SWOT Away with Football

6 min readSep 26, 2020

What’s the benefit of a SWOT analysis? Why is it important for social media managers to know their target audience as well as a brand’s opportunities and threats?

Goodbye, are the days where a one-size-fits-all media plan works. Social Media has changed today’s world and thus puts the public back in the conversation. It is in the best interest of your organization to know your target audience. Trust me… it makes reaching them a hell of a lot easier. It also helps you understand your advantages and disadvantages. Let’s put this into simple terms…Football.

42..24..Hut Hike!

Creating a SWOT analysis is like putting together your starting line-up; you must know the greatest benefits if you want a chance at the Super Bowl. SWOT analysis forces a company to look and understand the company’s current position and assess where they are going (Status.net). It helps align and focus on the business goals and objectives (https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-swot-analysis) to ensure you are headed in the right direction.

1. Cost-Effective — Don’t recruit the $$$$ QB

Use the existing QB — the one who knows the team. Doing a SWOT analysis costs little to nothing and saves you from recruiting an auditor (QB) who will charge an arm and leg in fees while not understanding your business objectives. Task someone who understands the history of the company and the growth the company wishes to achieve (Small bus.)

2. Simple — “Just do your job” — Bill Belichick

There are no technical skills required, only knowledge of the organization and industry in which the business exists. From there individuals can brainstorm together to instill judgments on the internal operation and the external possibilities and challenges (Status.net).

3. Open Discussions — Pre-Game Locker Room Hype

The speech that gets everyone excited and ready for the game. This gets everyone in the organization on the same page. It helps the team visualize the successes and failures in the organization and it paints the picture of where the team can go in the future … (chasing that Lombardi Trophy) (Status.net).

4. Data Integration — Know your stats

Like any great football player, know your stats. Pass completions, interceptions, rushing yards, you’re always practicing to hit that next mark. In a SWOT analysis, it is a great way to bridge together qualitative and quantitative data to enhance decision making and improve communication in conjunction with the needs of the organization(Small bus.)

5. Match up against the competition — Study the Tape

Know the team you’re facing and all its plays. This gives you an inside look on how to match up to your competition, knowing the advantages and disadvantages. It also gives an insight into what you need to work on and where you can capitalize on your strengths and fill gaps in the market that are neglected (https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/competitive-analysis-kit).

Demonstrated by the football analogy a SWOT Analysis is beneficial for the success of an organization. It gives the ability to use one tool that draws out 4 different plays (status.net) that can be structured individually or in connection for the best chance at a touchdown (or goal achieved). Capitalize on your strengths to fill gaps on the field and acknowledge your weaknesses to understand where the team can improve (https://strategicmanagementinsight.com). Seeing the opportunities identifies ways to grow by taking advantage of changes in the external environment where your strengths match. Recognizing your threats gives the best chance at being prepared for the sack you didn’t expect (https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-swot-analysis).

I mean when life gives you the best offensive line …. try to complete the pass.

Understanding brand opportunities and threats are similar to playing offense and defense. The offense’s job is the move the ball forward for a touchdown. Similarly, opportunities are to ensure that the brand is not missing major growth opportunities in a changing market(status.net). The defense’s job is to protect the end zone. Just like threats, the brand wants to know what could harm the company and prepare for the possibility of those disadvantages (https://pestleanalysis.com/benefits-of-swot-analysis) coming to life.

Now that you understand the playbook, it’s important to get to know the players. If you don’t know the players, how will you understand the best practice for them? This is the same for any organization trying to reach a social media user. If you don’t understand their mindset your content will not resonate (Ch.4 — Audience). Give the audience a persona — this provides insight into the customer story and how your brand can solve their issues (https://www.searchenginejournal.com). It makes the market research easier to understand the wants and needs of the audience, develop an emotional connection, and learn their social media engagement trends(https://www.searchenginejournal.com). These understandings help make decisions on the best networks and influencers to represent your brand, as well as the authenticity your audience desires (Ch.4 — Audience). When creating a persona you must understand segmentation variables like demographics, geographic, psychographic, behavioral, and generational segmentation which expose individual opportunities and threats that do not apply to every organization (Ch.4 — Audience). Assuming the one-size-fits-all mentality can cause you to miss the mark with the consumer and your business goals and objectives.

EXAMPLES:
A 25-year-old male lives in the heart of New Year, works in finance, takes the subway to and from work, and is a huge Giants’ football fan.

THIS DIFFERS FROM…
A 27-year-old female, who lives in Columbia, SC; works for the University of South Carolina Athletic department, drives 30 mins to and from work, and loves seafood.

Both are a part of the target audience but have very different characteristics. One is the wide receiver who needs to work on run patterns; the other is the kicker who needs to work on precision with field goals. They have the same goal but two different methods of achieving that goal with different opportunities for success and threats to ruin the dream (https://www.searchenginejournal.com).

The rise of social media has seen constant changes with the target audience, exposing vulnerabilities within an organization’s objectives. The importance of staying up to date with what is relevant to the audience keeps you valuable to the consumer (https://www.socialbakers.com/blog). Remember the public now controls the narrative. Don’t fumble the ball; just hold on tight and complete the play.