About seven in 10 small-business owners say they “strongly agree” that social media is important to their business, recently released data show. But they prefer to use some social platforms far more than others.

The most popular is Facebook, followed closely by Twitter and LinkedIn, according to a report from SocialMediaExaminer.com, a free online magazine on how businesses use social media. The findings are based on a survey of 2,573 owners with 100 employees or less.

Blogs and video sites like YouTube ranked in the middle, while MySpace scored the lowest, with Groupon just one notch above.

Small businesses place great value on social media in general, according to Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer. “They’ve always been the torch bearer for social media and our study shows they’re benefiting the most,” he said. “Big businesses can’t move quickly enough to keep up with it. Social media provides an opportunity for small, nimble businesses to get a leg up over their large competitors.”

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