There are going to be hurdles in devising a social media strategy. Thinking about the trouble spots will help you plan on overcoming them when they arise. Keeping documentation of contingency plans will provide you with actions to take from a cool and considered frame of mind, instead of from the panicked fray of mid-crisis. More thoughtful planning in addressing challenges will result in better outcomes.

Write down a number of challenges that you are likely to face in devising a social media program. The following list contains some possible challenges that you may encounter. Rank the challenges in order of most difficult to the least difficult to overcome (1-12):

Take four of the most difficult challenges to overcome and write plans for overcoming them. Budget lead time, necessary roles to fulfill the tasks, and expenses to address each plan. Also note triggers that will indicate when a particular challenge plan should be considered for adoption, and possible alternatives. These triggers will help you identify the signs of an impending challenge prior to acting upon them.

As you have time, take the next four challenges and write plans for them. The important thing is to consider the most difficult challenges with as much lead time as possible.