When asked about the efficacy of social media marketing, the main benefits SMB marketers cited included staying engaged with customers, boosting brand awareness and finding new prospects.

The recent Small Business Success Index from Network Solutions suggests that a lot of SMBs are struggling to keep up with big brands. One of the leading solutions cited by respondents hoping to gain ground on their larger counterparts is social media marketing.

The survey found that there is almost universal awareness among small business owners of Twitter and Facebook, while half are aware of LinkedIn. This makes it somewhat surprising that LinkedIn proved the second-most-adopted social marketing site among SMBs, used by 18 percent of respondents. (Notably, the site – known for B2B reach – recently updated its social search options.)

Facebook proved to be the most commonly used social network by SMBs, employed by 27 percent of small business marketers. Investment in Facebook can pay off, as Brafton recently reported that one study shows Likes are linked to revenue.

When asked about the efficacy of social media marketing, the main benefits cited were staying engaged with customers, boosting brand awareness and finding new prospects. Additionally, 63 percent of SMB marketers say social marketing has helped increase customer loyalty.

The study also found that social media marketing is not detracting from investment in SMB website content. In fact, marketers (working with companies of all sizes) may find social media marketing is a nice complement to content marketing.

As Brafton recently reported, Matt Cutts advocates social media marketing as a means of enhancing search marketing and boosting SEO. Sharing good content on social sites can be a good way to generate inbound links and bring traffic to your site.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.