#pr20chat is a weekly Twitter chat held every Wednesday from 8-9 EST about social media and PR engagement.  We discuss how social media is changing how PR professionals engage with the entire public (not just the media and bloggers).  #pr20chat is moderated by Beth Harte (@BethHarte) of Marketing Profs and weekly recaps will be sporadically provided by yours truly (@shinng).

Recent topics with transcript is below.  A recap is also included with key takeaways.

To participate in this weekly chat, I highly recommend you use Tweet Chat.  The hashtag (#pr20chat) is automatically inserted into every tweet.  I regularly use TweetDeck and HootSuite in daily conversations, but I have found Twitter clients to be slow and lagging when it comes to chat.

-November 18 – 3 questions – Full transcript here

To start off the chat, Beth presented a challenging question that spurred some debate.  Question 1: Are your external marketing efforts typically siloed or integrated and how does that affect how people interpret your efforts.  There was some initial confusion on what external marketing was.  To put it simply, external marketing=customer/public through various means of marketing such as online marketing including your website, direct mail, print advertising, PR etc.  Internal marketing=your own staff and colleagues usually through an intranet site.  Going back to the question on hand, many of the contributors felt that integration is key, but some agreed that the silo effect does happen.  The consensus: Integration is best practice.  Here are a few takeaways:

• I’m seeing silos and stressing integration but spending an inordinate amount of time on value – @Marc_Meyer
• Feel strongly that biz goals; strategy must be guide for comms.  And integration is best practice – @JohnMallen
• Typically with a siloed approach external mktg isn’t cohesive which leaves receivers to piece together messages, branding, etc – @BethHarte
• Extremely important for consistent msg across all IMC channels.  You do not want customers to get mixed signals – @shinng

The next question dug a little deeper into the impact of engagement for siloed departments.  Question 2:  How does PR 2.0 fit in with integrated marcom?  What if PR is siloed from marketing?  How does that affect engagement? The overwhelming consensus to this question was that PR 2.0 is vital to integrated marketing efforts.  One word that summed up this question was “glue”.

• Done correctly, PR 2.0 can be the glue that holds integrated marketing efforts together. – @smrus
• Why make SM a separate discipline from PR, IR, ad, etc?  In the buying cycle, it’s needed throughout. – @mktdouchebag
• Silos, tho comfortable= counterintuitive 2 what trying 2 accomplish. IMO, they are also inefficient and less successful than IMC – @smrus
• SM has helped remind PR that it was never supposed to be Press Relations.  The press was a convenient channel. – @mktdouchebag
• (My personal favorite in regards to Geico’s marketing campaigns) @shinng I have a bet going w/friends that it’s a multiple agency issue. Gecko! No! Caveman! No! Voice Overs! No! 50’s Flashback! – @BethHarte

The last question of the night touched upon PR and marketing.  Question 3: How many folks work only in PR?  How do you handle IMC from that position? Say vs. being in Marketing.  What’s different/same?

• IMC reminds us that all have 1 goal.  Our customer. - @TobyDiva
• PR is not only about press & SM is a great way 4 PR/Mkting/CRM 2 integrate efforts and “sail” in one direction. – @OlenaKoval
• Social Media brings to life that we all matter: customers, company, brand & even the media.  It’s a messy world & IMC can help w/it. – @TobyDiva

Thanks to everyone who participated in pr20chat and provided such thought-provoking contributions.  Thanks to @BethHarte for moderating.  Be sure to join in on this weekly Twitter chat every Wednesday from 8-9 EST.  #pr20chat.