Research & Whitepapers

During the past year and a half, Google has undergone a significant transformation to its search algorithm through its Penguin, Panda and Hummingbird updates. The primary focus has been to reduce or completely eliminate the influence of low-quality websites and “SEO’d” content.

British Columbia has long been a hot spot for tourists throughout the world, but local tourism officials wanted to boost BC’s appeal to consumers in two of their key markets.

It’s not pretty earnings-wise for PR agencies right now. Operating profit this year fell to an average of 16.1%, from 18.8% last year, according to an exclusive report produced by StevensGouldPincus on behalf of PR News.

Used to be, PR pros were called only after a marketing campaign was fully baked and asked to knock out a press release and work with the media to get the message out. No longer. These days, the currency for communicators lies in strategic decision-making, as indicated by PR News’ 2014 Salary Survey.

Videos on landing pages spike conversions by 86%, according to a recent report covering online marketing. It’s just one trend for PR pros to consider amidst an ever-changing media landscape.

Any thought leadership program should begin with a strategic positioning audit that determines exactly what separates your agency from the competition.

A rapidly changing talent pool is just one of several key trends in PR and communications.

Social media has quickly moved to the top of the PR food chain. Sure, communicators have to know their way around social platforms and what distinguishes one social channel from another. But if PR pros want to advance within their organization—and land bigger salaries—they should reconsider some of the profession’s more traditional skillsets.

While many PR pros and communicators landed salary increases last year, the percentage increases (for the most part) were nothing to write home about.

Depending on how much access they have toward the C-suite, PR pros can enhance their value by counseling senior managers to be more transparent when communicating to the rank-and-file as well as other stakeholders.