The Upstream Oil & Gas industry, also referred to as the exploration and production (E&P) sector, has a reputation of being very conservative and conventional. Even though the companies that operate in this sector are well-known global brands, they are not exactly forward thinking online marketers who use business blogs and social media regularly.
However, these companies are no slouches when it comes to using the power of blogging and social media to talk about a politically and emotionally charged topic like hydraulic fracturing. Google the search phrase hydraulic fracturing blogs and it will return 2 million results!
Sure, there are plenty of blogs written by die-hard tree huggers and other environmentalists with their own agendas but the list of blogs on hydraulic fracturing from companies and organizations reads like the “who’s who” of the E&P industry.
The number of blogs, videos, tweets and other social media efforts goes up dramatically if you include the broader phrase “shale oil & gas” or as the industry likes to refer to it as “unconventional resource plays.”
The facts, figures and the hype are mind-boggling. So it is not surprising that E&P companies, oilfield services firms, trade organizations, environmental and political associations are all actively participating via blogs and social media channels.
Here are some examples that I found from both sides of the discussion.
Blog posts:
Twitter: Tweets with #shale
Facebook: Search for pages related to hydraulic fracturing
YouTube:
SlideShare: Hydraulic Fracturing and Water (From the Ports-to-Plains Energy Summit)
Infographics: Understanding Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale (from EnergyFromShale.org)
I am sure you have your own list of blogs and social media marketing on hydraulic fracturing if you work in the upstream Oil & Gas industry. Feel free to share them here but please hold your comments on how you feel about hydraulic fracturing and/or our domestic energy policy. This post is not a political statement of any kind. It is strictly about using blogs and social media marketing in the E&P sector.
Let’s chat to determine if this will be a good fit for both of us. It will be a friendly conversation to get to know each other better, not a high-pressure sales pitch.
Becky says:
We are definitely starting to see more “traditional” companies explore social and find ways to leverage the technology to work better as businesses. I wrote a post on how to convince your boss that social is relevant in the energy industry if you’re interested in more information on this topic! http://work.deerdigital.com/is-social-media-relevant-for-the-energy-industry/
Achinta Mitra says:
Becky,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with energy companies and their use of social media. Your post has some good examples.