In this current age of the drop in oil and gas dollar prices and increase of tension within the sector, there is a deeper need for Nigerian oil and gas companies to be at their best game when it comes to providing relevant content and execution of value added marketing activities.

Here are key things to consider when building an online strategy for nigerian oil and gas companies

Customer Acquisition and Retention

The value of content, copy-writing, storytelling and excellent SEO in passing on relevant information through online channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Native media has been spoken about in detail by various companies.

Customers are making decisions to buy a product or use a service, not based on sales people or consultants but now they trust brands on social media than those that are not.

This means in this new age, it’s important to have a step up on competition from a digital marketing standpoint. Service providers can get an early bird edge over their competition if they establish initial phases of the buying process through their online presence.

As an oil and gas company, investing in digital marketing, even when the economy is down is a great way to gain some market share at a low cost. Investing in online activities such as SEO and customer user experience can produce positive results, especially during challenging times.

Social Media for Connecting People

Forget the debate of B2C or B2B, as long as it’s people at the other end of the line, that’s your focus. It’s people that run companies, and these people are online and social media, and it’s your job to ensure that for your oil and gas brand, the people that you’re targeting, whether CEO’s of multinationals, or Governors, that they get to see your brand in the right perspective.

I’m just as guilty as anyone for often associating content marketing and social media with the B2C world, but the oil & gas industry has just as much to gain with these tools

And when you think about it, every single person is affected by energy, the Gas and kerosine used in the houses, fuel bought in the care. A company like Shell Nigeria, do a lot of Youtube marketing to show what they do and what their brand represents.

By using social media in the right context, energy companies are forming connections with an online community they might otherwise not reach, while engaging their own employees who define their culture and are ambassadors for the brand.

Good Online Strategy Leads to Positive ROI

It’s very easy for your In-house digital marketing team to be confused about the right metrics to focus on, things such as “likes” and “tweets” are great but they are not what to focus on as primary digital marketing metrics, unless your online activities will just be viewed as an expense.

But when you view each activity as a cost to acquire a lead or a signup cost, it then shows that your digital marketing activities is directly related to your budget and requires some attention when reevaluating your budget.

With the right metrics and tools in place, marketing efforts can and should be linked to measurable financial gains.

With a strong CRM and business intelligence tools, it becomes possible to show finance, sales, and the C-suite that marketing is creating demand and revenue. With those pieces in place, marketing goes from being a cost, to a driver of growth.

While the oil & gas industry remains in a valley in its business cycle, energy companies will be looking for ways to control costs and maintain through these tough times, but the best will still be looking to expand their market presence.

Having a digital strategy, including strong content, in the right context, with metrics linked back to the business’ KPIs can and should be a core aspect of that plan to continue to drive growth and differentiation in the increasingly competitive energy sector.