The survey found that those who think social media can increase their profit believe it can do so through promoting their company's brand or reputation (64%); providing broader access to consumers (63%); and encouraging word of mouth endorsements and referrals (62%). The top reasons business owners cited for not using social media are they don't think it is a valuable tool (29%) and they lack knowledge about social media (19%). For those businesses that use social media tools, Facebook is the most popular choice at 70%, followed by LinkedIn (32%), and Twitter (31%).

A social media presence takes time to build, and the impact on the bottom line is more difficult to measure than some more traditional forms of marketing. Canadian business owners surveyed say that 28% of their marketing efforts are focused online as opposed to traditional media channels.