Marketing Strategies for Any Small Business

This week's episode of smart small business marketing tips includes a look at a marketing strategy that the Mandalay Bay hotel uses to increase its revenue -- and how you can take that same strategy and plug it into your small business marketing plan.

Our small business marketing guru also offers tips on promoting a new business, a handy resource for tacking news around the world, and even tosses in a rant about tipping -- because "marketing is everything, and everything is marketing." Just click on the video logo below to watch the full episode.

I have a bit of a rant at the start of this episode, on the topic of tipping. I get really frustrated at how tips have become nothing more than a service charge in the States. Anyway, I’ll let you watch the episode for more about that, and I’d love to know if you agree or disagree with me. I don’t have the answer quite honestly. I wish I did.

How can you promote a new local business? That’s our question in this episode, and I’ll share my suggestions for attracting buzz to get customers lining up to do business with you.

Our big marketing lesson comes from The Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. They have a restaurant called Bayside Buffet, which gives customers the option of buying an ‘all you can eat’ all day option. This is very smart for a number of reasons, but the key lesson is all about increasing the average transaction size. Let me know what you think, I’d love you to implement that concept in your small business.

As usual, let me know your opinion about the topics covered in the show to help your small business this week -- leave your comment below, it’s really easy to do, no registration required.

Andrew Lock is a self-described maverick marketer and the creator and host of Help! My Business Sucks, a free, weekly Web TV show full of practical marketing tips, advice and resources to help small businesses "get more done and have more fun."