There are social media physics and if you understand how it all goes around, it’s easier to win the popularity contest. Here are the strategies that work across all social media marketing communications. If you represent a new, small or mid-sized company, here are the strategies employed by Fortune 500 corporations to own and grow the conversation in social media. They have teams cranking away on this while you are busy with seemingly more important marketing tasks.

1. Platforms: Which channels will you use and why? Social media should be connected to your overall digital strategy and work in unison with your website experience. Your social media channels will support business strategies across marketing, operations and finance. Determine which channels you will use for branding, customer service, PR, sales, marketing, recruiting, workplace performance, and so on. Today we see businesses find the best results in Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Reddit. Your needs will determine the channel that’s most useful, but there’s tremendous value now in having a minimal pulse across them all.

2. Resources: How much will you spend on social media marketing? A strategy is only as successful as your ability to execute on it tactically. Too often I hear proclamations of social channel daily work, but the momentum disappears within days or weeks. Set up for longevity. This should be an inbound content marketing strategy with a portion of your yearly marketing budget dedicated to delivering this experience. To compete with the big players, you will need a social media manager, art director, content creators, editorial calendar, publishing tools, and streamlined approval process.

3. Interactions: Have you planned for a conversation? The open nature of social media means a heightened expectation for transparency. Consumers will use social media channels for customer service, sales questions, and demands made in front of the entire community. Responsiveness wins the day. Who is responsible for each channel and what are the exact steps to take to respond? There’s great value in creating an editorial calendar along with a few scripted replies. Each channel deserves its own social manager and content development team.

4. Crisis planning: Are you ready for every situation? With social media interactions, there is an increased likelihood that a troll of an ex-customer or disgruntled employee for instance, will make nasty comments. We approach crisis communications planning by categorizing comments with Good, Bad, Ugly, Dangerous. If good, promote it. If bad, do not delete, but take the conversation offline, as in: “Sorry for the experience, I will message you…” Then post something new that’s positive. We do remove ugly comments such as lies or profanity. When the dangerous happens, one must take steps for security, like the ominous message that reads: “I’m mad and I’m coming there right now!”

5. Voice: Who are we speaking as and to whom are we speaking? Determine voice, tenor, feeling, direction and consistency. We like to employ a voice box. One voice can alter based on the channel and the situation to encompass different aspects of the business, the industry and the brand.

6. Social Vibrancy: Who’s talking about you, where are they, and what are they saying? We want to listen to the conversation, show responsiveness and create opportunities for involvement. There are extensive options for social media monitoring and listening tools. You can find a variety of free or small-fee service software options to plug in. Google Alerts is free and a simple place to begin. Often, we can leverage and connect with a movement or conversation already happening.

7. Value Exchange: What does the audience receive in return? Too often I see brands that want to use a bullhorn to bark marketing messages into the wind. There are always barriers to participation. It’s crucial to understand your story’s social currency. We must determine the messages that will drive an audience to socialize around it.

8. Success criteria: How will we define success for social media marketing goals? We know that an army of friends or followers is meaningless without the right audience and the right motivation to take the desired action. Engagement and conversion are the two metrics that matter. As with all things digital, social media promises data, to continuously evolve performance.

If projected ad spending is an indication of future success, social media marketing is a growing part of our communications and business solutions. According to eMarketer, by 2017, social media ad spending will surpass $15-billion in North America alone. As you grow your social media marketing plans and focus more resources on content strategies, I hope this list helps you focus on the elements that are vital to compete.

Ultimately, the secret to building the largest, most engaged social media community is in caring for your community. It is not a marketing trick. Simply show up daily with joyous persistence and an earnest message. Deliver your stories to benefit the community and in exchange, grateful fans will be waiting when you are ready to share the next one.