SWOT Analysis Examples for Marketing + Template

Nobody could ever improve themselves without taking a long, hard look in the mirror. Even then, it can be a challenge to identify our internal strengths and weaknesses — and then decide what to start working on first.

A SWOT analysis holds up a mirror to your marketing strategy, showing you which areas are performing and where you may need to make improvements. It can also help you find a good place to start and prioritize action points based on the order of urgency.

Let’s check out what a SWOT analysis is, how to complete one and see examples of a SWOT in action.

What Is a SWOT Analysis?

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique that strengthens all bases in your marketing strategy by categorizing them into strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It provides a realistic evaluation of pretty much anything — your business plan, product positioning or new initiatives — so you can strategically reinforce your marketing efforts.

Let’s break it down:

Strengths

What are the internal capabilities or unique value props that give your brand a competitive edge in the market? In other words, what are you doing better than everyone else?

By identifying and capitalizing on your strengths, say optimizing the top 20% of your performance, you can prepare a good foundation for growth — or leverage these areas to reinforce weaker points. Strengths include a loyal customer base, market share and a good reputation, for instance.

When exploring strengths, consider questions like:

How does our brand reputation stand out in the market?
What internal skills or capabilities do we have that our competitors lack?
What areas of our products and services receive consistent praise from customers?
In what areas do our employees excel compared to industry standards?

Weaknesses

Where are you facing challenges or falling short of competitors’ performance? Which areas of business are the hardest?

When you know where your weaknesses lurk, you can work on improving them. They may be technological adoption, upskilling team members or making specific operational adjustments, for example. Think of issues like poor financial stability, skills and knowledge gaps, or ineffective processes.

Ask the following questions:

Where do we underperform or fail to meet customer expectations?
Are there any gaps in our knowledge, skills or expertise that hinder growth?
Which operational processes are inefficient or outdated?
Are there any resource limitations that restrict our ability to scale?

Opportunities

Where are there existing opportunities in the market that you can feasibly leverage to grow your business? In what ways might you be leaving money on the table?

Identifying external opportunities can sometimes feel murky: If something glaringly obvious could help you grow, you’d already be grabbing it, right? But in almost every business scenario there are external factors that can contribute to your company’s growth. Consider emerging markets or technology, product development opportunities or shifts in consumer behavior.

Then, ask yourself the following:

What trends or tech could we take advantage of for growth?
Do we have underserved customer market segments or new markets to target?
How can we capitalize on trends in consumer behavior or preferences?
Which strategic partnerships or collaborations could amplify our reach?

Threats

Which factors beyond your control may pose potential challenges to the business? Where are your blind spots?

Every business faces challenges and threats — and they’re not all bad. Preparation is the best way to mitigate risk. Beyond that, assessing pressure points can often result in innovative problem-solving. Threats may be things like disruptive technologies, emerging competitors and economic downturns.

To identify where and how they’re impacting your business, ask yourself:

Who are our biggest competitors, and what do they do better than us?
Which economic, political or regulatory factors may interfere with our business?
Are shifts in consumer behavior moving away from our core offerings?
Are we vulnerable to disruptive new market entrants or technologies?

Note that the SW components of the analysis reflect your internal capabilities, whereas the OT elements face outward, looking to your market at large. Combining these allows you to gain a comprehensive view of your capabilities and positioning — and which hurdles you need to overcome.

How To Conduct a SWOT Analysis

The good news is that drawing up a marketing SWOT analysis is relatively straightforward. The other news is that you’ll need to use some brain power. SWOTs don’t have to be something you do alone either: they can be a highly collaborative exercise.

Data is always your friend in the preparation phase. Before you start, grab marketing metrics from your (or your competitor’s) websites and socials — Google Analytics provides a decent overview of your website’s performance. Customer reviews, market conditions and emerging trends will also help you gain a broader vision of your competitive positioning.

Here’s how to complete a SWOT diagram:

Identify your objective: Consider which goal you want to achieve. This creates a framework for the analysis. For instance, perhaps you want to expand your product line, reach new audiences or shake up your content strategy.
Create a template: Draw up a SWOT matrix or download a free SWOT analysis template here.
Identify strengths: Analyze your metrics and customer reviews to identify areas where you’re clearly performing better than the competition.
Find weaknesses: Consider areas where your competition is performing better than you and where those differences may come from. Be specific and concise.
Discover opportunities: Check market trends, shifts in buyer behavior and competitor movement to identify new areas to capitalize on as you pursue your goal.
Assess threats: Explore the obstacles between you and your desired outcomes — now and in the future. Consider everything from the granular to industry-wide or economic threats.
Create an action plan: Create a marketing plan that integrates your findings (we’ll discuss how to do this below).
Implement and refine: Put your plan into action and start working towards your objectives. Remember to perform a SWOT analysis regularly and refine your approach as you progress.

Turning Your SWOT Analysis Into a Strategic Marketing Plan

Converting your findings into an actionable plan is just as — if not more — important as the SWOT itself. Here are a few strategies to achieve this:

Leverage Your Strengths

Brainstorm to explore how your company’s strengths can help you leverage market opportunities. Position your existing wins at the forefront of your value proposition and use them as a stepping stone to drive growth in untapped areas.

Address Weaknesses

What actions can you take to strengthen weaker points and lift your entire game? For instance, if your social media presence is flopping, you may consider hiring an in-house expert, training staff or plugging resources into ads or content generation. Rather than solving problems ad-hoc, consider which moves will tactfully move you closer to your end game.

Monitor Threats

Threats may be beyond your control, but considering which actions you can take now to mitigate their risk will make the journey much easier should they begin to encroach on your business.

SWOT Analysis Examples for Marketing

Let’s take a look at a few example SWOT analyses, showcasing how real brands may direct their marketing efforts to achieve hypothetical goals:

Example 1: Disney

Leveraging strengths, Disney might capitalize on its franchises to create exclusive new content. It could also push aggressive marketing campaigns into new regions with a tailored pricing strategy.

Focusing on cost-effective regional content production would offset high production costs and attract viewers in emerging markets.

Example 2: H&M

In this SWOT example, H&M may hone its internationally recognized brand name to build influencer partnerships, driving online traffic and sales. Personalization tools could also improve the online shopping experience and encourage more customers to go digital.

The brand can mitigate its immediate threats by focusing on sustainability or exclusive online-only collections to remain competitive in the market.

Best Practices for Marketing SWOT Analyses

As you’re going about your SWOT analysis, remember to have fun, keep an open mind and be creative. The below best practices will pull you through:

Ensure opportunities and threats are well-defined: This helps create clarity down the line as you begin strategizing.
Prioritize items: Consider which strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are most likely to bring you closer to (or pull you away from) your goal, and start working on those first.
Keep your SWOT analysis updated: Markets and consumers can move quickly. Continuously update your SWOT analysis to keep a close eye on emerging trends and business performance.
Integrate findings into your strategy: Filling in the SWOT matrix is only half the exercise. Ensure you create an actionable marketing plan to drive results.
Set clear goals: Create a concise, measurable, time-bound marketing goal. This will help you track performance and polish your approach for future rounds.

Now it’s time to grab a cup of coffee and dig into what’s working, what’s not and where the opportunities and challenges lie. A good SWOT analysis is about creating a path toward strong marketing decisions and sustainable growth. So, give yourself the space to think big and plan wisely.