Marketing Redux: SWOT’s in it for You

What’s on the iPod: I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons

Aside from yet another forecasted snow storm expected today, this week is shaping up into a great ending to the month of March. I’d been waiting for some promised projects. They’re starting to come in now, as is new work I’d marketed for while I was waiting. After years of doing this, you know not to sit on your hands waiting for projects — you just go about your business as though nothing is in the works.

I’ve been sharing emails with a new blog reader who is about to embark on a freelance career. I love being able to help someone at the very start of their careers because, as you know, there’s so much to learn. It’s always nice to get a leg up and avoid some of the early mistakes, if you can.

Since there are plenty of new writers out there, I thought it might be a great time to repeat some marketing advice. I do have posts from a few years back on marketing (just look for the tags over there on the right), but it never hurts to get a fresh perspective, especially in this age of misinformation.

Let’s start at the beginning: the SWOT analysis.

I’ve talked about this in years past. SWOT is something I studied at length in college, and it’s a fundamental part of any marketing effort. SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. If done correctly, your SWOT analysis can be a great tool in understanding what your obstacles are and how to overcome them. If not done correctly, it’s just a wasted exercise.

To see how to complete a SWOT analysis properly, check out this post from 2012 or Cathy Miller’s excellent guest post from that same year. Cathy’s advice comes from her first career in corporate communications, and is a good example of what to focus on in your analysis.

To see how to misuse SWOT, read on.

There are plenty of ways to mishandle your analysis. The result could be you aren’t prepared for what could be potentially door-closing events. Here are a few mistakes that one can make when putting together a SWOT analysis:

Blinders. I’ve seen many larger companies make this mistake, so it stands to reason writers could be doing the same thing. Don’t underestimate your competitors’ skills or value. For every company that has told me “We really don’t have any competition because what we do is unique” there are as many announcements of those same or similar companies closing their doors. You may think your skills are levels above others, but be honest with yourself. What do other writers do better? There’s your first goal — finding ways to improve those areas.

Lack of specificity. It’s one thing to say you’re a little weak in client communications, but if that means you loathe sending emails or being “checked up on”, you need to make note of that. Avoid glossing over facts; make sure you’re honest with yourself. With areas where you’re not sure what you’re doing, acknowledge it.

Asking the wrong questions. If you’re content to tell yourself you’re a leader in your particular niche or industry, congratulations. You’ve just lost the entire point of the SWOT exercise. Don’t use the SWOT as a means to pat yourself on the back. Instead, use it as a private tool to improve your awareness of your own abilities and needs.

Not recognizing your own bad behavior. You don’t need a degree in journalism or communications to understand the ethical expectations of a writing career. If you use someone else’s words, you attribute. If you don’t, you get sued. If you’re an advocate of rewriting articles from other sources and calling them your own, of stealing blog posts, of lifting content or of overselling your own accomplishments, you could be ignoring behavior that could shut down your business and land you in legal hot water.

Not asking for outside opinion. Even though yours is often a one-person show, it’s imperative to get feedback from clients, colleagues, and family on what they see as your business approach, your weaknesses, and any other relevant information that could impact your plan going forward. Don’t rely on your own voice to shape the image of your writing business — the image you project is infinitely more important than the one you think you project.

Complicating things. Too often, writers and others putting together their analyses tend to overthink things. Make sure the questions you ask yourself are pointed and specific to your writing business. For example, you may not know what your market share is. Chances are you don’t need to know, either. Since most freelance writers are not publicly displaying their revenue, you may have a pretty impossible time trying to find that out. Simplify it — ask yourself if you’ve chosen an area of concentration that actually has enough of a client base.

Not doing anything. It’s great to understand where you’re weak and where your business is threatened, but if you do nothing to improve those areas, the SWOT analysis is a waste of time. Instead, use your analysis as a tool to build your professional improvement plan and your marketing plan. Learn the technology, take the courses, and improve the skills that will help improve not just your abilities but your own confidence level.

Have you ever conducted a SWOT analysis? Where do you think your strengths lie?
What weaknesses or threats do you hope to overcome this year?