However, November brings more opportunities to small business in America thanks to Small Business Saturday. Held on the 26th, this event aims to raise awareness for independent business, prompting people to “shop small.” The event has its own Facebook page, where users can show their support for small business and even “pledge to shop small” and share with their friends.
Users can also register on this page and receive $25 back for a purchase of more than $25 from a small business when using their American Express card.

Facebook users can log in and “like” the posted businesses. This gives merchants free and useful exposure, and a platform to advertise any special deals going on during November 26. In addition, the “Small Business Saturday” page offers free promotional materials for merchants, such as e-marketing materials, in-store signage, and even $100 worth of free Facebook ads targeted to your area.

This will be the second year that Small Business Saturday takes place.

The restaurant itself is more geared towards an adult demographic, boasting a large bar and an “upscale casual” atmosphere. Not exactly a Chuck E. Cheese environment. Of course, if parents want to enjoy a nice dinner out with their kids, they should be able to do so. But they should also educate their kids on basic manners. One of the restaurant’s owner’s problems was that parents took offense when staff would ask them to quiet down their kids.

What is interesting in all of this is that the article on Msnbc also included a poll, asking readers if they agree with this type of “no kids” regulation. Only 3% voted that it was unfair, while 44% agreed with the ban, and 53% voted that it was OK depending on the place.

As a business owner, would you consider restricting entrance into your establishment  in order to preserve its atmosphere?

-Photo courtesy of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Information Cards uses a digital version of a wallet, called a selector, to electronically store all your cards in one place. Unlike Google Wallet, the Information Card system is used exclusively for web-based transactions. Some computers already come with a selector, in the form of Microsoft Vista’s Windows CardSpace.

In fact, according to the Information Cards website, Microsoft is one of their “steering members,” along with Deutsche Telekom (known Stateside as T-Mobile), Oracle, and PayPal.

The goal of this product is to make online transactions faster and safer. The user doesn’t have to type in any information (since it’s already stored in the selector) or remember passwords. In addition, this device only sends out encrypted information, which makes it more secure against phishing and other hacking attacks.

There are 2 types of card that users can include in their selectors: personal cards and managed cards.

• Personal Cards: If you own a selector, you can make a personal card with your basic information, including name, address, e-mail, phone number(s), birth date, gender, and website. You can have as many personal cards as you want, i.e. one for work and one for personal use.
• Managed Cards: These are issued by the websites who accept Information Cards. They will store the buyer’s information to expedite future transactions.

Businesses can start accepting and issuing cards to their users in a matter of hours by using a cloud service provider. Here is a list of companies accepting Information Cards.

However, some business owners like to take a page from politics and have started to use smearing tactics. One of the more outlandish ones? Releasing mice in your competitor’s restaurants! Apparently, one resourceful pizzeria owner in Pennsylvania decided to take these little critters to other local restaurants to scare clients away. According to msnbc, police compared this occurrence to “food terrorism”. While you might not want to compare this to sprinkling anthrax on a salad, it certainly goes beyong your regular negative marketing. Not only is this a questionable business practice, but it also puts animals at risk. The mice used were domestic white mice, the cute kind that you can purchase at any pet store and are fun to keep as pets.

In this day and age, ruining your competitors’ reputation is a common practice. From fake negative reviews on various websites to less-than-kind word of mouth, machiavellian business owners can have their choice. But why not focus on the positive aspects of your company instead of pointing out (or making up) others’ deficiencies? If you have a good product or service to offer, you shouldn’t resort to posting bogus reviews or slandering your competition. The man with the mice in Pennsylvania apparently had rodent problems of his own, and decided to “level the playing field.”

Some businesses are addressing negative marketing accusations by using the internet as a way to have an open dialogue with their customers. Transparency seems to be their policy, and it works. According to the British MarketingWeek, dealing with negative publicity head-on has helped several companies build their brand and become more accessible to the public. If your small business has a website, you could benefit from posting postive reviews, like big companies such as eBay and Domino’s Pizza have been doing. Domino’s has gone as far as to include customer’s surveys on ther pizza boxes.

Small business owners can head to the Bureau of Consumer Protection and take a look at their advertising guidelines. There you will find helpful advice on how to avoid deceptive practices, the correct use of customer feedback, and how to represent your small business in a positive light.

Have you ever been a victim of negative marketing or have done some smearing of your own? Share your experiences with us!

For the Month of January

• Businesses that have fewer than 50 employees lost 12,000 workers.
• Companies in the 50 to 499 employee range added a net of 9,000 jobs.

These statistics paint a picture of an economy that still suffers from some affects of the recession but is also en route to recovery.  Small business owners can take various avenues towards raising money to build up their businesses, hire new workers and be part of an economic recovery.

• Obama’s recent proposals, including a $5,000 per worker hiring tax credit

-          View an outline of proposed tax credits for small business owners here.

• Business Cash Advance

-          Get up to $500,000 in unsecured business funds and use the cash however you choose.

This past four weeks has seen fewer Americans sign up for jobless benefits as figures have shown that executives are becoming more and more confident about economic recovery.

This past 4 week average has declined to 473,750 from the previous 4 week average of 481,500, based on Labor Dept. figures. Since December 2007 (when the recession began), our economy has shed some 7.2 million jobs. This improvement is a pretty good indication that companies will begin hiring again soon, which will fuel consumer spending and lead to sustained economic recovery.

Another good sign came today from the Commerce Department which reported that the U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrank 7.6 percent in October and is much smaller than economist predicted.

Of course it is still too early to break out the party favors, but these signs could be a telling indicator that economic recovery may be gaining steam.