Incorporating a social media component into customer experience is one way to engage customers, according to Olalah Njenga, founder and CEO of the YellowWood Group, a Raleigh-based marketing and sales performance company.

One opportunity to do that is for retailers to ask their customers to share their positive experience or purchase on social media.  Retailers should also consider offering an incentive, such as $5 off the next transaction, if the customer posts a picture of their purchase and tags the store.

“Socially, I think brands want people to be more engaged and share more,” Njenga said. “So, doing something that will illicit that kind of behavior is something that brands should really consider.”

Hotels, Njenga said, have it down to a science.  When Njenga shares her positive hotel experience with the front desk, the first thing she is asked to do is: “Could you please share that on Trip Advisor? Could you please give us five stars? Could you let other people see that you had a great experience?”

By Tiffany Hsu - Los Angeles Times

The job outlook at America’s small businesses is the worst it’s ever been, according to the new Gallup Small Business Index.

Last month, 21 percent of small-business owners said they expected to lower head count over the next six months – the highest percentage recorded by the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index since its launch in 2003. In July, the last time the data was compiled, 10 percent of bosses said they planned to shrink employee ranks.

The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for a lot of small businesses. Here are tips from the Small Business Administration on how to get the most from holiday shoppers.

Are you, or have you been, a small business owner? Do you enjoy passing your experience to others? Are you willing to commit six to 10 hours per month assisting other entrepreneurs start or expand their business dream?

If so, Raleigh SCORE, which is looking for volunteer counselors, would love to talk with you.

The Small Business Adminsitration will offer counseling and resources to small business owners in cities around the country, including Raleigh, affected by the National Hockey League lockout, according to an SBA press release.

Wake Technical Community College’s Small Business Center was recently named the Research Triangle Region Center of Excellence.

The award, presented by N.C. Community College System Office, recognizes progress and accomplishments in the 2011-12 fiscal year in the Research Triangle Region, which includes seven centers that serve 15 counties.

The massive chain stores aren't the only ones getting into the business of gift card promotions for the holidays.

Several small chains, local franchise owners and mom-and-pops are offering gift card deals this year. So if you like to keep your shopping dollars more local, one of these deals might be for you:

Big business and small business have different views on whether changes to personal income taxes or corporate taxes should be part of the effort to address the so called “fiscal cliff.”

The issue is that some businesses that declare their business income through their personal income taxes face the possibility of higher tax rates on top tiers of personal income. Meanwhile, big corporations would be unaffected by the higher tax rates since they pay corporate income taxes, not personal.  Those corporations support lowering the corporate tax rate.

Read the entire story here.

David Grant, president of Raleigh SCORE—nonprofit organization that offers free counseling and low-cost education workshops to start ups and small businesses—said starting a small business isn’t rocket science.

However, there are a few steps that prospective small business owners need to execute.

Fiction Kitchen used Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website, to raise $37,423 to equip what the owners say will be Raleigh’s only all-vegetarian restaurant.

Kickstarter, which raises money to finance creative projects, has helped fund more than 30,000 ventures, including more than 65 in Raleigh, and has attracted more than $360 million since its April 2009 launch, according to its website. Raleigh’s largest successful campaign listed on the site, a book titled “CreatureBox: The Monster Volume,” topped out at $175,620.

Learn more a Fiction Kitchen, crowd-funding platforms, and the Jumpstart Our Business Startup Act here.