Small business owners are investing more time and money in social media to market their business but are stuggling with the additional workload, and relatively few are measuring the return on their investment, according to new survey data released by online marketing firm Vertical Response.

Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform among small business owners, followed by Twitter. Google+ and Pinterest have yet to catch on with this group. Writing about the study results on Forbes.com, Carol Tice makes the case for LinkedIn:

One point that surprised me: Half of the business owners said they never use LinkedIn. Since many respondents are solopreneurs, I think that’s a mistake.

My experience as a solo owner of my own freelance writing and coaching business is that LinkedIn is the online phone book for hiring solopreneurs. Heavyweight companies do searches on there every day, looking for providers to hire.

Seems foolish not to have a presence on LinkedIn, especially when the platform demands so much less of you than Facebook or Twitter. A weekly status update and maybe a few questions answered or comments made in groups, and you’re good. But only six percent of owners said they’re on LinkedIn once a week, and others were there even less.