The importance of a SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis is something conducted by communications professionals when deciding next steps of a plan, whether it be a social media plan, strategic communications plan, or any other sort of planning guide for a business or entity. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Each piece is important in analyzing how a business can move forward and reach goals outlined in its strategy. The professional conducting the SWOT analysis should start with background research and an overall audit of communications strategies or social media channels, and from the starting point, this will help guide goals crafted after the SWOT analysis is completed.
A SWOT analysis is important in social media research because it gives insight into where we are and where we want to go. Sometimes, on social media, it is hard to know how you are performing and how to stand out in such a saturated space. A SWOT analysis can help an entity to know what their competitors are doing well and how to match them, it can show us what we need to improve in and may present opportunities that aren’t obvious on the surface level.