A report from Ad-ology Research found that Facebook is considered "very beneficial" by more than 45 percent of companies using the social network.

Small businesses using Facebook for their social media marketing campaigns are seeing positives from their presence on the social network, a report from Ad-ology Research suggests.

According to the study, 90 percent of small businesses will use social media in some manner in 2012, as just 10 percent of respondents said they will not.

Of those using social, 86.8 percent reportedly rely on Facebook as part of their social media marketing campaign. More than 45 percent of these businesses said that the website is “very beneficial” to their company, with an additional 31.4 percent reporting it is “somewhat beneficial.”

Effective social media marketing can help companies boost their visibility across the web. Moreover, it helps organizations appeal to and engage new customers and prospects that enjoy the ability to provide feedback.

Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn were all found to be strong tools for companies as well.

Facebook’s value to businesses is found in the network’s massive user base. Brafton reported earlier this year that the network now has more than 800 million active users. Another interesting component of Facebook was reported by its own data team, which found that the network’s users are connected by an average of just 4.7 users.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.