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People are polarized about the social media craze. It’s an Internet tug-of-war between the believers and the non-believers. And one by one, the believers (the users) are dragging the non-believers (the non-users) across the line.

Which side are you on?

The big six – Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Ning and Flickr – pretty much dominate the market. Everyone who’s not in the big six goes into their branding meetings wishing their name were LinkedIn.

Social media, or social networking, sites have taken the world by storm. Actually tsunami. They’re a tidal wave of people, photos, videos and tweets that equal massive connections.

REALITY: Millions of businesses have social media logos on the front pages of their Web sites. How many businesses have your logo up there, and who wants to connect to your people? OUCH!

This online phenomenon has major business implications. Here are 6.5 of them:

1. Facebook – You have found your old high school or college friends – or better, they found you. That’s your “social” page. The business question is, “Do you have a fan page?” A fan page is the way to give value and attract new friends and customers.

2. Twitter – Newest of the social media sites, it’s gibberish to some, money to others and mystery to most. I tweet one value message every day. I tweet my own thoughts and words. And I recommend you do the same.

3. YouTube – If it’s a video world, why are you without your HD Flip? As you know from MTV, video killed the radio star. I have a dedicated YouTube channel where I post sales tips and random rants about attitude, trust, loyalty and other business value points. How are you taking advantage of YouTube? Where are your customer video testimonials when you really need them?

4. LinkedIn – All business, all opportunity, all connections. The key right now is to build a base of connections and consistently deliver value messages to attract more.

5. Flickr – Photos to post and photos to find. In a 10-year space of time, one-hour photo shops have gone from boom to bust. Digital images and photo printers have killed the radio star. Look at photos of others to learn about them, post pictures of family so they can learn about you. Attach them to e-mails. Use them in presentation slides. Post them on Facebook. It’s fun and a great way to build understanding and relationships.

6. Ning – The internal social network that allows company employees to communicate with one another about projects or business or both. A golden opportunity to produce more at optimum communication levels.

6.5. YOU – The largest element in social media or social networking is you. What you do, what you post, what you tweet, what you shoot, what you record and the work (dedication) to make your personal message and your personal brand attractive.

There are key words to consider as you try to build your social media world: Connections, attract, video, value, consistent, fan, relevance, write, allocate, monetize.

But there’s a secret. How you position and promote yourself in the NON-social media world is critical to your success in the social media world. Your writing, your Web site, your blog, your e-zine, your personal brand in your marketplace, your perceived value in the marketplace and your reputation are elements of attraction that affect your social media status – and your success.

There are billions of dollars of new business being generating by social media – how much of it will you get? Maybe you need to get a bit more serious about being a bit more social.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2009 Jeffrey H. Gitomer