WALL STREET JOURNAL — The vessel was one of about just 600 sold in 2009 by Folbot Inc., a small retailer in Charleston, S.C. " You can't buy that exposure," says the firm's co-owner, David AvRutick, who claims the incident speaks to the value of using social media for marketing. But Mr. AvRutick's experience may be the exception, rather than the norm. In its short lifetime, social media -- services like Facebook and Twitter -- have become popular marketing tools for small firms due to the low cost and easy-to-use format. Some entrepreneurs say they're highly effective, but new evidence suggests otherwise...

JUNTA42 BLOG — Two success factors: 1) Content Marketing Cannot Be About You and 2) Ship. Although this Inc. article from Joel Spolksy is geared toward entrepreneurs, it's worth the read. While I disagree with Joel's decision to discontinue his popular blog (the one that helped him launch and grow his business), the key to his commentary is this point...

HUBSPOT INBOUND INTERNET MARKETING BLOG — The "Your Next Record" contest has all the makings of an absolutely kick-ass idea. Submit your band's songs, promote it using viral marketing tools and techniques, and you have a shot at the greatest prize in the universe: Slash (the legendary guitarist from Guns N' Roses) will write, record and perform your single. You'll also get...

MASHABLE — PR professionals use social media every single day to get the word out about clients, to communicate with customers and to respond to questions or problems. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social sites have quickly become important tools in a PR professional’s overall toolkit. As one PR professional, Jeremy Pepper, told us: "There are so many uses -- conversational marketing, reaching influencers -- that PR is able to participate in conversations and answer questions, be a support system for clients and companies, as well as empowering customers and power users to be a de facto resource for your company, a champion for your products." We’re going to take a look at how PR professionals are using social media to achieve real results when dealing with business-to-business relationships, when representing companies that already have a well-known brand, and in politics. We’ll also look into some of the tools of the trade that PR pros are using to measure the success of their endeavors...

ZDNET — When one thinks of Cirque du Soleil, beautiful imagery and athleticism come to mind long before the nitty gritty business operations. The team at Cirque du Soleil works hard to maintain these images and the mystique that go with every one of its shows. However, just as many businesses are these days, the company is using a mix of blogger relations and social network outreach to help grow attendance for all of its home and traveling shows...