Will affiliate marketing work for small business? If the associations an member organizations will help its members realize the value of giving before receiving, it should. Many of our member associations want membership fees before they think of partnering with businesses that can help them grow. Media companies barter services all the time to get free publicity. Small businesses can leverage off of others marketing, websites, print materials and essentially have a small and highly effective group marketing company.

A membership to a publicist or business consultant could be one idea. Paying a consultant $200 an hour is not cost effective for small businesses since they already have significant abilities to do-it-themselves. They are much more likely to pay a monthly fee for information than a one-lump sum for anything much of anything, including airline tickets, these days...90 days no interest, they love it! More money in their pocket means more opportunity to put people to work....lower the unemployment rate, help the economy, lower interest rates....the list goes on and on.

Let's give these guys a break and make it easier for them to sell their product, and most importantly, lets buy it from them, even if it is $4.00 more expensive than the big-guys...I recommend all businesses add an affiliate page to their website and pop up a link with a testimonial about how another person's company helped them! WOM is great, but since everyone searches the net for information, it should be there, too.

Just food for thought.

Happy Affiliating!

Founder, Dayna Marcum, a former executive recruiter, and native Houstonian seeks to define a healthy internet perception and it's ability to connect the world. Local Reach LLC consults to help prepare local charities and ministry operations to enter viral marketing space free of charge.