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.