Category Archives: Matt Krautstrunk

Is Chivalry Dead in Corporate Communications?

Are the days of “Dear Madam,” and “Sincerely” over? We already know that communicating with a human voice on social media channels leads to a higher retention rate, according to a University of Missouri study. But will this trend trickle down to other facets of corporate communication?

Now I wouldn’t stretch as far to say we will begin seeing LOLs and FMLs in press releases, but we may see more companies including the human element in other areas of their business. Without question, a PR professional’s job is becoming more difficult, as businesses try to incorporate the human element in communication while still maintaining professionalism. This is a difficult tightrope to walk for many PR pros because there are consequences for being “too human.”  Continue reading

Targeting Brand Influencers to Shape Your PR Strategy

One of the best ways to shape your social image is understanding how to target and influence lead users within your industry. Lead users are people who shape and impact a community’s way of thinking. They are the people whose opinions trickle down through the web and fall in to the laps of your core customers. Learning to target these key individuals is sometimes difficult, but if done effectively can really cement your online PR efforts. Continue reading

PR Job Descriptions: Professional Social Media Experience Now Necessary?

There have been abundant ramblings on how the emergence of social media has changed PR, for better or worse. Whether you are a social media guru or a non-believer, the requirements of the public relations profession has undoubtedly become more “social.” Here is a sample pulled from a PR coordinator job posting in 2005, and an almost analogous job description posting pulled from this year. Continue reading