Relationship Marketing and Business Social Media and relationship marketing are now front-and-center in any business marketing campaign.
In the era of social media, relationships are not only important for business, but they are critical.
Why are relationships important for business? The well-known acronyms B to B (Business to Business) and B to C (Business to Consumer) have been replaced with P to P (People connecting with People).
With relationship marketing, the focus is on creating a long-term relationship versus traditional marketing during which the focus is "transactional" meaning going for the one sale, and then moving on.
How can small business owners get started with relationship marketing? Relationship marketing includes:

• social media
• your blog
• email marketing
• direct mail
• off-line events
• in-person networking.
  

It is coming from a place of service, such as "How may I help you" rather than having a hidden agenda.
People and the Internet combined make the basis of relationship marketing.
By personalizing and humanizing your brand, you get to know who your clients are and establish relationships with them.
This process builds long-term, sustainable relationships.
In relationship marketing, communication is a two-way process and is contrary to the old-fashioned big business method of commerce.
Social media has changed marketing in the business world and in order to compete and grow a brand, all businesses need to engage with their fans and build relationships.
Facebook marketing Facebook marketing includes:

• great content
• having an engagement strategy in place.
  

When a business begins in social media marketing, a Facebook marketing campaign is "hit or miss".
The keys to a successful Facebook marketing campaign include:

• consistent posts that are relevant
• timely posts
• educational posts
• entertaining posts
• When communicating with people in your network, always speak in first person.
  
• When fans respond to posts, it is important to respond to them.
  Watch your fan page and always respond to posts.
  

Time commitment How much time is required to do this? It depends, on which tools you utilize.
On Facebook, there is an app that creates a leader board of the top fans and it puts a point system that empowers your fans to step in and answer questions about Facebook.
It is a real time saver and provides your social media manager the tools to sort fans by their points, meaning who is most engaging within your online community.
Relationship marketing tips

1. Use people's first names when you respond to them to give your posts a personal touch.
   
2. If you have someone in charge of your social media, make sure you select someone that has a personal touch.
   A relationship manager needs to be a people person and be able to listen with compassion.
   This empowers your brand.
   
3. Pro-actively work on building your community over time.
   Focus on quality and be consistent.
   

Business has evolved with the dawn of social media The evolution of business has changed since the dawn of social media.
Businesses need to change their focus and concentrate more on relationships and people in order to empower their brand and build lasting relationships.