In many online communities, one or two corporate representatives manage to win everyone’s respect. A sound insulation salesperson might act as the moderator of an audio forum, for example, sharing knowledge when possible. Sometimes, though, corporate reps are ostracized as spammers, and at BlogWorld, Brandon Eley gave some tips on how not to cross the line.

Eley, who acts as the interactive director at Kelsey Advertising & Design, started by pointing out in an interview with Abby Johnson that it’s “very unethical, and in some cases it’s illegal,” to use social media in certain ways. Don’t have employees contact anybody and everybody, post reviews, and/or pose as customers, for example.

Eley also noted, “One of the biggest things is to look at the space that you’re in and realize what the rules and guidelines are in that space. . . . You have to abide by those guidelines and respect them, and that’s just the right thing to do.”

As for what else a social media marketer can do, he said, “You can promote your products and services, you can answer questions about your products and services when people ask . . . .” Furthermore, “It’s really easy to look at other brands that are making good examples, and follow those good examples,” Eley stated.

Finally, on the subject of what marketers can teach to bloggers, Eley had a couple more ideas. He suggested that bloggers define their ultimate goals – like a book deal, perhaps – rather than just focus on traffic and advertising.

Eley said bloggers should learn about calls to action, and use Google Website Optimizer and Google Analytics, as well.