Savvy business owners who take advantage of Internet



marketing realize there is a fine line between marketing

and spam and orchestrate their marketing campaigns to gain

the maximum amount of exposure without running the risk of

being viewed as spam. The definition of spam is open to

interpretation but most people agree on the fact that spam

is equivalent to junk mail you receive at your residence.

In general spam is unsolicited emails which are part of an

advertising campaign. The term spam can also apply to

message board postings which are posted solely for

advertising purposes. This article will examine the

differences between effective Internet marketing and spam.

First we will consider the use of message boards for the

purpose of Internet marketing. Message boards are

essentially online meetings places for Internet users who

share a particular interest to exchange idea, ask or answer

questions or just socialize. These message boards allow

users to register and post messages. Most message boards

have asset of guidelines which the users must follow when

making posts. These guidelines may vary widely with some

being very strict about acceptable content and others not

being nearly as strict. It is important to follow these

guidelines because failure to do so may result in the

moderators deleting your account and other members not

paying much attention to your posts.

Message boards are ideal for Internet marketing because

they can provide a business owner with access to a

specialized target audience. If you are in the business for

finding jobs for employees who wish to telecommute, you

might join a message board dedicated to working from home

to find members who may be interested in your products.

Here you may learn a great deal about the concerns of your

target audience. You can also take the opportunity to post

links to your website when appropriate and in accordance

with the message board guidelines. This is considered to be

smart Internet marketing. However, if you opt to respond to

each and every post with a link to your website even when

it is not relevant and do not offer comments of value to

other members, they are likely to view your posts as spam.

This can be damaging because these members may opt to avoid

your website even if they have a need for your services.

E-newsletters and email advertising are one area of

Internet marketing which is most likely to be viewed as

spam if not done properly. Most Internet users to not

appreciate unsolicited emails especially when these emails

do not pertain to a subject that interests them. This is

often the case when business owners buy email lists and

send their advertisements to everyone on the list. This is

not effective because you are not likely to reach a large

population of your target audience. Additionally,

recipients of the email may block your email address so

future communications are automatically sent to a spam

folder. Some recipients may even report you to their

Internet service provider who may investigate the claim

that you are a spammer. A better way to approach the

concept of email marketing is to only send e-newsletters

and advertisements to past customers who have specifically

asked to receive such emails and potential customers who

have requested additional information.