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Here is something most public relations agency heads will be loathe to acknowledge. I will never know a client’s business as well as the company’s executive and marketing leadership.

That’s because a client is hip deep in the issues, news, trends and gossip of their industry. As an external consultant, my time is allocated across a set of engagements. I bring market expertise to every relationship, yet often rely on the client for ongoing education and direction about the nuisances of their business.

An agency’s most significant value derives from the broader perspective and context it is able to provide about how a client will potentially be impacted by macro-trends. How will a hot issue in the enterprise market possibly play out in the public sector? Are the social media tactics employed to promote an information security solution relevant to a purveyor of enterprise software?

It is our responsibility at Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) to provide this insight to assist in both strategic planning and tactical execution. It’s the difference between being a respected counselor versus a spinner of press releases.

Industry conferences present the ideal setting to visit with marketing leaders to discuss their thoughts on priorities and programs. These conversations contribute to my body of knowledge and, in turn, allow me to more successfully fill the counselor role.

Last month at the Satellite 2009 conference in Washington, DC, I spent time with Toni Lee Rudnicki (CMO at iDirect http://www.idirect.net/) and Joe Amor of Microspace Communications Corporation (http://www.microspace.com/index_home.shtml).

Here’s a link to a video with highlights from each interview:

Live at Satellite 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpPZMCVPEos) (three minutes)

While in different segments of the satellite industry, Toni Lee and Joe face a similar challenge: how to grow their addressable market through new applications of the company’s technology, while maintaining an intimate connection with existing customers.

I’m thinking quite a bit these days about this dilemma, how iDirect and Microspace are meeting the challenge head on, and, most important, what it means for Strategic’s clients.

Marc Hausman is president/CEO of Strategic Communications Group, a public relations and social media consultancy based in Silver Spring, MD. Read more at http://www.strategicguy.blogspot.com.