Social media has taken
the world by storm since the mid-noughties; with over a billion subscribers on
Facebook and around 500 million using Twitter, the numbers talk for themselves. This world is constantly evolving as each
service tries to differentiate itself from the others, and for the most part each company
does a great job in tuning its service, making it incredibly easy to stay
in touch on a multitude of devices, from wherever you are in the world. We’re committed to social media here at
Assured Systems, as we believe it takes away some of the stuffiness of
traditional business and allows our customers and suppliers to see us in a more
realistic light. We’re using it to
broadcast pictures of our business travels, tradeshows, exhibitions, customer
applications, new products, our facility and whatever else we think might add a
different dimension to our ever expanding organisation. Going forward, this coverage will only increase, and the great
thing about it is that our clients can either choose to subscribe, or not –
meaning we’re only targeting those that would like to see us warts n’all.
This blog is a breakdown
of the services we currently use, what we feel the benefits are, plus where you
can find us should you want to peek into life here at Assured Systems and
discover why we’re one of the fastest growing industrial computer companies in
the UK.
Facebook
We’ll start with the
service we began using first. Facebook
has been around since 2004, but really started to take off around
2006/2007. Personally, I’ve held an
account since around the middle of 2007 and use the service regularly to keep
in touch with friends, old and new. By
far the biggest of the social networking giants, Facebook has over 950 million
active users scattered in all four corners of the earth, and available in no
less than 70 (yes seven zero) languages! A good example of how the service has evolved,
is the fact that over half of its subscribers access the site via a mobile device,
making Facebook an integral part of people’s lives. One must wonder how much its affected the
sales of birthday cards, no longer must we forget, we simply log in, get a reminder and tap a
message to our friends and colleagues. From
status updates, check-ins, photo and video sharing, online chats, calls, messaging, and events give it a very universal appeal. Here
at Assured Systems, our Facebook page allows us to post the latest news, pictures,
events and articles to our subscribers.
We post about new products, shows, and events we’ve attended – we
also show fun pictures of our clients, such as our ‘Mug Shot’ feature where we
asked customers to send pictures of themselves with our Assured Systems coffee
mug. All this helps lighten the mood,
and show some of our personality, which if you know us here at Assured is
always light hearted and fun when appropriate.
If you wish to see more of us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our page at www.facebook.com/AssuredUK
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| Assured's UK Facebook Page |
Twitter
I must admit, it has taken
me a while to get my head around Twitter.
My wife is an avid fan, and she’s always delving around in the lives of
celebrities and ends up in some very interesting places on the web (!). Like most, I opened an account a few years
ago but never really used it until we added an account for the company. Perhaps I was expecting it to be like
Facebook, when in actual fact if we consider it as it’s supposed to be - ‘a microblogging
service’ - it makes a lot more sense.
Forget about reading every single tweet, it’s about logging in and
catching the world right now.
Interacting with people you don’t know, discussing trending topics,
reading the thoughts of the rich and famous, sports heroes, industry leaders,
and whoever else floats your boat; with over 500 million users, everyone
can find something they find interesting.
Personally, I enjoy the sports banter, the humour and some of the
interesting articles to which I’m led when logged in. For Assured, we use the service to retweet thoughts, add candid pictures, discuss industry trends and connect with
likeminded companies and individuals. If
you wish to follow us on twitter, find us at www.twitter.com/AssuredUK
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| Our Twitter Feed |
LinkedIn
Of all the social
networking services, this is the one aimed at business users like us. Think of LinkedIn as an online resumé; a
networking club; and one where you can stay in touch with suppliers and
customers old and new. And as it’s aimed
at businesses, it’s arguably the most dull.
We use the site to post news updates, events and articles; you can also
see who’s been looking at your profile, which is always an interesting mix of
competitors and recruitment consultants!
You can find our company profile at www.linkedin.com/company/assured-systems-uk-ltd
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| Assured's LinkedIn Profile |
Instagram
Only started 2 years ago,
Instagram has already amassed 80 million users worldwide. This service differentiates itself by
offering a visual service based around a free photo sharing application, which
allows users to take a photo and make it more interesting with a digital
filter. The file is then uploaded and
shared with other users, who can comment on the picture. This service appeals to the arty marketers amongst
us, allowing what would be an ordinary picture to look cool and abstract. Within the application, users
can also choose to link pictures with other social media networks including
Facebook and Twitter, which allows further interaction. We recently added an Instagram profile to add
further interest to our social media campaigns - follow our progress by
downloading the free ‘app’ on iPhone, iPad and Android devices and searching
for ‘AssuredSystems’. More information
can be found at http://instagram.com
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| Arty Photos via Instagram |
We believe social media will form an integral part of more businesses going forward, allowing relationships and understanding between supplier and customer to reach new levels. Come join us and see what all the fuss is about.
All the best,
James Priest - Assured’s Chief Social
Networker
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