Social Media Guidelines for Sections and Student Chapters


WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM SHOULD I USE?

Choose the platform that works best for your audience. Do they primarily use Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Determine the channel that works best for your members and update frequently.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I POST?

Social media is 24/7, all year long. As such, it is critical to update your content regularly. At a minimum, post at least once a week. Three times a week is ideal.

WHAT SHOULD I POST?

Post original, engaging content regularly. Some ideas include:

  • Specific call-to-action (register for an event, renew membership, etc.)
  • Statistics/Fun Facts about your section/chapter
  • Photos/Videos/Presentations/Slideshows
  • Member Quotes/Testimonials/Positive Feedback
  • Announcements/Milestones
  • Questions/Quizzes you would like to ask your members

In all cases, Section and Chapters must also adhere to the SPE Logo Policy.

To generate more conversation and interest in your posts, consider these tips and tricks:

FACEBOOK

  • Tag Society of Petroleum of Engineers in your posts when relevant. This makes your shared content searchable and visible to the entire SPE Facebook community.
  • Write on the SPE Facebook wall to share updates, photos, ask questions, etc. This makes your content visible to SPE followers.

TWITTER

  • Mention and retweet @SPEtweets on Twitter. Engaging with us makes your profile more credible and legitimate.
  • Use hashtags. They make your content more searchable, categorized, and part of the SPE conversation. Some key hashtags to include are #WeAreSPE,  #SPEevents,and  #SPEWEBEVENTS.

LINKEDIN

All LinkedIn groups need to be a “subgroup” of the official SPE group. This gives the subgroup credibility and makes it a part of the SPE LinkedIn community.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I RECEIVE A NEGATIVE COMMENT?

In the event of negative or disparaging comments or content not in line with SPE’s mission, protocol is to remove the post and block the user. This is not to be confused with criticism of SPE, SPE affiliates or SPE Members. The protocol in this instance is to not delete the criticism, but address the criticism with facts.

SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES

  • Be concise. Generally, readers are more prone to skip your post entirely if it is too drawn out. Post in the clearest, shortest form possible.
  • Consider your audience. Remember that your readers are comprised of diverse backgrounds. Also consider the platforms. People on Facebook, may not want the same type of information as on Twitter or LinkedIn.
  • Bring value. Everything posted reflects SPE’s reputation and influence. Be sure that your posts are of a topic of interest.
  • Be responsible for what you write. Exercise good judgment and common sense when developing posts. If you think it is inappropriate or may not be received as your intended purpose, it’s probably best to refrain from it.
  • Avoid copyright infringement. As SPE holds the right to all developed content (including photos, video, technical papers, etc.), SPE reserves the right of approval regarding use of content and the right to remove content used without approval from SPE.