Social networking can make a huge difference in your success online but there is a bit of a fine line between marketing or networking and spamming. Let’s look at some examples:
E-mail Marketing
Marketers build e-mail lists and market selectively. Spamming would include many tactics such as anonymous email blasts, ignoring those who try to opt out or selling lists. If you want to build an e-mail list, consider giving away something for free, having a valuable newsletter or doing something else to build a list of people who are likely going to be interested in what you’re selling.
Article Marketing
Valuable articles will give the reader some information and may direct them some place they can go to in order to find out more information. They don’t generally contain affiliate links and they do provide value. If you try to spam through article marketing you probably won’t get very far because most e-zine sites have requirements and terms of service that prohibit spam.
Blogging or Splogging
While it’s perfectly fine to do advertising on your blog, you want valuable information there as well otherwise it’s considered a splog (spam blog) and you won’t have too many repeat visitors. Visitors who do arrive probably won’t buy anything or return again. Give people value and you’ll have more chances of making sales and having them do some of your marketing for you through social bookmarking.
Social Media: Don’t Be One Sided
If you’re constantly asking people on social networking tools and forums to Digg or Stumble your entry but never do it in return and never participate in discussions in a reciprocal way, eventually everyone will just ignore you. Reciprocate a little in your online marketing efforts and you’ll find a bit difference in how people receive you.
(photo credit: www.sxc.hu)
About Sean Rasmussen
Hi Sean,
I don’t spam other people and I’m not walking a fine line. I really try hard to provide value with whatever I do. I try to build relationships with people and work with them in a mutually beneficial way.
The online world is not much different to the real world in that respect. I want to receive value and hat unsolicited mail advertising for something I don’t want to know about. Only on the Internet there is less cost attached to doing so, so for some it’s very tempting.
But luckily I can leave such sites and block the spammy emails
Hi Sean
I get pretty irritated with marketers that send email after email with the latest greatest money making scheme. These people get me clicking the unsubscribe button. I don’t want to be doing that as I know how it feels. I subscribe to the belief do unto others as you would have them do unto you. it’s all about respecting people Social media is the same. It’s about connecting.
Hi Sean
Like Jazz,. I am very clear about my intentions and how I want to be known, remembered and seen.
My reputation is very important and the thought of spamming someone is not in my conscience. I like people and I know that creating strong relationships is also going to help me business wise too.
I do not see my customers as bashing boards for advertisers.
I detest spam, both digital and hard copy.
I don’t do email marketing and not sure if I’m even tempted to. May be missing the boat here, but sometimes even marketers that I subscribe to seem to be a bit overwhelming. Present company excepted, of course.
I expect an article to be a vessel of information and certainly don’t expect to see affiliate links. Not having contributed articles to an article directory yet, I can’t confess to any marketing sins or claim angel-like purity.
Seeing as my blogs aren’t currently used for selling I consider them to be blogs, not splogs, unless of course I plead guilty to marketing myself and Grateful We’re Not Dead. In that case, they’d be perfect examples of blatant splogging.
And when it comes to social networking I never ask anyone directly for Diggs or whatever. However I am prepared to digg or stumble any article I come across that appears worthy of such love.
So I guess I’m like a new child, totally untouched by the sin of spam. {rofl}
Blogging or splogging – it’s really a case of do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
This post just makes sense! I have experienced horrible attacks of email spam with my business email and it is such a time waster that any thought of doing it myself just does not exist!
Build your repuation positively – put the hard yards in and you will reap the rewards.