6th Africa LPG Summit 3-4 July 2019: Developing Key Success Factors for a Sustainable LPG Business in Tanzania and in East Africa

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Dar Es Salaam – As LPG Summit returns to Africa for the 6th time running, the Summit is once again going to be held in Dar Es Salaam. The conference and exhibition include a vibrant exhibition of 80 companies and a dynamic conference agenda focusing on the region over two days.

As LPG is proving itself to not only be a healthier and more environmentally friendly fuel, it is also now proving itself to be a cheaper and more economic fuel than charcoal at almost 5 times cheaper.

This two-day event is endorsed by Petroleum Bulk Procurement Agency (PBPA) and World LPG Association (WLPGA).

Key sponsors include Oryx Energies and Hexagon Ragasco.

Government officials from the Ministry of Energy and Environment have been invited.

Key themes that will be discussed: 

— Driving Economic Growth Through LPG Skill Transfer, Knowledge Sharing For All Stakeholders And The Empowerment Of Women

— How can we enhance further the opportunities needed within our communities to ensure a sustainable business and a successful community?

— A tough financial environment can create opportunity – Ensuring the market quality and sustainability in Tanzania and East Africa through key success factors

— Innovative uses of LPG in Tanzania and East Africa

— Technology as a means to boost safety and access to LPG in Tanzania and East Africa

A special Cooking for Life workshop will be led  by Michael Kelly, Deputy Director of World LPG Association (WLPGA).

Cooking for Life is the association’s flagship initiative in terms of development. The goal is to convert 1 billion people from cooking with biomass to cooking with LPG by 2030.

“ I think it is timely for LPG Summit to go back to Dar Es Salaam to help promote the benefits of clean burning LPG for environmental  and health reasons. Communities, government, the global and local LPG industry working together to ensure viable economic growth is the key to growing the industry and promoting the benefits of using this exceptional fuel” said Michael Kelly.

The Summit seeks to proliferate the use of LPG at a time when it has become economically sensible for the majority of users who are still using traditional fuels to switch over to LPG. The benefits of using LPG has far reaching implications and has the potential to save the lives of millions and improve the quality of life of many millions more causing ripples that will benefit future generations like few other lifestyle changes can.

LPG Summit seeks to promote the use of fuel for cooking, heating and power generation. LPG is the fuel of choice in emerging markets and LPG Summit is the platform that will bring the people, the government and the businesses together as Africa enters a new phase of development like never before.

The 6th African LPG Summit will be held at the Mlimani City Conference Center on July 3-4, 2019 (http://www.lpgsummit.com/africa2019/) and about 80 international companies will participate in the summit.

About LP Gas Summit

The LP GAS SUMMIT is the preferred regional platform bringing together stakeholders from the government, refineries, LPG plants, LPG distribution companies, technology providers and investors to bring the industry forward.

www.lpgsummit.com/africa2019

About PBPA

Petroleum Bulk Procurement Agency ( PBPA ) is a government agency established under the Executive Agencies Act Cap. 245 vested with mandates of coordinating and managing efficient procurement of petroleum products through bulk procurement system.

www.pbpa.go.tz

About WLPGA

The World LPG Association (WLPGA) is the authoritative global voice for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry and the worldwide industry association which represents the interests of the LPG industry globally. The WLPGA promotes the use of LPG to foster a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous world.

www.wlpga.org

Press contacts

— Chloe Lee, Marketing Manager, LPG Summit, +6588125131 chloe@lpgsummit.com

— Yolanda Engels Anderson, Managing Director, Yolanda Tavares PR, +254 722 511073,yolanda@ytpr.co.ke

Oil and Gas Companies Drill Into Social Media

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Marketing and communications in the oil and gas industry, once as prehistoric as the basins where oil and gas is found, is advancing dramatically. Social media is beginning to propel this industry and its marketing and communications function forward. Despite previous roadblocks from companies’ internal legal departments and fear of the unknown, many oil and gas companies are now active on several digital channels — LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
An industry without a clear, strong voice in the past is now employing digital channels to communicate more effectively. Social media allows the companies not only to promote their activities, but also to educate and engage with key constituents, including the public, media, governments and other stakeholders.
Social media marketing resources vary greatly, though — while some have large, dedicated social media teams, it remains an afterthought for others. Independents with limited or no marketing staff have begun to rely on outside agencies to help with social media campaigns. Most international oil companies (IOCs) have large social media teams and are prolific on some digital channels, but don’t count out national oil companies (NOCs) or oilfield services companies from the social media mix. NOCs are beginning to understand they need to educate the world for further energy investment into their countries. Social media is a perfect channel for them to connect with investors since developed countries are very active on digital channels.
The messages vary from recruiting for jobs and community news to earnings releases and general company activities. More oil and gas companies are using social media for educational purposes, especially on politically charged topics like hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), LNG exporting and building the Keystone pipeline. There is a lot of misinformation about the industry, and social media allows the industry to respond faster and communicate the facts. This has become critical in the case of crisis communications.
Companies wanting to stay out of political discussions are focused on community relations and recruitment. They are often tweeting about jobs, and some even have dedicated Twitter feeds to share job opportunities. The majority of oil and gas companies contribute large amounts to charity, and these companies are increasingly using social media to spread the word. Rather than just posting their charitable giving on a web page or not communicating it outside the company’s walls, they are actively posting photos of employees at charity events, and even setting up Facebook albums to showcase event photos. Oil and gas companies are more active in the community than ever before through special programs and participation in community events and social media is taking their programs to the next level.
Companies are also now relying on employees to help promote their brand in a positive manner through social channels. Only a few are starting to invest internally in social training, but most large companies have social media policies in place. It is very important to have set policies to govern what employees post and to take appropriate action when employees do not adhere to the policy. Those more advanced in social media are starting brand ambassador programs and various Twitter feeds that show daily life working for their company, which also helps to connect with millennials. Due to the industry’s rapidly aging workforce, social media is a powerful way to engage the energy workforce of the future. Niche online communities for oil and gas professionals are growing and helping to attract younger generations into the industry. On-campus industry recruiters and associations with student chapters are utilizing social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to educate and engage with them about all facets of working in oil and gas.
Several studies show LinkedIn prevails as the predominant tool used for business-to-business communications and the oil and gas industry is no exception. Many companies have active LinkedIn company pages where they regularly post updates. Oil and gas companies are now beginning to set up their own LinkedIn groups in addition to their existing company pages to better engage constituents. Rather than pushing marketing content, LinkedIn groups allow them to facilitate technical discussions and really engage with customers, employees, industry professionals and potential recruits. A few IOCs have set up groups as a platform to exchange ideas and hold discussions around innovation, new technologies and future trends.
Although the oil and gas industry is still charting its course through social waters, it has come a long way quickly. The industry needs to take social media to the next level. For example, an industry that has long since mastered the trade show is still not fully utilizing social media during events. In addition, very few oil and gas companies are currently on Google+ and are just beginning to create mobile applications.
Now is the time for oil and gas companies to fully embrace social media and what digital channels have to offer. Exploration into social media has ended and the real development begins. Oil and gas companies need to invest in a strategic digital program to monitor and engage with their audience like any
other business in order to truly gain the benefits they seek for their stakeholders and the industry.

Aminex Current Status On Drilling Projects In Tanzania

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Uk- based exploration and production firm, Aminex, has answered the most frequently asked questions. The company released some answers on the status of its drilling programs in Tanzania. Some of the questions include.

What is the status of drilling CH-1?

The Company has finalised the Chikumbi-1 executive drilling and completions programmes, has identified and selected the service companies required to operate all aspects of drilling and, based on a competitive tender process, has selected Sakson Drilling and Oil Services DMCC to drill the Chikumbi-1 well.

What is the current status of Kiliwani?

The Company engaged Schlumberger SEACO Inc. (“Schlumberger”) to remediate and troubleshoot a faulty sub surface safety valve (“SSSV”) on its Kiliwani North-1 well. Schlumberger were mobilised to location and the SSSV was repaired. During the operation the well was fully opened and test gas flowed to the plant for a short period. The Company believes that there is a fluid column in the well and is analysing the operational and testing data.

Marketing In Oil and Gas: Gain Competitive Edge Using Publicity

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In today’s competitive environment, maintain your company visibility is important to economic survival.

It helps you communicate an unspoken message about your company. The message is “ We are doing fine, we are surviving and we are here for you because we have products and services that are in demand even in a down economy”.

Recognizing that people in the oil and gas industry prefer to do business with companies they know or  heard of with a good reputation.

Favorable publicity helps establishes credibility and maximize your company’s visibility. In turn, visibility establishes trustworthiness which is worth money in the bank.

Three main reasons publicity gives you a competitive edge include:

1.Enabling to reinforce a message who you are and what you do: You may think everyone knows who you are and type of products or services you offer, but chances are, there many people who never heard of you or are not sure exactly what you do. Getting your story into different media communications or publications help people know who you are and what you do, these generate inquiries and maximize your company visibility

2.Inform the industry you are active. Knowing you exist and remembering you when your services are required are entirely two different things. Keep your name in industry publications, reminds people and keep your name in front of them, so when they need products or services they know whom to call.
Enhance your company’s image and reputation across the whole industry: This is the key benefit of positive publicity. People tend to think about your company as a successful organization when they see your name regularly in respected industry publications.

 

3.Enhance your company’s image and reputation across the whole industry: This is the key benefit of positive publicity. People tend to think about your company as a successful organization when they see your name regularly in respected industry publications.

 

Related: Marketing for Oil and Gas: Defining Your Unique Competitive Advantage

Five Powerful Ways To Gain Competitive Edge Using Publicity 

Now you know why publicity is vital for your business survival in today’s competitive economy, let expose some ways to generate positive publicity that gives you a competitive edge.

1.Feature articles: A feature article is an article written and submitted to publications by corporation or business or entrepreneurs. The main goal for a feature article is to gain publicity and exposure for the company, its products or services.
Placing feature articles with appropriate industry publications is one of the most powerful and effective of all marketing technique:

  • Your message has far more credibility as editorial than as a sponsored advertisement. Because readers view advertising with skepticism
  • The publication of the article results in the credibility of the company.

2.Case history: This is a company, products or services success story. It tells how services were used to solve the problem, improve operation, increase productivity, save money or time. Example story ideas for case history include an outstanding story, customer success story, etc

3:Press release: The press release is a prepared news story that contains useful information about your company, products or services send to the press or industry publications. It uses to tell the media about your story or business in the hope the media will tell the public. The best way to benefit from the press release is to ensure you create a newsworthy event that has some interest to your target audience and the industry publication as well.

4.Newsletter: Another way to generate publicity is to publish newsletters and distribute for free to prospective clients, employees, shareholders and other people who might be interested in company activities products or services. The primary goal of the newsletter is to establish an image, credibility keep in touch with prospect employees, shareholder partners.

5.Take ownership of the industry events.Participating in the industry event can be a powerful tool to market and promote your company or even products in the oil and gas industry.

More than two oil and gas industry events are held each year in Tanzania. And these can be a good place to network, build new contacts for business development.
All you need to do is to find out the industry event that fit your budget and participate as delegates or sponsor.

Coming Up With Case Story, Feature Articles, Newsletter, and Special Report Ideas.
Here are ten story ideas you can apply in your organization to generate positive publicity:

1.Announcement of the new branch, announcement of new workshop or training or events.
2.Advice from an expert in your company. For example, your health and safety manager can comment on the way to reduce an accident in the workplace.
3.A view of high ranking women in your organization on the woman in the workplace
4.Story of volunteer recruited in your company
5.A tip sheet on how our customer can get the most or benefit from your services
6.Feature articles can people will benefit from joining the industry association
7.An employee who help young people in your company.
8.Interview with the company’s key executives, engineers
9.Oversea activities such as branch products, new facilities, etc
10.Productivity story such as new methods to increase productivity
11.The new joint venture, merger, and acquisitions.
.
You Should Use Publicity as your marketing If
You want to build an image.
You want to increase sales.
You are struggling to attract the best employees.
You want to generate new sales leads.
You want to expand your operation into the new market.
You want to increase awareness of your company, product or services.

Your Turn

Do you employ publicity in your marketing efforts?   Leave your comment below.

How Not to be Left Behind in the Current Rehiring in Major Oil and Gas Projects in Tanzania and East Africa

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The year 2019 is the year of achievement in the East African oil and gas industry. Chances are that many projects are coming on stream.

Already, there is the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. The Ugandan-Tilenga project will soon kickstart.

I read a good news on the East African media outlet last week. The media pointed out that the Tanzanian government will start negotiation this month with major oil and gas companies to define terms on commercial aspects of the US $30 billion projects. And they expect to conclude that by September this year.

 

All these projects present huge opportunities to individuals and business suppliers. But how do you stand out from the crowd? How do you capitalize on the opportunities in the major oil and gas projects?

Stick with me and you will find out:

 

There is a saying that information is power. This statement holds true, and that is why I want to give you this information to power up your business and career.

The more information you have about what is going on in the industry, the more you stand a chance to secure great opportunities.

 

The oil and gas industry is full of rumours. So, keep your ears on rail. If you maintain awareness in the industry, you will make informed career and business decisions.

 

But there is a lot of wrong information spreading out there. If you feed yourself with wrong information, you will end up making bad decisions. To stand out, always check the source.

Deploy Different Marketing Tools

 

Why do a job with only one screwdriver when you can have a toolbox? In the oil and gas business, it can be a little bit tough if you rely on a single marketing tool. It is the combination of marketing tools that makes you stand out. So, deploy different marketing strategies, ranging from direct email, publicity, networking to event sponsorship

 

Form Partnership with Prestigious Companies

If you think that you are too small to participate in supplying goods or providing services, go into partnership with prestigious partners for broader service offers and increased capacity.

 

Final Words

 

Oil and gas industry is a personal-contact industry. People in this industry prefer to work with and do business with company they know, have heard of or know are good company with good reputation. Any factor more than those are unproven and risky. So, attend networking events, join associates, and join oil and gas groups to keep yourself up to date.

Marketing in the Oil and Gas Industry: Does Your Business Employ These Three Effective Marketing Strategies?

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Marketing your technical and professional services can be a little bit frustrating if you’re unaware of the needs of and challenges facing the oil and gas industry.
This article will expose you to some strategies to market your professional services, especially the fact that deals are made through handshake and relationship.
Before we move into strategies, let’s first have a closer look at why marketing in the sector needs different approaches.
Intense Competition
It is not surprising that the oil and gas industry is one of competitive industries in the world. People understand that the stake is high, so  more people want to invest in the sector.
Consider the proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, for example. How many people are planning to capitalize on the opportunities in the project? I guess a hundred companies. I believe that the Procurement Department at EACOP receives hundreds of emails from suppliers each month.
More importantly, buyers in the oil and gas industry are more demanding: they want you to commit to long-term relationship with them. The quality of products is not enough to guarantee you repeated contracts now but ongoing relationships after sales. This will take your business far. So, companies, like yours, are looking for better ways to connect with clients and industry’s influencers. The reason is that these buyers don’t know who you are; you are invisible to them if you don’t have a relationship with them.
Increase in Similar Products and Services
There is lack of differentiation among competing suppliers and professional service providers. Many companies have no unique competitive advantage that would give clients a reason to shift from their existing suppliers and buy from your company. I call these _*commodity products and services*_. They _differentiate_ themselves by meaningless descriptions.
The descriptions are something like: “We are a leading supplier of spare parts in Tanzania”; “We offer quality services in timely manner and at international standards.” But buyers do not care about all of that. What they care about is how you can solve their problems, and increase efficiency and productivity. Each company must have something that separate them from the competition.
Buyers in the industry have a desire to form a tighter bond with few suppliers. If your company doesn’t have uniqueness, it means that you are telling the same story that buyers have already heard from your competitors. You need to tell them a different story. If you do, you’re giving them a reason to switch from their existing suppliers.
Multiple Decision Makers
No single person is responsible for the purchasing decision in the industry. Even CEOs first consult the Board of Directors to confirm if the company has been overcharged or not. The decisions are made by multiple people who have different power and influences. Even if you are looking to supply Maintenance Repair Operation (MRO) supplies such as pumps, fittings or fuel. Many would evaluate your Request for Proposal before selecting the qualified supplier. To make matters worse, the sales cycle is too long. It ranges from one day to months. Sometimes, it could take a year. The bigger the order, the more people involved in making the decision and the longer the sales cycle.
In reality, those who can increase their visibility by deploying many marketing tools in their marketing efforts stand a greater chance at reaping substantial reward. Those who can define their company’s unique strength that separate them from their competitor would stand out from the competition.
Setting Your Mindset
Now that you understand why marketing your technical and professional services in the oil and gas industry needs different approaches, let’s discuss the main objective of marketing in the industry.
If asked, most technical and professional service providers will say the objective is selling their products and services.
No. The purpose is not to make immediate pitch or direct sale. It is to build a relationship of trust. End of story.
Your marketing efforts should aim at putting you in front of prospective clients, building a database of qualified leads, and converting those leads into appointments, so that you can have a deeper understanding of their needs and for clients to understand that you can meet their needs.
This helps to build relationships with the buyers. And guess who will be considered when they evaluate Requests for Proposal from competing suppliers? The answer is YOU. That’s because they prefer to work with people they like and trust. This solid relationship leads to a lot of multiple opportunities.
By shifting your mindset and focusing on the relationship-based culture, you are presenting your firm in a positive light.
Rather than interrupt your client by showing up in their office or use high-pressure selling tactics, marketing and branding programs help you communicate your brand’s story in a way that buyers in the industry care and are passionate about. If clients are passionate about your offer, they not only give you repeated contracts, they become raving fans who trust you and want to work with you. That makes you a BIG fish in a small pond.
Turn Your Marketing Efforts into Good Results
Strategy #1: Understand Your Marketing Program Objectives
Whether you use direct email, public relation, speech, presentation, networking or ads placement as your marketing tool, articulate what you want to accomplish with your marketing and branding campaign. These two are pointless if you are unaware of your objectives or unsure of your expectations. Are your marketing programs aimed at enhancing the reputation of your company or developing leads and inquiries?
If, for example, your marketing program is designed to generate inquiries, then your marketing efforts would produce result. Otherwise, it would be a wasteful opportunity.
Strategy #2: Deploy Different Marketing Tools
When you are marketing your technical or professional services, keep in mind that no single marketing program can produce a great result.
Let’s say you have been using a direct email as your marketing tool to approach the buyers. If you measure the result, how many orders are coming in through that channel? Even if you say it works just fine for you, unless you combine a mixture of marketing tools, you won’t see a flow of opportunities.
No marketing tool works alone. Direct marketing cannot work on its own. Cold call or telemarketing cannot work alone, as well as proposals, networking, presentation and public relations. But its mixture will produce great results.
Strategy #3: Your Marketing Program Should Focus on Specific Services
Marketing programs work well if they are concentrated on the specific services that buyers really want. For example, if your firm offers maintenance services as well as manpower to the industry. You can decide to focus on single services along in your marketing programs. This produces a good result as opposed to trying to be general.
Final Words
Remember that no marketing or branding program will sell your services. The best it can do is increase your visibility and educate clients on your company strength and capability. This helps generate leads and turn those leads into appointments. Perhaps that might result into receiving a Request for Proposal.

Oil and Gas Hot of the Week (OGHOTW) -Story From Mark LaCour

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In our new campaign called OGHOTW, we post stories and quotes about the oil and gas industry that will give you new insight and take your career and business to the next level.
The good news is that the stories come from people who have passion to make positive contributions to the lives of others. They use platforms in the industry as a vehicle for that. All of them are recognized as industry leaders.
This week, we are learning from my good friend Mark LaCour. Let’s all face it:
“This is an industry of people doing business with people [as opposed to people with corporations or corporations with corporations]. People in oil and gas business prefer to do business with people they like and know,” Mark LaCour is quoted as saying.
Excerpt
Now, you understand the relationship-based culture of the oil and gas industry, that people sell to people who talk and think like them. Any other factor is unproven and risky.
So, if you put yourself in front of prospects, shift your mindset from making immediate pitch and focus on building relationships based on trust.
Do that and you will stand out from the crowd.
Click the link below to learn more about Mark LaCour

Marketing for Oil and Gas: Defining Your Unique Competitive Advantage

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As the oil and gas industry mature in Tanzania and East Africa, the competition continues to increase. So,oil and gas buyers have more choices.

Buyers in oil and gas industry have two options:

1.To buy from your company.

2.To buy from your competitors.

To stand out in this competitive industry, you should define your unique competitive advantage.

Competitive advantage is the set of your company’s capabilities that give the reason why buyers should choose your company over the hundreds of others that exist. It is also called distinctive competence or unique selling preposition.

Identifying your distinctive advantages will help you build solid relationship with client, charge good price and attract more business opportunities.

Lack of differentiation among competing products and services in the industry force oil and gas buyer to make purchasing decision based primarily on price.

The buyers in oil and gas industry have tough times evaluating Request for Proposal (RFP) among suppliers who lack the differentiation.

So,they do what they think is easier for them.They evaluate them based on price.

No matter how low you quote your goods and service there will be someone else who has priced their products or services lower than you have.

So if your competitive advantage is lowest price, quality products and services, or delivery time and availability, I can confidently tell you that you are limiting your competitive growth across the industry.

The Biggest Issue

The sad reality is that most technical and professional service companies selling goods and offering services to the oil and gas industry lack (ort hey do not define their) distinctive competence.

When suppliers sell to buyers in the industry, they often focus on features of their products or services rather than the benefit they offer to client.

They look at what their competitors do, and they imitate.There is nothing bad in modeling what is already working. But that makes you look like just another company who competes based on lowest price,quality, reliability and delivery time.

For example, a lot of suppliers try to differentiate on quality or price.

When I read marketing materials or company profiles and brochure of a company in the industry, I discover the following meaningless differentiators:

  1. “We are a leading provider of quality goods or services in the industry or region.”

  1. “We offer goods and services in timely manner.”

  1. “We offer goods and services at competitive prices.”

  1. “We render our services with high quality and safety of international standards.”

In fact,offering quality goods or delivering them on time is not unique. But that is the best practice of doing business in the oil and gas industry.

Again, delivering the services at safety and international standard is not unique—it’s just the industry requirement.

Even worse, every company promotes her products and service that way in the industry.

Related:Five Stupid Marketing Strategies to Avoid When Marketing in the Oil and Gas Industry

Define Your Unique Competitive Advantage

People believe that there is no uniqueness if what you offer is technical or professional services.

Whether you offer maintenance, repair and operation supplies (MRO) or consulting services, or even construction services such design and fabrication,you must have something unique that distinguishes you from the competition in line with what is desired by buyers in the oil and gas industry.

The first step to uncovering your uniqueness is to find out what buyers want and need in the oil and gas sector.Ask questions such as,“why should they buy from me rather than my competitor? Why should I win this contract?” Once you answer those questions, you will find your unique selling proposition (USP).

Here are characteristics of good competitive advantages:

It might offer strong value to the clients/it might be of perceived value to clients.

Competitors can’t easily copy it.

Are you confused? Let’s discuss a way to define your distinctive competence.

Internal Strength

You can find your unique competitive advantages in your internal capability. Find out what your capability is in every area of your company operation,from R&D, engineering, production, marketing to distribution.

What area of your company operation are you good at and that clients desire?What are the skills or knowledge that you think can product good result to clients?

Also,craft a marketing message that communicate your distinctive competence and put it in all your marketing materials such as websites, company profile and presentation.

Your Turn

What is unique about your company’s product or services? Why should clients do business with you rather than your next-door competitor? If you can’t answer this question, you are losing huge opportunities in the industry.

How Oil and Gas Companies Can Turn Stakeholders into Raving Fans

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Many oil and gas companies spend thousands of dollars in building and managing their brand value.

But in many oil and gas companies, branding is often the most misused and least effective marketing activity.

Technically speaking, there is one major reason for ineffective branding in the oil and gas industry, and the reason boils down to the tendency of the branding strategies to focus solely on increasing investors outreach,boosting recruiting efforts and creating a positive image in the community.

A huge amount of time and energy is devoted into attracting stakeholders rather than creating raving fans.

Instead of focusing on delivering amazing customer experiences, these companies use branding and communication activities to push and pitch their corporate message.

Your brand is more than just a company name, logo or website.

It is the perception of your company or its reputation. It is what people say and feel about your company and what they expect to achieve by working with you.

If your brand has a good reputation but not have high visibility in the industry, then it would be hard to build a solid brand.

A solid brand has both reputation and high visibility. That means that the brand is well known to target audience in the industry.

And the cost effective way to having a highly visible and well-known brand in the industry is focusing on creating raving fans rather than stakeholders.

The best benefit of creating raving fans is that they amplify your brand’s messages and they take it to the height you would never reach on your own with paid advertising.

Here are some strategies which oil companies can capitalize on to turn their stakeholders into ravings fans who will talk positively about their brand and spread their company’s story to their friends or even colleagues. This will have noticeable impact on their brand.

Show Them Your Efforts and Achievements

Investors who will like to fund your next drilling program want to be invest their money in a visible and strong brand. They also want to be educated about your performance and activities.

By telling them all the efforts that goes into your operations in extracting oil and gas resources, it gives them assurance in your company.

Do this by producing a special report that demonstrates how you overcame a unique challenge and take smart risks, or even share your brand success stories.

Related: Five Stupid Marketing Strategies to Avoid When Marketing in the Oil and Gas Industry

Once this report is published to reputable industry publications and distributed to delegates at major industry events, your brand stories will reach more people that you would never reach on your own with normal annual report.

Don’t let your efforts go unnoticed: tell them your challenges and ways you combated it, and make sure it’s distributed to the delegates at major industry events.

Make Smart Use of Technology

The reality is that the oil and gas industry is one of the slowest industries to adopt new things, especially new technologies. Also the industry is struggling to attract very talented people. For instance, your current workforce will retire in the next 10 years. Guess what? Your company will need to hire young people and students to fill the positions after the current workers retire. And the best way to do so is by making smart use of the new media and digital technology as well.

Creating amazing content on the social media on the way your company deploys new technology to extract oil and gas resources in harsh and dangerous environments, such as the deep water will help develop deep connection with young people and help give them the taste of how is it like to work for your company.

By doing that, you build an image as an educator or trusted advisor for your brand in the industry.This raises their self-esteem and they begin to think that your company is an amazing place to grow their career.

Make It Easy and Fun to Deal with Host Communities

Host communities support brand that care for them. When you demonstrate your care about a community, the community will in turn care about your brand and have positive perception about your brand.

The communities do not care about your company name or logo, but they care how your operations benefit them. The era of pushing your corporate message has ended.To build your brand,your marketing strategies should deliver amazing experience and, if done well,these communities will become evangelists for your brand.

Final Word

When your company has raving fans, you attract investors easily, and the best employees will want to work for you. So, it will make recruiting the best talents easier.

Five Stupid Marketing Strategies to Avoid When Marketing in the Oil and Gas Industry

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Whether you market directly to oil and gas companies or you approach their prime contractor, some marketing blunders will waste your time and money.

In this article, I will outline a list of common marketing mistakes made by companies trying to market to the oil and gas industry.

  1. Not Understanding the Goal of Marketing in the Industry

If you ask many suppliers and service providers what the purpose of their marketing is, they will say that it is to sell their products and services to companies in the industry.

But the goal of marketing and branding in the oil and gas industry is not to make quick sales.

The ultimate purpose is to find people who are interested in your offer and to put them into your follow-up database, so that you can offer them value and create long-term relationships built on trust.

After making a first sale comes the consequences. You need to accept the fact that people in the oil and gas industry do not buy right after being offered a product or service. However, you can immediately make sales once you have developed a solid relationship with clients.

  1. No Differentiator

 

I spend time reading marketing materials and company profiles of many technical suppliers and professional service companies. You can summarize the structure of their company profiles and marketing materials for most of these companies as follow:

-Company logo.

-Company name.

-List of products and services.

-A meaningless slogan claiming to be leading suppliers in the region or providers of quality goods and services.

In fact, most of the equipment and professional service providers have no unique selling proposition that sets them apart from their competitors.

Their marketing materials have been designed to be all about their brand rather than the benefits they offer to a prospect. These are the brochures they send to prospects.

Claiming that you offer good services at international standards isn’t what differentiates you from your competitors because every company claim to be the provider of quality services.

Also, offering quality services is not unique; it’s just the best practice of doing business in the industry.

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Your company profile, website and marketing materials are the most powerful lead generation tools you have. Because they give clients a sneak peek into how it is like working with you. When you write marketing materials, ask yourself why clients should buy from you rather than your competitors. Then write a material communicating your answer: that is, the benefits and values you would offer the client.

  1. Forgetting Online Branding

Digital marketing and branding are questionable strategies to most technical and service companies in the oil and gas industry. But today, buyers look for a better result at competitive rates.

They also want to be better informed before they make a purchasing decision. So, they do their homework online first before deciding to buy. They also research for specification and prices as well.

So, if you use your website and create contents that educate your clients on your experiences, or if you share something valuable on what you do, your company would generate new leads or even be considered at the time of RFP evaluation.

  1. Not Realizing the Power of Brand Building

Most companies in the industry have not yet realized the full potential of building their brand.

Your brand is not just a logo, company name or website. Your brand is your reputation and visibility in the marketplace. A well-known brand easily secure new business ventures, attract strong partners and recruit the best talents.

  1. Positioning Yourself as a Supplier Rather than a Partner

Buyers in the oil, gas and energy sector look for partners who will have a long-term collaboration in a win-win situation with them.

Don’t be seen as a vendor on the supplier’s list. Position your company as a partner who offers value for mutual benefits.