Twitter is poised to become an integral part of mainstream business operations and marketing, according to a new survey from MarketingProfs. Around 84 percent of respondents (most of whom represent small businesses) claim that their company's Twitter usage will increase and 46 percent say it will increase by a "significant" margin.

Respondents also ranked Twitter's value for business well ahead that of other social media tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook, and just below corporate blogs, which ranked at the top of the list.

"This data shows that Twitter users, typically early adopters, no longer think of Twitter as just a personal networking tool, but as something that can provide real value for their company or business," said Ann Handley, chief content officer for MarketingProfs. "Much like Facebook, Twitter is now moving into the business mainstream."