Business.com has released a report on survey results culled over the last several months concerning the use of social media in and by business. The 42-page report covers how individuals in business are using social media to pull information, as well as the more global question – how are businesses are engaging in social media on a macro level and what have they found.

The survey tracks social media use and strategies in companies that have already adopted practices and does not cover the general perceptions of businesses regarding social media. Out of a total of 4,225 unique study respondents from the United States and Canada, 2,948 or 70% qualified to participate in the study, resulting in 2,282 completed surveys and 1,943 partial responses.

On the individual level, the report cites that:

Nearly 65% of respondents reported using social media as part of their normal work routine, including reading blogs, visiting business profiles on sites like Facebook or LinkedIn or using Twitter to find information and/or communicate about business-related matters.

The study charts how different individuals within the business use social media. On the organizational level, the study indicates:

Over 1,900 participants in this research indicated that they work for a company involved in social media initatives. The vast majority (92%) are directly involved in planning or managing these company social media initiatives and spend, on average, 18% of their time in a given week working on these initiatives.

There is so much good information in this study, I cannot do it justice in a little blog post. I strongly suggest those interested hit the jump below to get insight on how media is being used in businesses that have already made the commitment.

2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study, available from Business.com web site.

Hat tip to BeSpacific