Online marketing and spam - a fine line to tread

Most people and companies hate spam in any way shape or form. We associate it with time wasting, computer viruses and taking space on our servers. It is a bit like someone butting in on a conversation between you and your friends and trying to sell you something completely in appropriate. It is irritating, pointless and out right rude. But have you ever considered whether your company could be guilty of the unthinkable crime of spam in some shape or form?

Spam is the abuse of messaging systems to send unsolicited messages and can take many forms including emails, forum comments and blog comments. Most of us would never knowingly send spam. But the line between online marketing and spam is a fine line to tread and occasionally it happens. Perhaps we are so keen to tell everyone about our website that we unwittingly ignore all etiquette. Perhaps we sometimes fall foul of the unwritten (or written) rules of the many complex online social networks. In some cases, we may have employed another company or individual to promote our website, only to find they have done so with unsolicited messages. As the word 'unsolicited' is subjective, there is also varying views on what does and doesn't constitute spam. Here are a few ways to help ensure your company does not get branded as a spammer.

1. Target your marketing. Make sure that you are sending the right message to the right people. They are much more likely to be receptive than if you employ a blanket approach.

2. Engage in meaningful conversations - try and engage people by instigating 2 way communications. Talk knowledgedly about subjects related to your sector. Give valid opinions.

3. Get to know online communities before joining in. This way you will be much less likely to make a faux pas.

4. Be a person - the more people can see you as a person, the less likely they will be to consider your message as spam. Add pictures of yourself to social media profiles instead of company logos. Empathise with people, reveal a bit about yourself and show your personality.

5. Don't leave your website/ blog address in blog comments. You will get a link through your name. If your comment is interesting people will click on this to see who you are.

6. Seek to become involved in communities for your own interest as well as marketing - you will seem a lot more genuine and will probably find them much more useful this way.

7. If using another company to promote your website, choose one with a knowledge of your industry sector and check out their methods first.

As with any marketing, online marketing is a solution made up of lots of parts. I believe that if you have the right marketing objectives and all of your marketing efforts work towards this goal, then you will be more likely to be perceived as ethical and not associated with unsolicited messages/ spam. For example, when you are building links to your website, each link (blog comments, forum comments, articles, guest posts) should conform to your brand direction. This way not only will you be building links to increase your search engine rankings but also marketing in general and creating positive PR. Links that are built through spam are not as productive and bad for a companies reputation.

You should ensure that any marketing you undertake is sending the right message and fits well with your company brand, mission and ethics.