ForumsAdvertising, Sales and Marketing

Affiliate programs are not (nor are they meant to be) a significant revenue stream for my business, so I can't say we actively "work" them like some businesses do.

In my limited experience, however, affiliate programs are most useful when you choose just a few highly reputable products and companies that closely match the content of your website (and that would therefore be of serious interest and benefit to your customers and site visitors).

Unrelated products and companies take up valuable web page "real estate," detract from your content, and waste the time of the very people whose business you are trying to win and keep. Too many affiliated links (or links to "questionable" companies) can negatively impact credibility -- a first time visitor who sees a lot of advertising for other entities may assume that your company has nothing of value to offer (and that your site really only exists to make money through affiliate programs).

In the context of giving management advice (a key part of my business), it doesn't make sense to me to put "billboards" on my website to promote a hotel chain, a cellular provider, a pizza place, or whatever -- especially if I'm not even a customer or advocate of those businesses. Yet if I happen to refer to a book (in the context of management advice), I will offer a link to it in Amazon.com -- and if readers click it and buy the book, it benefits me as the affiliate who referred them. So I guess I've "found" programs by determining that a company I was already a "fan" of anyway (and from which I had bought things myself, and would confidently refer clients) had an affiliate program.

Hope this helps.