American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015 - 139

ConventionSection: North Dakota Petroleum Council

NDPC's Social Media Efforts Take Off
BISMARK, N.D.-Communication is
defined as imparting or exchanging news
or information. That may sound simple
to many, but in practice, it can be complicated and difficult. The tremendous
growth of social media has changed the
way communications strategies are put
into practice, and the North Dakota Petroleum Council is working to make sure
it makes the most of all the available
tools.
According to NDPC, its communications strategy aims to:
* Accommodate and advise the media;
* Deliver consistent messaging;
* Provide educational tools and resources; and
* Establish a paid media program.
According to NDPC Communications
Manager Tessa Sandstrom, incorporating
social media as a way of achieving those
priorities is reaping key benefits. "We
have found that establishing a social
media program helps us meet our communications goals and reach audiences
we may have missed in the past," she reports.
With its expanded social media presence, NDPC can better share positive
news about the industry that often is
overshadowed or ignored, Sandstrom relates. "We can highlight the contributions
the industry makes to our communities
and provide a platform where people can
connect, learn the facts and ask questions,"
she describes.
Improved Presence
Sandstrom says some of NDPC's most
effective sources of information are the
videos posted to the North Dakota OilCan!
website. These short video subjects feature
local industry experts such as geologist
Kathy Neset of Neset Consulting, and
facilities engineer Kurt Rhea of Secure
Energy Services, as they discuss topics
of interest around the Bakken, Sandstrom
describes.
Taking advantage of opportunities to
inform the public through a dynamic
online presence has allowed NDPC to
raise its profile not only in North Dakota,
but nationally as well, she notes. Between
the ND OilCan! page and an affiliated
community outreach program known as
Bakken Backers, NDPC indicates it
records more than 4,700 Facebook page

"likes" every day.
Managing the group's online persona
is an ongoing responsibility, Sandstrom
indicates. In 2015, the council has engaged
a social media specialist to direct its
online presence, she says, and members
are recognizing and supporting the results.
"We wanted to avoid the sporadic 'I will
post when I have time or when I remember' situation, into which many organizations fall," Sandstrom explains.
"Our social media specialist has improved our online presence," she continues.
"Now, we have an editorial calendar and
original posts every day. We are visible
on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,
since that is more and more where younger
people look these days."
NDPC established a Facebook page
for its OilCan! outreach and education
program four years ago, Sandstrom says.
It wasn't until this year that the number
of its followers increased sharply, she
details. This summer, OilCan! counted
an average weekly post reach, or number
of impressions, of 16,106 Facebook users.
An active social media presence not
only allows NDPC to quickly alert audiences of new developments, but can provide context, Sandstrom points out. Audiences for the council's communications
include political leaders, landowners and
sportsmen, the news media, business interests, and industry supporters.
"Our social media presence has helped
us reach our audiences directly," Sandstrom describes. "And when you see that
half of all reporters get their news story
ideas from Twitter, a consistent flow of
our message tweets can make a difference."

Online Offerings
With more people viewing websites
on smart phones or tablets, Sandstrom
indicates NDPC has updated its OilCan!
page to a responsive design that she says
will change to fit smaller devices or
tablets, while making it easier for users
to view and navigate the website.
"For those people trying to find information while they are on the go, they
don't have to 'pinch and zoom' their
screens to browse the site. They can navigate through easily to find and read what
they are looking for," Sandstrom describes.
"Furthermore, since Google search results
now recommend responsive sites over

nonresponsive ones, this switch is going
to be important as we work to escalate
the program and page as a go-to source
for information on oil development in
the Bakken."
NDPC also has seen how an energetic
online presence is useful for disseminating
facts when the news media spotlight a
controversy. When a series of train accidents raised concerns that the light sweet
crude oil produced from typical Bakken
wells was more volatile than other types
of crude, Sandstrom recalls, NDPC commissioned an independent study to investigate. The study concluded that Bakken
crude was no more volatile than other
light sweet crudes (AOGR, July 2014,
pg. 181). NDPC summarized and published the findings on its website for easy
reference and cited the material on social
media.
Another example occurred in late
2013, Sandstrom recalls, when an industry
task force was formed to look into flaring
of associated natural gas across the
Bakken. Within nine months, the task
force identified delays in securing pipeline
easements as a significant factor in operators' decisions to flare unwanted gas.
To address the easement impasse, she
relates, NDPC's website established an
easement information center, where
landowners could find definitions, a code
of conduct for land agents, a simple
project scope agreement form, up-to-date
contact information for pipeline operators,
and a pipeline incident reporting form
that could be submitted directly to state
regulators.
During the last holiday season, the
group recognized contributions member
companies made supporting community
programs. NDPC, itself, contributed
$187,000 to six charitable organizations
in December from revenue generated at
the 2014 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, Sandstrom reports.
More recently, she observes, the OilCan! Facebook page has featured previews,
videos and dozens of photos of NDPC's
annual CookFest, fishing derby and teacher
education program community events.
By sharing these stories and many others
across social media, the industry creates
many positive impressions and builds
support, Sandstrom estimates.
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AUGUST 2015 139

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