Featured Social Media Channels in the Oil & Gas Industry

After years studying hundreds of social media pages in the oil and gas industry, I have chosen seven companies to feature that are employing a strong social media strategy.  Each of these companies uses the respective channels in a unique way to drive engagement. Follow the lead of these companies by developing a clear strategy to reach your marketing goals.

Linkedin: Statoil 

Statoil has attracted a large number of followers on its company page and to “Energy Innovation by Statoil”, a group managed by Statoil that encourages people in the industry to voice their thoughts, opinions and questions about the current and future state of the industry.  This group allows members to publish content and allows Statoil to demonstrate its thought leadership on topics such as shale extraction and gas storage technologies.  The members (60k+)  really know their stuff, and share intelligent and insightful links to a host of topics from across the energy spectrum. But, this didn’t happen by accident. Statoil strategically branded the group and set the tone with a great name.

READ: Case Study - How Statoil Uses Social Media

Twitter: Chesapeake Energy 

Many of Chesapeake Energy’s tweets are retweets and responses to followers.  Sharing other Twitter user’s tweets has helped Chesapeake Energy to build relationships and connections online as well as educate its followers.  Chesapeake’s friendly approach on this channel serves as an incentive for Twitter users to follow and engage with this exploration and production company.

What also sets Chesapeake apart is their use of regional Facebook pages targeted toward various shale plays around the country. The company has separate pages set up for the Eagle Ford, Utica, Barnett, Haynesville, Marcellus and Rockies. These pages allow them to communicate directly with the residents in each region. This gives community members a place to have their voices heard. It also gives Chesapeake a place to address concerns and ultimately win fans.

Facebook: BP America 

BP America’s Facebook page has one of the top Facebook pages in terms of engagement.  With some posts receiving more than 400 comments, BP America is constantly replying to its followers.  BP America not only thanks followers for positive feedback, but also responds to negative comments and questions.  One of the many reasons its followers choose to engage with BP is because they feel like attention is being given to their communications.

While many oil and gas companies choose to use Facebook as a channel for self-promotion, BP America chooses to use Facebook in a way that its audience appreciates – engaging its audience by asking and responding to questions.

Google+: Shell 

Shell has more fans and interaction than any other oil company in social media. Shell’s strategy on Google+ is simple – beautifully stunning images, videos and gifs paired with interesting captions capture its audience’s attention.  Shell’s content on this channel is about much more than its products and services. Fascinating topics such as creating biofuel from waste coffee grounds are highly shareable.

YouTube: Halliburton 

Halliburton’s YouTube page is easy to navigate with videos categorized by topics of interest such as deepwater, mature fields and unconventional resources.

Its “Career Story” series highlights job opportunities by giving a high-level overview in brief animated videos.  These quick clips are ideal for sharing across various social media platforms. 

Pinterest: Phillips 66 

Phillips 66 uses Pinterest in a unique and effective way by focusing on careers.  The page features interview tips, the importance of hiring veterans, current employees and more.  Its use of compelling images, videos and inspiring quotes on sixteen boards provides appeal to a large audience.

Social Media Leader: Payson Petroleum

Payson Petroleum is an independent operator from Dallas, Texas that offers oil investment opportunities to independent investors. Compared to the Goliaths listed, they are tiny. At first glance, their social media presence seems modest as well. But, dig a little deeper and you’ll start to see just how cutting-edge this company is when it comes to social media. For example, did you know Payson Petroleum has its own iPhone app? It’s chocked full of features, like market news, oil and gas price forecasts, investment calculators and, of course, information about the great State of Texas. But, here’s the kicker; their YouTube channel has over 400,000 views. This is all the more remarkable when you consider that a lot of their videos are nothing more than their Director of Client Relations, Dan Nichter, sitting down with their CEO, Matt Griffin to ask him frequently asked questions about both their company, and the oil and gas industry in general. But, if you think about it, this is genius. They are using social media to educate potential investors. And it works. Each video is full of valuable information and demonstrates to their target audience (independent investors) that the company and its leadership are truly the experts in their field.