Joining an Oilfield Marketing Network in Houston
For companies in the oil and gas fields, an effective marketing campaign is essential in order to attract new clients, keep current ones and increase profitability. In recent years Houston, Texas has emerged as one of the main business centers for oilfield marketing. Companies with rigs in Houston have a lot of opportunity to expand their client base and increase revenues from existing clients as well as draw new clients. The following article is a brief description of Houston oil and gas marketing and what companies can expect from an experience oilfield marketing company.
According to studies, Houston is one of the fastest growing areas for international oilfield marketing. The number of oil and gas rigs in the U.S. is expected to continue growing for the foreseeable future. As a result, companies in the petroleum industry need to set up shop in the Houston area to take advantage of the many opportunities available in this dynamic city. A good company will be able to help a company gain a foothold in the Houston market while providing a wide range of services that can benefit both parties.
Finding the right company can be challenging, but there are some key things oil companies should look for when choosing a provider for their oilfield marketing needs. The most important thing that oil companies should look for is a company with experience in providing effective marketing solutions to a wide range of customers. Experienced u.s. oilfield equipment manufacturers will be able to provide equipment and services that will help oil companies increase productivity, lower costs and improve customer service.
Another important consideration for companies in the oil and gas fields is a company that is a member of a number of oil and gas organizations and the American Petroleum Institute (API). This means that the Houston-based API Gas Registry is certified by the energy industry’s largest trade association, the American Petroleum Institute. The Houston chapter of the API also happens to be one of the largest chapters in the world, with chapters in almost every major energy industry region.
In addition to having members of the API and the Texas oil and gas association, a good Houston petroleum engineering networking group will also be interested in seeing that the firm has memberships in reputable networking groups and professional associations. For example, in the petroleum industry it is very common for companies to be represented by a board of directors. It is especially helpful if all members of the board are also oil and gas specialists or have experience working in the oil field. The board members should be able to provide the Houston business community with industry perspectives and information that they would not normally be able to get from sources within the company. This is especially important if the Houston petroleum engineers are members of professional societies or trade associations.
A good networking group for Houston petroleum engineers will also be interested in working with suppliers, contractors and subcontractors from outside the Houston area. While it is common for refineries and suppliers to contract with local Houston companies, securing such agreements can take time and may require additional financial investment. In most cases, it is not feasible to develop long-term relationships with suppliers outside of the state where the refineries and suppliers operate. The Houston Petroleum Club or the Society of Petroleum Engineers may be able to help Houston firms secure long-term contracts with suppliers and contractors who do not currently service oil and gas operations in Houston but with whom they may want to develop a relationship in the future. It is also possible for these networking groups to develop relationships that could lead to more long-term business transactions.
Another opportunity for a networking group could be a forum for presenting information about the equipment manufacturers in the greater Houston area. In this setting, the members of the club should be interested in hearing from any possible customers who might have questions or needs regarding oil companies and equipment manufacturers. In addition, each member of the group could be encouraged to post information and pictures online on their websites, blogs and company Facebook pages. The information could be used for promotion of events, upcoming sales and promotional offers. Additionally, each post would have the potential to gain some “likes,” which would increase visibility in the search results pages of Google and other social media websites.
The ultimate benefit of joining an oilfield networking group in Houston would be the ability to leverage social media. As previously stated, many of these types of social media websites are free and can be used to promote upcoming events, blogosphere activities, links to company websites and pictures, along with links to stories and blog posts written by company employees. For example, the company oil rig lynx Facebook page is linked to a blog that contains company news releases and photographs of the rig on which the lynx resides. This allows readers to see what is going on at the rig, learn more about oil industry news, participate in blogosphere discussions and forums and access official company documents and applications like the oil field safety manual.