The use of social networking within business is still a pretty new concept and used by a small percentage of companies, but already there have been some very creative and brave experiments around its use. The results: so far so good, at least for some. Although not universally successful, some companies have managed their efforts in the right way and are enjoying the rewards. Having the potential to incorporate the collaboration of all employees, vendors and customers expands the creativity and marketing potential of a company exponentially – all at a very reasonable cost. The returns on that small cost can be quite impressive.
One example given in this article is that of restaurant chain Red Robin. Introducing a new burger can take the company a half a year to prepare and get it right. “Instead of mailing out spiral-bound books, getting feedback during executives’ sporadic store visits and taking six months to act on advice from the trenches, the network’s freewheeling discussion and video produced results in days. Red Robin is already kitchen-testing recipe tweaks based on customer feedback — and the four new sandwiches just hit the table…”
You can’t beat cutting a six month process down to a matter of days!
There are some more good examples in the USA Today article: Social Media is Reinventing How Business is Done
