By Mikal E. Belicove|For Entrepreneur.com|April 12, 2011

If you’re not only the CEO, but also the CMO of your company, you may be wondering if all of your social media efforts are panning out. According to a new report, you’re not alone.

While 90 percent of marketers now say that social media-related marketing is important for their business, nearly 25 percent are still in the dark when it comes to measuring its effect, according to the third annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report from Michael A. Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com.

Although it’s hard to justify plowing resources into something that you’re not sure is working, marketers overall have deemed social media a must. Here are six of the key takeaways from the more than 3,300 marketers from businesses of all sizes who participated in the survey.

1. Social media takes time. Fifty-eight percent of marketers said they use social media six hours or more a week and another third spend 11 or more hours a week on it. Those with the most years of experience pour more than 20 hours a week into the effort.

2. Have a goal in mind. Eighty-eight percent of marketers said social media was ideal for generating exposure for their business, while 72 percent claim it has helped increase traffic or subscribers. Sixty two percent of marketers added that social media improves their business’ search rankings. Other benefits of social media marketing include creating new business partnerships, generating qualified leads, reducing marketing expenses and improving sales.

3. Social media isn’t just useful for reaching consumers. Business to consumer, or B2C, marketers continue to place a high value on social media, with 90 percent saying it is most important for their…

Continue reading How Marketers Use Social Media