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Over the last few weeks the focus on a sustainable future has once again been pushed to the forefront of the agenda. As we all waited on positive news in relation to a sustainable climate future, companies in the heavy industrial sector are focused on the importance of the green transition.

Being closely aligned to the oil and gas industry we observe how often the sector hits the headlines and is demonised within the mass media. No one operating within the industry would claim that oil and gas production is “green” but with Reuters estimating that “Oil use will rise by 1.7 million barrels per day in 2023 to 101.6 million bpd”, the short term truth is that unless our reliance on oil and gas reduces, or alternative energy sources becomes more widely utilised, the production of hydrocarbons it still needed. Therefore, the important thing for energy companies right now is to focus on what role they are playing in contributing towards a more sustainable energy sector.

No one within the sector will fail to have observed, particularly over the last 2 years, a shift towards greener production. The focus and commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 is being seen across the industry as everyone strives to develop, deliver and demonstrate more sustainable options. Our clients, who are primarily located in Stavanger and Aberdeen, share a common goal; to be part of the solution. All our clients are addressing how they can be part of the green transition as new technologies are needed to develop the next generation of energy sources. From hydrocarbon production to carbon capture and storage, land and floating wind turbines and green and blue hydrogen, the need and desire to transform is evident.

With the green shift leading to innovation and investment in technologies which aid decarbonisation, our clients, and the wider sector are repositioning their communication to “talk greener”. However, from a communication perspective this can create a slight paradox; how to tell a greener tale without overstating your claim. We’ve seen many logos turn green and before this visual practise becomes overplayed, companies need to find ways to incorporate the green transition, while remaining distinctive. So how do we advise them to do this? How do we help them stand out from the crowd?

Here are our top tips for communicating the green shift:

1. Make a commitment; if you’re talking the talk, then you need to walk the walk. We’ve seen companies in the US face lawsuits claiming false advertising on low-carbon energy claims. So don’t make false claims or pretend you’re doing something you’re not. Make a realistic commitment and a plan to achieve it. Communicate your commitment clearly and simply so that everyone within the business knows the goal. Our client FourPhase has evolved their ESG&Q policy which is widely shared throughout the business.

2. Be transparent; show the journey; No one expects overnight transformations. This is a journey, so once you’ve set your goals, demonstrate how you plan to get there. You can also communicate progress to date. Our client Neodrill wanted to share their developments and also issued a call for others to change their standard practises to utilise greener solutions. As a result, we developed a “Do what you CAN” campaign for them.

3. Validate; benchmark, gather and use data. If you are not already doing so then start to calculate the baseline emissions resulting from your own operations (scope 1 and scope 2). While often overwhelming as a task, data is the key to credible communication. If possible, don’t just look at your data today, assess whether there is historical data you can identify and use that benchmark to demonstrate change. By benchmarking and establishing data your communication can be underpinned by fact, making it all more credible. If this isn’t something that can be done internally then look at getting external support. When our client Fishbones commissioned an independent study, we were able to use that data to communicate their impact.

4. Stay true to yourself; you don’t need to use the colour green to communicate your decarbonisation message. Ensure your communication reflects your business and values. We’ve supported our client Ace to tell their story in their own way.

We believe the focus on green credentials is only going to increase and “green” is likely to be a deciding procurement factor, along with HSE and risk, in the future. Therefore, make sure you give this topic the required focus and action. If you need help to evolve your communication in a credible, transparent way, that is true to your business values, then please get in touch.

Did you know that unlike a personal post, any content posted from a company page on LinkedIn will only be seen by the page followers? This is one of the the key reasons your marketing team are always asking you to like, share or comment on content. Without you the potential for company content is limited. Employee engagement and social amplification are the best ways to get your content seen and grow the page following.

On average, employees have 10 times more social media connections than their company has followers. In addition, content shared via employees consistently generates at least a 2x higher click-through rate than the post shared from a company pages. As a result, getting your team engaged and using LinkedIn can have a positive impact on the visibility of the company.

Why care about LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is all about building a professional network and the platform centres itself on building relationships. Engaging with even the tiniest segment of the 756 million LinkedIn users can have significant impact on your visibility as a company and individual.

Interaction is key

LinkedIn rewards interaction and engagement. LinkedIn’s algorithm takes interaction as an indicator that users are interested in a certain post and that the content would be valuable to share with a wider audience. Likes, shares, and comments operate as indications to LinkedIn that content is good.

In practical terms, this means that LinkedIn will feature the post in the feeds of those whose connections interact with it, or simply put, if I like something then my connections will see the post in their feed. In addition, the post may feature more prominently in relevant groups and hashtag search results. As a result, it’s through the initial and subsequent interactions (one of my connections then likes the post and it’s then shared with their connections…) that visibility grows. When done successfully it is also possible for posts to ‘go viral’ and break out of your immediate follower networks when interaction grows exponentially.

So how can we help make this happen?

Employee engagement is central to ensuring that you are maximising your potential interactions, unlocking new audiences and keeping your posts alive.

Not only does a strong employee response to LinkedIn posts demonstrate that staff are invested in the success of the team, but by interacting with posts, they in turn share the content with their own followers, thereby further widening the net of potential interaction.

So what can you and your team do?

• Encourage likes and comments on company posts from your team.
• When sharing, make sure you are adding text that indicates to your followers why you are interested and why they should be too.
• Demonstrate real interest in what your company is sharing. Was it ‘great to be a part of the project’ or are you ‘proud to have achieved such fantastic results’? Then share that with the community.
• Stage sharing amongst colleagues over the following days to extend the longevity of posts.
• Avoid cannibalising posts (sounds dramatic but it just means when engagement is drawn to a shared version of the post at the detriment of the original), especially in the first few days of posting.

By putting a real focus on employee engagement, you can make a significant impact on the reach and longevity of your posts without making any changes to content or diving into the realms of paid advertising. With these simple steps you can make the most of the valuable connections of your team as a springboard to greater visibility and interaction potential.

So why not have a talk with your colleagues and discuss the importance of engaging with company posts? Make sure you’re not missing out on unlocking your true LinkedIn potential.

Want to learn more about LinkedIn and social media marketing?

Get in touch: hello@project-neon.com

I’m sure, like many of you, my story isn’t totally linear and there are some good secondary stories behind this high-level one! However, to give you a flavour of me, let’s go back…

I’ve always been an organiser… Head Girl at school, Editor of the school yearbook, President of the student organisation at sixth form college and again at university… I’d have been a walking Hollywood movie cliché (although not with the mean streak!) had I been in the USA rather than the UK!

But 20+ years on, I can see that being at the heart of organisations, engaging with people, and communicating is something I’ve always loved to do.

Professionally, my career started at an Aberdeen company called Nautronix. I was hired, fresh from university, to be their Marketing Coordinator. Like many of Project Neon’s clients now, Nautronix had no existing marketing function, so I had the remit to jump in and make it happen. Fortunately, the CEO of the company was a big believer in marketing and a masterful networker. So, I spent many happy years building a marketing function, travelling to energy conferences around the world, learning all about the sector, and meeting a large network of fantastic people.

After six years, I decided to take a new opportunity at Seawell. Little did I know on accepting the role that Seawell was going to acquire a US company (and others to follow) and, upon acquisition, a new company would be born. My boss and I were tasked with creating a brand for the new entity, so together, with a fantastic third-party collaboration team, we created the Archer brand.

The Archer project was an amazing (and challenging) experience. There were huge expectations but a short amount of time to deliver and (as is often the case!) a budget that needed to stretch a long way. Since the new company (Archer) was going to be listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the whole process had a firm deadline and was a tightly guarded secret, only to be discussed with the board, my boss, and our third-party team. Due to the secrecy, we developed a code name for the project – Project Neon. Yes, the true inspiration behind our company name today!

With the new brand framework in place, we then rolled it out across 118 global offices and developed the brand to meet the growing business’s requirements. I was promoted to VP Marketing, Branding, and Communications and had the pleasure of leading a wonderfully talented global team, delivering marketing activity across the global business.

Although the 16-year-old Head Girl version of me would have been very proud of where I’d come, the truth is I grew a bit disillusioned with corporate life and felt the need to try something different.

I love being active, so a small Aberdeen company caught my eye. ActivityMix offered a range of sports-oriented services designed to help companies engage, inspire, and enthuse their teams – employee engagement. I won’t lie, it meant a drastic pay cut, but I was keen to try something new and experience a much smaller company. It’s fair to say that it was different in both good ways and bad. However, it was a fantastic insight into small business life, which ultimately gave me the confidence to set up my own company.

This opportunity presented itself in 2016 when my husband’s role was transferred from Aberdeen to Stavanger. At the time, I was on maternity leave with our eldest (born December 2014), but I was keen to return to work once he was at barnehagen (nursery). With the industry in a downturn, a distinct lack of Norwegian language skills, and a long-standing desire to establish my own company, Project Neon was born.

2016 was an ONS year, and you’ll find that our company registration was processed on the first day of the show that year! With my son starting barnehagen the week or so before, I’d frantically sorted the paperwork, some business cards, and a small website, knowing that I needed to get in front of my network at the show!

Now, eight years later, I’m proud of the agency we have created.

Claire joining me in 2018 was an instrumental shift, with her media and communication background fully complementing my own. As anyone who runs a business will tell you, it’s a rollercoaster and resilience is a key skill required.

Today, my role is founder and managing director of the company. I manage the day-to-day running of the business, as well as lead the commercial activity and drive our own business development as we strive to grow the business, attract new clients, and diversify into complementary sectors.

I am also still active with our clients and get heavily involved from a strategic perspective, particularly when we are onboarding a new client or for specific projects. I love diving into client work, but I equally respect the work of my team and know that in many cases they are better qualified for a task than me!

As well as being the MD of Project Neon, I’m also a board member for UTAX AS – a digital transformation company, creating AI lead products within the health sector.

Outside work, I fully embrace Norwegian life with my husband, two boys, and dog Albie. As a family, you’ll find us on the ski slopes, on mountain bikes (very reluctantly from my perspective), at the beach, hiking the mountains, and travelling around in our camper van. Since my husband and I are both active, we try to inject our love of sport and the outdoors into our kids. As a result, like many parents, our lives are filled with after-school clubs, and I’m an Oilers hockey mum in the winter!

While we spend a lot of time as a family, we also try to carve time for ourselves. So, every Saturday morning, I get with a great bunch of ladies for a morning swim in the fjord… yes, all year round! I’m also very routine with my commute to work, running three times a week.

As an immigrant, family can often take on new meaning, and I feel very fortunate not only to have a fantastic and close family in the UK but also a secondary family – close friends who we love to spend time with and turn to for the day-to-day.

It’s probably fair to say that Project Neon’s company values (proactive, engaged, and vibrant) are unsurprisingly quite reflective of my own. But from a personal perspective, I’d also add honesty to that list… a value I try to live by both as an employer, supplier, and person in general!

Quite honestly, I haven’t always made the right decisions. Saying that, I have made some great ones! But we live and learn. The path we take shapes us, and while I love the path I’ve taken so far, I’m always excited about the journey to come.

– Laura