthy to-do list causes countless companies to make a critical mistake: pushing three items aside until there is “more time” after the IPO. Don’t be tempted—the to-do list is equally long on the other side of list day. Prioritizing these items before your IPO will put your company and your communications team ahead of the game:

1. Your Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Platform: New public companies undergo a level of scrutiny from investors that they’ve never felt before, especially when it comes to ESG policies, programs and commitments. No longer a nice-to-have for investors, ESG considerations are now integral to corporate strategy, creating opportunities and mitigating risks. With the rise of socially responsible investing and Wall Street’s increased understanding of how ESG practices can have a material impact on your company’s bottom line, a well-defined ESG platform is now table stakes.

In FleishmanHillard’s 2019 Authenticity Gap study, we found top consumer concerns currently include access to affordable, quality healthcare (84 percent); access to affordable, quality education (79 percent); and protecting the environment (75 percent). This sentiment holds true for investors: winning the hearts and minds of the public requires knowing who you are and what you stand for.

During your IPO roadshow, investors likely will quiz the management team on your ESG platform and its impact on everything from sales to talent attraction, to carbon emissions and the long-term viability of your company. Media, too, may get in on the analysis leading up to list day. Simply paying lip service to ESG won’t stand up to scrutiny. Having a solid ESG platform and plan to communicate it before the IPO will save you from having to play catch-up defining and explaining your stance before, during and after the IPO.

2. Your Governance Structure: Independent agencies rate how shareholder-friendly public companies’ practices are, so communicators need to be prepared to explain their company’s governance structure and any potential pitfalls that may affect their rating. Governance decisions include determining which state to incorporate in (each has different rules and protections for companies), whether to have an independent board chairman, and annually elect or stagger the board.

It’s perfectly normal for IPO companies to put protections in place that enable them to get a handle on being a new public company before opening themselves up to greater outside influence — largely from activist investors and hedge funds. But the less friendly those protections are to shareholders, the more likely independent agencies are to recommend — during your first annual meeting — votes against certain company proposals.

Communicators must be ready to share the “why” behind your current governance and the path to making it more shareholder-friendly over time as you execute your growth strategy. Doing so before the IPO can save you from a scramble ahead of the first annual meeting (which will happen sooner than you think!).

3. Depth of Change: Communicators know that an IPO comes with significant change, but most underestimate the massive importance of change management after going public. Throughout this process, you will need to lean on your change management consultants in a way you never imagined. Employees will be anxious about everything from benefits to retirement, expenses to discounts for big customers, and what they can and can’t tell people about the IPO.

If you’re being spun off from a parent company, employees will ask about transition service agreements (TSAs) — or what a TSA is — and how to do business under them, whether their IT help desk is changing and whether they can still get into the parking garage if you share an office with the former parent company.

Your readiness to communicate effectively and efficiently to employees about the many changes will be a determining factor in how smooth your transition from private to public is. Starting to address the change communications needs during — not after — the IPO process is the hallmark of a communications team that is ready for the public spotlight.