Having spent a good amount of time working in operations, I have had the privilege of working with some of the best technical experts in the industry.
Now, I’m not talking about the guys who are a regular part of the crew, although most of those I’ve worked with could drill a deepwater well in their sleep. The experts I’m talking about are the guys on the SWAT teams – subject matter experts brought out to troubleshoot problems when things go really wrong.
Everyone on the rig knows when the problem-solvers are coming out, and each rig has an opinion about who is the best at solving each specific problem. The problem for those experts (individuals and companies included) is that their skills are well known by the crews who have worked with them, but unknown and unproven to the rest of the industry.
For these technical wizards, word of mouth is the primary means the oil and gas industry uses to spread the news of a job well done, partially because of the secrecy that surrounds fixing a problem once it becomes pear-shaped.
So how do you spread the message that you and your crews are the best in the business? How do you stand out in your sector of the oil and gas industry if you are the go-to fix-it crew?
You have to become a thought leader in your industry.
Become a Thought Leader
If you’re not familiar with digital marketing, you may be unfamiliar with the term thought leader. All it means is that people look to you or your company for answers to their questions.
Online or offline, there are people, companies and publications you trust to give you answers to your questions. I’m sure there are people who have your number on speed dial and reach out to you when they need a specific type of problem solved. But what about the rest of the world that doesn’t know that YOU are the expert in your field?
Luckily, there are a few simple steps to becoming a thought leader in your sector of the oil and gas market.
Produce Valuable Content
Providing valuable content to the market is the first step to becoming known as the expert in your field.
Content can be anything from blog posts to videos to white papers – anything you can use to share knowledge with the industry.
Don’t let this part of the process scare you. Everyone has knowledge worth sharing. Just think about the last few jobs you worked on; I’m sure there are dozens of lessons learned you could write about. If you’re terrified of having to write more than a few lines in a birthday card, you can always record a short video explaining your process and put it up on your company or personal website.
Sharing Your Content
Knowing where to share your content is knowing where your target audience lives, works and plays. In the oil and gas industry, you should start with LinkedIn, RigZone, OilPro and Twitter.
You can share your content with any or all of the social platforms, but your focus should be on the one or two places your target audience is known to gather.
How often you share your content is also important. There is no rule that you have to share every day, every week or every month, but you should be consistent with how often you share your content. If you commit to share on a weekly basis, you should get your content out on the same day every week. Once you start building a fan base, you want them to know when to expect your updates.
Be Helpful
The oil and gas industry is a family, and you want to treat your online community as part of that family. In every sector of this industry, there are big guys with a well established brand and little guys just starting out.
It is important to help members of your oilfield family. Share content, answer questions and point people in the direction of their answers.
The more value you provide to the online oil and gas community, the more valuable of an asset you become.
The oil and gas industry is full of experts that know their stuff inside and out. It serves the industry as a whole, if the super stars out there are recognized for their knowledge and contribution to making this market run more safely and efficiently.
Contributor Patrick Pistor is the Managing Director of Lean Oilfield
Patrick is the oil and gas digital marketing expert. He manages the team at Lean Oilfield where their goal is to generate more qualified leads for their clients.
If your business needs to generate more qualified leads for your sales team, fill out an application to work with Patrick and Lean Oilfield at leanoilfield.com.