Marketing Templates SWOT Analysis How-To Guide By Carrie Shearer SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats CONTENTS Introduction 3 Four Components of SWOT 4 SWOT Looks at the Big Picture 5 Guidelines for a Marketing SWOT Analysis 5 Five Questions a Marketing SWOT Analysis Should Answer 5 Internal Versus External Factors 6 Strengths 9 How to Analyze Strengths 10 Questions that Help Define Strengths 11 Weaknesses 13 Another Way of Looking at Weaknesses 14 Five Questions to Ask When Considering Weaknesses 15 Opportunities 17 Ways to Exploit Opportunities 18 Five Questions to Ask When Considering Opportunities 19 Threats 21 Five Questions to Ask When Considering Threats 22 Examples of Threats 23 How to Conduct a SWOT Analysis 24 General Rules for Conduction a Successful SWOT Analysis 24 Seven Steps in Conducting SWOT Analysis 24 Six Criteria for Writing a Good SWOT Analysis 28 Four Ways to Gather Information for the SWOT Analysis 29 Appendix 31 Additional Resources: Articles, Seminar Recording Author 31 32 About the Author, About MarketingProfs M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 2 32 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats INTRODUCTION SWOT Analysis it is a strategic tool to help an organization identify and evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a project, product, plan or business decision. It is a framework for creating an unbiased view of your organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses versus the external opportunities and threats which could hamper success. It is not a list of what should be done. It is a tool to help you develop a strategy to distinguish your organization from others providing similar products or services. SWOT helps you look at where you are today and where you need to go in the future. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 3 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats INTRODUCTION (cont.) Four Components of a SWOT Analysis: We will cover each of these in greater detail later in this guide. The following is a thumbnail description of the components that comprise the analysis. Strengths These are tangible and intangible positive factors inside your organization. They are advantages or distinctive competencies your company has that set you apart from your competitors. Most important, they are factors that are within your control. Weaknesses These are limitations or deficiencies within your organization. They are missing resources or competencies which might hinder performance. As you develop this list, consider both the organization’s and the customers’ perspectives. Opportunities These are major external factors that could provide your organization with a competitive advantage. They are factors your company could exploit to become more successful. Threats These are major unfavorable external situations that could impede your organization’s continued success. They are factors your company must defend against to be successful. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 4 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats INTRODUCTION (cont.) SWOT Looks at the Big Picture The goal of the SWOT Analysis is to summarize your organization’s strategic situation so you can determine your next steps. Therefore, it is necessary to focus only on major factors rather than to create a laundry list of every possible strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. Guidelines for a Marketing SWOT Analysis: ! Focus on a specific segment important to marketing’s future success. ! Focus only on key factors. ! Compare your organization’s strengths and weaknesses against competitors by focusing on competitive advantage. ! Answer the question, “Which means that ________________,” to help determine if the factor you are considering is important. Five Questions a Marketing SWOT Analysis Should Answer: ! What are our marketing objectives? ! What do our customers want? ! How do we differentiate ourselves from our competition? ! How can we improve our marketing? ! How can we distinguish our internal strengths and weaknesses from external opportunities and threats? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 5 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats INTRODUCTION (cont.) Internal Versus External Factors The four elements of the SWOT analysis can be delineated into factors that are internal and external to your organization: ! Internal: Strengths, Weaknesses ! External: Opportunities, Threats Internal Factors Internal factors are the strengths and weaknesses within your organization that impact current and future success or profitability. By looking within your organization you can develop strategies that: ! Capitalize on strengths to create external opportunities ! Overcome internal weaknesses ! Minimize the negative effects of organizational weaknesses M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 6 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats INTRODUCTION (cont.) Three Categories of Internal Factors: Consider internal factors from three perspectives: 1. Organization ! Corporate culture ! Resource availability ! Company image ! Operational efficiency ! Operational capacity ! Brand awareness ! Market share ! Financial resources ! Patents or trade secrets ! Key staff 2. Customers ! People who currently purchase your products ! Exclusive contracts ! Investors 3. Competitors ! Companies who sell similar products or services ! Brand awareness ! Market share M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 7 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats INTRODUCTION (cont.) External Factors External factors are elements in the external environment that could affect your organization’s ability to succeed and deliver value to your customers in the future. They can pertain to customers, market trends, suppliers or partners. Four Categories of External Factors: You can examine external factors from many perspectives. The most common perspectives include: 1. Competitive Environment ! Mergers or acquisitions within your industry ! New competitors entering the marketplace ! Price wars ! Technological changes 2. Economic ! Changes in the economy 3. Political/Regulatory ! Legal changes in your industry ! Political changes that could affect your industry ! Regulatory changes that might affect your industry ! Tax law changes 4. Societal ! Socio-cultural changes in the market ! Demographic changes ! Overall market growth M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 8 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats STRENGTHS Strengths are positive factors within your organization that add value to your products or services or provide a competitive advantage. They are factors that differentiate your organization from other companies offering the same products or services. They allow your organization to exploit external opportunities or respond to external threats. Strengths may be positive qualities of your marketing staff such as their knowledge, backgrounds, education, credentials, contacts, reputations or skills. They may also be tangible assets such as available capital, equipment, credit, customer base, distribution channels, copyrighted materials, patents, or other resources within your organization. In essence, they are assets that help your organization meet customers’ needs or overcome problems. It is crucial to be objective when considering organizational strengths. This is neither the time for false modesty nor the time for seeing your organization through rose-colored glasses. The fact that something has historically been an organizational strength does not mean that this will continue. New entrants to the market, changes in market trends, new products, or changes in the economy can affect the success of your products or services. Additionally, strengths can become weaknesses if your organization fails to nurture their continued growth. Think about your organization’s strengths in relation to your competition. For example, if everyone in the market offers high quality products, then doing so is a business necessity rather than an organizational strength. To help you identify strengths, consider why your customers do business with your organization. What differentiates your organization from your competitors? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 9 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats STRENGTHS (cont.) How to Analyze Strengths Since the value created by a SWOT Analysis is only as effective as the factors you define, it is important to evaluate your strengths from several perspectives. One way to do this is to consider your strengths in terms of organizational ability and the strength of the resource. When looking at organizational ability, consider the following: ! Adaptability " How quickly can your organization adapt to changing circumstances, both internal and external? ! Expansion " Can your organization continue to grow in the market or have you saturated the market? " How easy would it be for your organization to enter or create new markets? When considering the strength of your resources, think about the following: ! Accessibility " ! ! How easy is it to obtain resources within your organization? Excellence " What is the quality of your organization’s resources? " Are they up-to-date and cutting edge when necessary? Allocation " How are organizational resources distributed? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 10 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats STRENGTHS (cont.) Questions that Help Define Strengths There are hundreds of questions your organization could ask to determine their strengths. The following list highlights some questions to consider. Questions to Help Identify Strengths Evaluate Organizational Ability Possible Strengths (adaptability & expansion) Evaluate Strength of Resource (accessibility, excellence, allocation) What does your organization do well? What are your organization’s assets? What are your organization’s core competencies? Does your organization have proprietary tools that distinguish you from the competition? Could you develop some if necessary? What relevant skills, talents or abilities do your employees possess? How does your organization compare with competitor organizations? What is your market penetration? Does your organizational culture provide a positive work environment? How strong are your organization’s financial resources? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 11 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats STRENGTHS (cont.) Examples of Strengths: ! Specialized marketing experience ! New or innovative products or services ! Location of your business ! Quality processes or procedures ! Any other aspect of your business that adds value to your products or services M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 12 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats WEAKNESSES Weaknesses are factors within your control that hamper your organization’s ability to maintain a competitive advantage. They are gaps, deficiencies or problems that must be addressed to accomplish your objectives. Generally, they are factors that will worsen if not corrected. In essence, weaknesses are internal liabilities that stand in the way of organizational success. In some instances, the lack of a particular strength or resource can be a weakness. When deciding if a factor is actually a weakness, it is important to consider the outcome that results from the factor. For example, outdated systems and procedures would be weaknesses if they are likely to lead to increased costs, poor quality or inadequate customer service. If there are no negative outcomes, however, the outdated systems and procedures would NOT be key weaknesses. Although it can be difficult to admit that your organization does not do everything well, honestly appraising your company’s weaknesses provides you with information to assist you in turning a weakness into a strength. When deciding which weaknesses are most important, think first about those that relate to customer needs. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 13 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats WEAKNESSES (cont.) Another Way of Looking at Weaknesses Organizational weaknesses can be dealt with in several ways: ! Rectification " ! How would your organization fix the shortcoming? Protection " Is it possible to conceal your weakness from the customer and the competition until a resolution is implemented? ! Offensive Action " What steps can your organization take to divert attention away from the weakness? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 14 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats WEAKNESSES (cont.) Five Questions to Ask When Considering Weaknesses Questions to Help Identify Weaknesses Possible Weaknesses Rectification, Protection or Offensive Action What can your organization improve? What does your organization do poorly? What should your organization avoid? Where is your organization losing money? • Does the current income stream support customer needs? • Would customers pay more for your products or services? Where does your organization lack resources? • Are you making the best use of technology? • Do you have sufficient financial resources? • Do you have sufficient staff to meet your long-range plans? • Do your employees have the knowledge and competencies to do what is needed? If not, could they be retrained? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 15 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats WEAKNESSES (cont.) Examples of Weaknesses: ! Lack of expertise ! Undifferentiated products or services relative to the competition ! Poor quality products or services ! Bad reputation of your organization or its brand ! Limited resources ! Lack of managerial skills ! Lack of access to skills or technology ! Inadequate systems or processes ! Slow deliveries ! Poor quality of products or services ! Poor location of your business M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 16 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats OPPORTUNITIES Opportunities are favorable external conditions that could positively impact your organization if you exploited them. They may also be new tactics your company could employ to improve profitability. Identifying opportunities is the SWOT activity that is most important for determining and then prioritizing the next steps your organization should take. Opportunities represent the potential that could be realized by implementing certain strategies. They may be a result of market growth, lifestyle changes, resolution of problems associated with current situations, positive market perceptions about your organization or its brand, or the ability to offer greater value to customers and as a result create greater demand for your products or services. Opportunities focus on goals and strategies that can help your organization prepare for new opportunities by reducing internal weaknesses or making existing strengths even stronger. Opportunities should be considered within a specific timeframe. For example, is it an ongoing opportunity? Or is there a specific window of opportunity? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 17 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats OPPORTUNITIES (cont.) Opportunities must be specific. Overseas expansion per se is not an organizational opportunity. However, a more precise statement such as the following would be an opportunity: “The Chinese market offers an opportunity since we have an existing Asian infrastructure in Hong Kong and Taiwan and an intimate knowledge of the Chinese mindset.” Ways to Exploit Opportunities Since SWOT looks at the external market, weaknesses of your competitors can be opportunities for your organization. Such opportunities can be exploited by: ! ! Marketing warfare " Focus your efforts on attacking the weak leader's position. " Enter a new market before anyone else. Collaboration " Use your organization’s strengths to establish a strategic alliance with a major competitor. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 18 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats OPPORTUNITIES (cont.) Five Questions to Ask When Considering Opportunities Questions to Help Identify Opportunities Possible Opportunities Ways to Exploit Are customer needs changing and can your organization adapt to these changes in a timely manner? • What are the relevant market trends in your industry? • Is your organization positioned to respond to these trends? • Can you maintain or increase your market penetration? Are there economic changes that will benefit your organization? • Are there favorable economic conditions emerging in your market? • Have you received concessions from suppliers? Are there political or societal circumstances that will affect your organization? • Is your organization prepared to market to the changing demographics of your market? • Are you aware of the changes in societal values that might affect the desirability of your products or services? How advanced is your technology compared to your competitors? • Is your organization about to announce a new technology that will make you stand out? • If your technology state-of-the-art? Are there existing niches that your competitors have not addressed? • Does your organization plan to enter a new market? • Are you aware of a niche that has not been exploited? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 19 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats OPPORTUNITIES (cont.) Examples of Opportunities: ! A developing or emerging market ! Mergers, joint ventures or strategic alliances ! Moving into new market segments that offer improved profits ! A new international market ! Mergers and acquisitions among your competitors M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 20 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats THREATS Threats are challenges created by the external environment that could put your strategy into jeopardy. Your organization can generally develop strategic plans to address these factors should they occur. Threats arise from many sources. They can come from a competitor, a change in market conditions, a change in the economy or a change in government regulations. The better you are at identifying threats, the more likely you organization can position itself to respond effectively to them. Since many items you list will be speculative, you may wish to further define threats by determining how likely they are to occur. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 21 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats THREATS (cont.) Five Questions to Ask When Considering Threats Questions to Help Identify Threats Possible Threats How to Mitigate Threats Are there changes in the economy that could impact your business? • Is your organization able to respond quickly to these changes? • How is your competition addressing these changes? • Is your organization positioned to withstand a decline in the economy? • Would an improved economy affect your profitability? Are there political or regulatory trends that might impact your business? • Have new regulations been enacted that could hurt your organization’s profitability? • How is your competition addressing these changes? Have your competitors announced a new technology that makes your product obsolete? • Can your organization respond quickly to this and remain profitable? Where are you vulnerable in the market? • Are overseas competitors taking market share? • Can you retain or improve your position vis-à-vis your competitors? • Can your organization influence industry trends? Have you kept pace with the changing needs of your customers? • Are you ready to adapt to changes in the demographics of your customer base? • Are customer needs for your product or service changing? • How is your competition addressing these changes? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 22 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats THREATS (cont.) Examples of Threats: ! A new competitor in your market ! Price wars with competitors ! A competitor launching a new, innovative product or service ! Competitors having better access to distribution channels ! Introduction of new or increased taxes on your products or services ! Existing or potential competition ! Changing prices from suppliers ! Government regulations ! Economic changes ! Bad media or press coverage about your organization ! Changing consumer behavior that negatively affects sales ! Introduction of a new technology that makes your products or services obsolete M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 23 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS General Rules for Conducting Successful SWOT Analysis: ! Be realistic when developing the list of your organization’s strengths and weaknesses. ! Distinguish between where your organization is today and where it could be in the future. ! Use specific statements rather than sweeping generalizations. ! Consider your competition so that you determine if your organization is better than or worse than the competition on each factor. ! Keep the final analysis simple. Avoid the desire to over-analyze. ! SWOT is subjective. The results are only as good as the contributors. Seven Steps in Conducting a SWOT Analysis 1. Put someone in charge. Make someone responsible for the successful completion of the exercise. It can be an external consultant or someone from within the organization. If choosing someone from inside your organization, it is a good idea to select someone who is a key stakeholder in the outcome. 2. Establish the objectives. Consider why you are conducting the SWOT analysis. What do you hope to achieve from the analysis? Keep this statement in mind as you conduct the analysis. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 24 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS (cont.) 3. Select the contributors carefully. Collaboration is crucial for a successful analysis. If one person attempts to do the SWOT alone, the end result will be personal opinions. Even if that person is a key stakeholder and has a broad view of your organization and industry, theirs is only one opinion. It is a good idea to interview several stakeholders or have the stakeholders meet and brainstorm ideas. 4. Allocate tasks among the contributors. There can be a great deal of research and information gathering in developing a SWOT. Dividing the tasks is a good way to use the individual strengths of the contributors. When considering strengths and weaknesses, gather information on your organization’s capabilities in the following areas: Processes and operations Human resources Key suppliers and/or partners For opportunities and threats, gather information and data on external factors such as: ! Customers and markets ! Competitive environment ! Technology changes ! Financial, societal, regulatory and other risks M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 25 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS (cont.) 5. Create a safe environment. Encourage an atmosphere conducive to the free flow of information where participants believe that they may say what they feel without fear of ridicule. 6. Review the information, starting with the external environment. ! What external events do you think create the greatest opportunity for your organization in the next several years? ! What external events are likely to create the greatest threats to your organization’s success in the next several years? ! What opportunities has your organization been considering? ! What things could improve your organization’s chance of success in these areas? ! What one thing could your organization do to significantly improve your situation against your most serious potential threats? ! How can you take advantage of your strengths? ! Can your organization take advantage of changes in the external environment or circumstances? ! What opportunities would become available to your organization if you eliminated an organizational weakness? ! Are their internal strengths or weaknesses that could be exploited to address identified opportunities and threats? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 26 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS (cont.) 7. Consider your organization’s greatest strengths relative to your competitors. ! What are your organization’s greatest internal weaknesses that need to be addressed if you are to exploit the identified opportunities? ! Strengths can relate to the group, to the environment, and to people. ! What obstacles could prevent achieving our goals? ! Which elements within your organization need to be strengthened? ! Are there weak links in the chain? M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 27 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS (cont.) Six Criteria for Writing a Good SWOT Analysis: 1. Avoid listing general statements that could apply to any organization in your industry. 2. Be specific about your organization’s strength and weakness. 3. Don’t confuse the outcome of strengths (profits and market share) for strengths in their own right. 4. Remember that improvement is not the same as strength. 5. Avoid listing strengths and weaknesses that are different aspects of the same strategy or resource. 6. Put enough detail in your points to make it clear why a factor is important, and why it should be considered a strength, weakness, opportunity, or threat. Include precise evidence, and cite figures, where appropriate. The standard way of recording this information is in a grid: M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 28 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS (cont.) Four Ways to Gather Information for the SWOT Analysis 1. Conduct a brief (no more than five questions) Web survey of your customers with questions such as: ! What most influences your product purchasing decisions? ! What is the biggest hurdle you or your organization will face in the next year? ! What would you change about our products or services if you could? 2. Talk to employees within your organization. Good people to consult are someone from: ! Customer Service ! Product Development ! Blogger ! Management staff who regularly network with industry competitors ! Anyone else with a clear picture of the competitive market M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 29 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats HOW TO CONDUCT A SWOT ANALYSIS (cont.) 3. Study the competition by asking: ! Who are they? ! How do they position themselves? ! What are their strengths and weaknesses? ! Gather information by reviewing: " " Their product literature " Their blog, if they have one " Industry blogs or blogs about the competitors " Trade literature " Professional associations " What your sales force hears from their customers " Analyst reports " Contact their call center or customer support area Their web site to see how responsive they are to their customers " Business publications 4. Evaluate the existing market, paying particular attention to: ! Size ! Trends, both existing and emerging ! Future needs M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 30 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats APPENDIX Additional Resources Articles Access to these MarketingProfs articles requires a free membership. “SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats,” by Bobette Kyle http://www.marketingprofs.com/3/kyle1.asp “Five Serious Considerations (and a Checklist) for Your Next Marketing Plan,” by Laura Patterson http://www.marketingprofs.com/4/patterson2.asp “How to Test Your Competitive Market Strategy,” by Michael Perla http://www.marketingprofs.com/6/perla18.asp “The ‘What's Next? Process’ for Developing Your Strategy,” by Dr. Dan Herman http://www.marketingprofs.com/4/herman3.asp Seminar Recording Access to this virtual seminar recording requires a Premium Plus MarketingProfs membership. “Writing a Marketing Plan for Entrepreneurs and Small Business: From Blank Page to Presentation,” by Michael Fischler http://www.marketingprofs.com/premium/seminar_detail.asp?semid=26 M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 31 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e SWOT ANALYSIS HOW-TO GUIDE Your Template for Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats ABOUT THE AUTHOR Carrie Shearer is a writer and researcher who has been published in the European Wall Street Journal and other global publications. Before embarking on her second career, Carrie spent 25 years in the international petroleum industry, most of it overseas. ABOUT MARKETINGPROFS Founded in January 2001, MarketingProfs is a publishing company that specializes in providing both strategic and tactical marketing know-how for marketing and business professionals in organizations worldwide through a full range of online media. With more than 200,000 members and 300 contributors, MarketingProfs provides marketers with practical tools and information in many forms, including: articles, online seminars, templates, benchmark survey reports, buyer’s guides, a discussion forum and a blog. Updated weekly, MarketingProfs content helps professionals stay current and effective. M a rk e ti n g T e m p l a te s 32 SWOT Ana lysis H o w -T o G u i d e
© Copyright 2024