Forum Advertising: How to Avoid Spam Complaints

Many misguided website owners join forums or message boards and start posting their link in every topic they see. This activity will get them accused of Spam before the first day is through. Is it possible to take part in forum advertising and avoid spam complaints? With some planning and the knowledge that potential customers and clients respond much better to a person than a robotic ad machine, it is possible to use forums to advertise while avoiding spam complaints.

Forum Advertising - Establish a Presence

Before you post your first link, establish a presence as a real person on the forum or message board. Make an account complete with avatar and profile. People will check you out when you join a forum. The best thing you can do to avoid spam complaints is act like a person and not an advertising robot.

After filling out your profile and choosing a pleasant avatar graphic, it is time to start posting topics. Introduce yourself, chat with the others. Get the feel of the forum before posting new topics or mentioning your website or business. Some say an online business owner should post a certain number of posts before they even put their link or graphic in their forum signature. As long as you post on topic posts with good information, this is not a necessary precaution.

Forum Advertising - Posting Your Link

The best way to avoid spam complaints when using forum advertising to your advantage is by posting the link to your website in your signature. Most forums have rules about how big your signature file can be. Do not make signature files that are obnoxiously bright, large, or any that move or flash. Follow the rules and you can avoid spam complaints in association with your linked signature.

There are often other options for posting your website link in a forum that will also avoid spam complaints. Some forums have advertising boards where links are allowed. Others allow links to information or websites as long as they are not affiliate links.

Forum Advertising - Avoid Spam Complaints

Forum advertising is a great way to get your website link or business information in front of a lot of people quickly. Some forum backlinks help with search engine optimization, but they mostly provide short-term benefits. To avoid spam complaints, only conduct forum advertising after establishing a message board presence, and only posting in the appropriate places.