As the social media landscape grows increasingly complex with the recent addition of Google+, many companies are leveraging the marketing channel to promote their products and services.

As the social media landscape grows increasingly complex with the recent addition of Google+, many companies are leveraging the marketing channel to promote their products and services. According to a recent survey conducted by Hiscox USA, 53 percent of small company leaders say their organizations utilize the medium for business purposes.

Small business owners said Facebook is the most important social media platform to expand their companies, with 28 percent using the social site for this purpose. LinkedIn was ranked No. 2 at 18 percent. Blogs were named the third-most important, cited by 8 percent, highlighting the importance of content marketing.

Commitment to social efforts seemed to be the biggest challenge for businesses, with only 12 percent of respondents citing social media as a marketing must-have. Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) said they leverage their social profiles when they have the time, and 14 percent indicated they didn't know enough about social media to launch an effective campaign. However, this might change as social marketing becomes more intertwined with email marketing. Plus, Matt Cutts has said social media content is key to SEO.

Overall, Hiscox USA found Facebook is the most popular social site, with 19 percent of respondents utilizing it. LinkedIn followed closely behind at 15 percent, while 4 percent used Twitter. Google+ was not included in the survey… yet.

While businesses have a penchant for Facebook marketing, a growing number of consumers have expressed distaste for the social network. Brafton reported Facebook had the lowest customer satisfaction record of all the analyzed social sites, which may help Google+ establish a foothold if it can provide an overall better user experience.