Social media has been around for years, and while consumers took quickly to it, businesses have taken longer to figure out how heavyweights like Facebook and Twitter can benefit them. That's slowly changing. With over 300 Twitter accounts and 250 Facebook accounts, Whole Foods
has a bustling online community where grocers and shoppers can directly communicate. Meanwhile, Dell
(DELL) has a Social Media Listening Command Center keeping tabs on the 25,000 or so daily conversations about the company. Expect more companies -- consumer and enterprise -- to follow suit next year, which as Deloitte principal Mark White says, will lead to cheaper, better, and faster performance.
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