Tailoring  Your  Online  Image    Trimming  the  Excess  to  Get    

a  Good  Social  Fit    

Bri;any  Thomas  Coordinator,  External  Affairs  Cabot  Oil  &  Gas  CorporaDon  @Bri;_Thomas  

 

About  Cabot  Oil  &  Gas  CorporaDon  •  Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation is an

independent natural gas producer and a leading developer of the natural gas supply contained in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania.

•  Cabot was founded over 125 years ago in western Pennsylvania

•  The company came back to Pennsylvania – and specifically to Susquehanna County in 2007

CommunicaDon  at  Cabot  •  From 1888 to 2010, Cabot never had a person in a

position dedicated to handling community outreach, crisis communications or to act as a designated spokesperson

•  Typical approach was to begin operations and let the company’s good work speak for itself

•  This mentality lends itself to a very reactive style of communication, which until 2008 was handled by whoever could at the time

Deciding  to  Buy  the  Suit  

Or:  Determining  if  Your  Company  Should  Have  an  Online  Presence  

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• What  is  it  you  hope  to  accomplish?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

•  B2B marketing •  Connect with employees •  Connect with customers •  Use as another way to promote products •  Build grassroots engagement •  Provide an easy way to talk to the public

A:  • Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• What  is  it  you  hope  to  accomplish?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

•  We want to tell Cabot’s story

•  We want to be as transparent as possible

•  We want controllable ways to interact with the public and influencers

•  We want to share our story so that our supporters can share it with their circles

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

•  Having an online presence isn’t just a “set it and forget it” deal •  HootSuite, other scheduling options

•  It’s called SOCIAL media for a reason •  Two way street of information, discussion and

dialogue

•  Also take into account negative attention to your accounts and how you will deal with it

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

A:  • How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

•  Utilize HootSuite, Content Calendar of Post It Notes, Internship program

•  Formulate plan to respond in a timely manner

•  Do not feed the trolls

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

•  CONTENT IS KING

•  Repackage content in bite-sized chunks to send out

•  Don’t overlook your website, often has tons of dense information that is good material to focus on

•  As you create new materials, be sure to think about how to integrate it to your online presence

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

A  • Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  •  How will this online presence assist with the

company’s goals?

•  Which analytics will matter and who will be receiving the reports?

•  Social media may be (mostly) free, but your time isn’t – make sure the end result is a good use of time from your company’s perspective

• Why  do  you  want  to  have  a  social  media  presence?  

• How  are  you  going  to  manage  your  presence?  

• Do  you  already  have  content  you  can  share?  

A  • What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  

• What  results  ma;er  &  how  will  social  media  help?  •  Reputation management – addressing rumors,

celebrating milestones, getting our story out

•  Cost-effective vs. placing advertisements for coverage

•  Work-around difficult outlets

Tailoring  to  the  Perfect  Fit  

Or:  Determining  Your  Audience  and  How  Best  to  Reach  Them  

Who do I want to communicate with…

LANDOWNERS   EMPLOYEES   INVESTORS  

REPORTERS   ENVIRONMENTALISTS   COMMUNITY  MEMBERS  

STUDENTS   SHAREHOLDERS   ANGRY  PUBLIC  

ELECTED  OFFICALS   INDUSTRY  MEMBERS    

CONTRACTORS    

…and what do they want to know?

Forget  the  one-­‐size  fits  all  approach    

•  Look at the demographics and analytics •  Pintrest •  Banner ads •  Email click through rate •  Time spent on Facebook

•  Avoid a shotgun approach •  Again CONTENT IS KING so make sure you are

able to keep up with the platforms

Find  Your  Core  Supporters  •  You have natural allies – find where they are and plan

how to engage them

•  Let them become evangelists for your company •  84% of customers (public) trust word of mouth

recommendations (discussions)

•  Online communities are successful because of the QUALITY of members, not QUANTITY

Haters  Gonna  Hate  •  It doesn’t matter what your company

does, there will always be someone who doesn’t like you

•  Have a plan in place for how to deal with online abuse (report it) and how to deal with trolling

•  Address actual concerns whenever possible to avoid it from becoming a larger issue

Planning  ahead  •  Change is the only constant – especially in social

media •  Migration of younger users to Instagram from FB

•  Even if you have no immediate plans to use it, squat on an account name •  @CabotOG on Instagram

•  Allows you the option to expand without having to worry about the name being taken

Looking  Good,  Feeling  Good  

Or:  SeWng  the  Stage  to  Let  Your  Content  Shine  

The  table  is  set,  start  feeding  them  •  Understand the normal frequency of posting for each

platform •  New web banners/content once a month? •  Two tweets per day? •  17 Facebook posts per day

•  Tailor your content for the platform, there are recommended photo sizes for most. Utilize links to stories or press releases

•  Don’t spam anyone

Develop  a  unique  &  consistent  voice  

•  Not every account has the same tone •  Serious, playful, informative, find your company’s

voice •  Personal recommendation: Don’t sound like a

robot. No one likes robots.

Develop  a  unique  &  consistent  voice  

•  Not every account has the same tone •  Serious, playful, informative, find your company’s

voice •  Personal recommendation: Don’t sound like a

robot. No one likes robots.

Embrace  interacDons  •  Always encourage discussion from the online

community

•  Interaction between oil & gas companies online

•  Utilize multiple allies discussing the same topic or event for more impact – your reach together is greater than your reach individually

Embrace  interacDons  •  Always encourage discussion from the online

community

•  Interaction between oil & gas companies online

•  Utilize multiple allies discussing the same topic or event for more impact – your reach together is greater than your reach individually

Make  tweaks  as  you  go  •  If it’s worth hitting once, it’s worth hitting twice •  Watch your competitors, other industries

•  What do YOU want to read about or watch?

•  What does your target audience want to read about or watch?

•  What is the big issue for my company/industry right now?

The  Photos  are  Posted  and  Man  Do  I  Look…[Good/Bad]  

Or:  EdiDng  Your  Social  Approach  to  Maximize  its  EffecDveness  

AnalyDcs  for  life  •  Are you accomplishing your goals?

•  What are your audiences finding interesting? Boring? Reacting to negatively?

•  Numbers aren’t everything, but they are a good platform to build from •  Also relatively important in the oil and gas world

Embrace  Change  •  Company focus, product lines, management, areas of

operations and many other things will change over time – so should your approach to social and digital media

•  Work smarter not harder

•  Reach out to others in the space

•  Keep an eye out for the next Instagram

Dry  Clean  and  Repeat  

Or:  Wake  Up  and  Do  it  All  Over  Again  

QuesDons?  

Thank  you!  Bri;any  Thomas  Coordinator,  External  Affairs  Cabot  Oil  &  Gas  CorporaDon  @Bri;_Thomas  Bri;tany.Thomas@CabotOG.com