Clickz.com has a feature article up now about how several small businesses are using social media like Twitter and Facebook to weather the recession and drive business to their sites.

Businesses like Axel’s Food & Ice Cream are using non-traditional methods to build their brand and generate buzz:

Axel’s Food & Ice Cream was named after a dog – Axel – that passed away two years ago and therefore didn’t get to witness the positive effect social media had on his namesake business. The seasonal ice cream business, based in Merrimack, NH, is currently closed for the New England winter, but is gearing up to push deals via Facebook, Twitter, and AxelsFoodandIceCream.com for the second consecutive year.

In 2009, said founder Kristen Costa, the social sites were marketing boons to her drive-in/sit-down establishment. An interesting loss-leader she’s run via Facebook and Twitter is the “Doggy Sundae,” a free ice cream treat for dogs brought in by their owners.

“We want people to post their pictures of their dogs eating their ‘Doggy Sundae,’” Costa explained. “We are definitely going to be doing more [social media] efforts this year.”

Read the whole article here.