Social Media Optimisation vs Engagement

I learnt something useful today about Social Media Optimisation (SMO) vs Engagement.  For those of you who are trying to engage your audiences using social media, these are the two key methods that would help ensure a steady audience stream to and interaction with your social media sites.

According to Mashable Business, “SMO implies a scientific approach — updates are crafted with the intention of being seen, and ultimately clicked on, by your audience. Engagement, on the other hand, is about connecting with fans and followers. The idea is to build a community of vested members who will respond to and share your social updates because the content resonates strongly.”

Click here for the in-depth look at the two different approaches.

Quick Primer on QR (Quick Response) Codes

Since we last posted on QR or Quick Response codes, we have had some feedback that the barcodes were adopted in Japan a few years back. In the US, they have just begun to adopt the system and a few self storage industry players are already on board. In Singapore, I’ve noticed that QR codes are displayed on each Groupon voucher, but it seems not every merchant has adopted the system. Some either are too lazy or don’t have the system in place to scan the codes. As a result, customers can use the same voucher over and over again. I may not be interpreting Groupon’s use of QR codes correctly, if so, please feel free to enlighten me.

I did a quick google search and found a reader-friendly quick primer on QR codes by Dataplex that serves as a basic introduction to the technology for interested SMEs. Here’s the link.

Use of QR Code in Self Storage

QR or Quick Response codes are squares of black and white dots which, when scanned by a smartphone, direct the user to a specific site such as a website or payment site. Currently, only less than 10% of consumers worldwide make use of QR codes, but the technology is rapidly gaining new converts as it offers unmatched convenience and time savings.

For the self-storage industry, the use of QR codes for payment, for example, could reduce the reliance on physical kiosks, which translates into significant time and cost savings.

Here’s a video that demonstrates how it all works. If you’re a SME owner, you may find this technology useful too.