Annual financial and impact reports are some of the most important publications housing organisations produce. They need to communicate performance, priorities and impact clearly – to residents, colleagues, boards, governing bodies, peers and partners.
Yet many of these reports are still shared as traditional PDFs. Familiar, yes – but increasingly limited when it comes to accessibility, engagement and insight.
What PDFs struggle to do
PDFs were created for print, not for modern digital reading. On smaller screens, they can be awkward to navigate, difficult to read and frustrating to use. Once published, they’re static – updates mean reissuing documents, and there’s no meaningful way to understand what people are actually reading.
For reports designed to inform and engage, that lack of flexibility and insight is a real drawback.
A more engaging alternative
Digital-first publications created using Foleon offer a different approach. Rather than replicating print online, Foleon allows organisations to build interactive, mobile-friendly publications designed around how people consume content today.
For annual reports, ESG updates and year-end publications, for example, this means clear navigation, visual storytelling and content that’s easy to explore rather than scroll through.
At See Media, we use Foleon to transform complex reporting into engaging digital experiences and award-winning publications, managing the process from start to finish, including accessible design, copywriting and project management – leaving you free to concentrate on the next year’s priorities.
Designed for real readers
Annual reports are rarely read cover to cover. Foleon recognises this by allowing content to be broken into clearly signposted sections, making it easy for readers to jump straight to what matters most to them, or what they need to know.
Interactive features, such as embedded video, animated charts, expandable sections and pullout case studies, help bring data and stories to life while keeping the overall experience clean, clear and accessible.
Foleon publications are also fully responsive, working seamlessly across desktop, tablet and mobile. Text scales properly, layouts adapt automatically and navigation remains intuitive.
This is particularly important for resident-facing content, where mobile access is often the primary way customers engage with information.
Insight advantages
One of the biggest advantages of digital publications is measurement. Foleon provides clear, real-time analytics showing how people engage with content – which sections they view, how long they spend reading and where engagement drops off.
For communications teams, this makes it far easier to demonstrate reach and impact and to improve future publications based on real data rather than assumptions.
A smarter way to publish
Moving beyond PDFs isn’t about chasing trends – they still have their place for certain projects. But moving to Foleon for annual reports is about presenting important information in a way that’s clearer, more accessible and more useful for the people it’s intended for.
For housing organisations planning year-end reports, it offers a modern, flexible alternative that supports better engagement and better understanding.
If you’re considering how to modernise your next publication, you can explore our Foleon demo publication or speak to us about how we can support your organisation: hello@see-media.co.uk
