Ever since Facebook, Twitter and other social outlets made a splash in the business end of the pool, media reports and testimonials have done little but gush about the tangible benefits of these free, crossover marketing tools.

Then along comes a Citibank/GfK Roper poll this month of 500 U.S. businesses, with fewer than 100 employees, stating that 75 percent of the small-business owners surveyed say they didn’t find sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn helpful for generating leads or expanding business in the past year.

“Our survey suggests that small-business owners are still feeling their way into social media, particularly when it comes to using these tools to grow their businesses,” said Maria Veltre, executive vice president of Citi’s Small Business Segment.

That study also runs counter to an Oct. 12 article in The Wall Street Journal that observed e-mail gradually taking a back seat to “a new generation of services … like Twitter and Facebook and countless others vying for a piece of the new world.”

Change isn’t easy, but something seems amiss.

“Who are these small businesses?” quipped Crosby Noricks, social media strategist at Red Door Interactive, which specializes in Web development and Internet communications.

Whoever they are, she says they’re probably expecting too much, too soon: “You can’t just jump on Twitter and expect to be on Oprah next month.” Or they’re doing it wrong: “The communication has to be two-way. And it should be a soft sell.”

Ultimately a tool is just a tool; it’s how you use it that matters.

“The fun stuff starts when you’ve dedicated enough time engaging others in conversations around topics relevant to your business. You can’t just jump on Twitter and do a one-directional promotion. We get enough junk. Who wants more of it on Twitter?”

There are probably a few businesses that simply are not a good fit, she says, but there’s only one way to find out: experimentation.

“It doesn’t need to be your core marketing avenue, but even just listening and monitoring to what others are saying about your business is valuable,” she said. “It’s like a free focus group going on all the time.”

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Tray Tables Down: Virgin America and Google are giving the gift of free Internet service in a deal that would provide holiday flyers traveling to and from San Diego free Wi-Fi service. The two companies are partnering to provide free Wi-Fi access on every Virgin America flight between Nov. 10 and Jan. 15, including Virgin America flights in and out of Los Angeles and Orange counties.