Developing a sound strategy is crucial for business growth. Whether you aim to introduce a new product, challenge a competitor directly, or elevate your current offerings, a SWOT analysis can provide valuable insights into your company’s position and help you devise a plan for confident progress.
When engaging in strategic brainstorming, avoid getting caught up in excessive documentation. Instead, prioritize expansive thinking and creative problem-solving.
To simplify the process, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most effective SWOT analysis templates available online. By utilizing these templates, you can bypass the layout and design aspects and focus directly on in-depth strategic thinking.
Continue reading to delve into the significance of SWOT analyses and explore our top template recommendations.
Contents
- What is a SWOT analysis?
- Why undertake a SWOT analysis?
- 7 SWOT analysis templates to fit any business need
- Bonus SWOT analysis template
What is a SWOT analysis?
A SWOT analysis is a method for evaluating your company’s market position. It encourages you to examine both internal factors and the external environment to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
The strengths and weaknesses sections focus on internal factors within your business, such as your products, value proposition, team, and resources.
Opportunities and threats, on the other hand, involve external elements like customers, competitors, industry trends, and even broader global factors.
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Why undertake a SWOT analysis?
By conducting a SWOT analysis, you gain a clear understanding of your business’s current state. Recognizing your strengths, areas for improvement, and external influences allows you to formulate effective strategies.
Periodic SWOT analyses are always beneficial for staying informed about your business performance. They become even more crucial when embarking on new initiatives or undergoing significant changes. Consider performing a SWOT analysis in the following scenarios:
- Developing your annual business or marketing strategy
- Implementing substantial leadership or organizational adjustments
- Introducing a new product or service
- Navigating industry disruptions
- Expanding into new markets (either with new offerings or geographically)
SWOT analyses can also be applied to individuals within your team. They can be valuable tools for performance evaluations or team restructuring.
The best SWOT analysis templates to fit any business need
Here are seven outstanding SWOT analysis templates suitable for any business:
Upon completing your SWOT analysis, leverage our free and user-friendly growth strategy template to create a growth plan for your business!
1. Best templates for a presentation: Canva
For integrating your SWOT analysis into presentations, consider building it in Canva. Its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface enables effortless creation of polished documents and slides. Choose from a wide variety of Canva’s dozens, customize them with your brand colors, and seamlessly integrate them into your strategy deck or PDF.
2. Best template to undertake deeper analysis: Miro
Miro’s virtual whiteboard platform provides a structured space for collaborative brainstorming and SWOT analysis feedback.
What sets Miro’s template apart is its ability to extend beyond the traditional SWOT framework.
This template includes additional sections that facilitate the transition from observations to actionable insights. It encourages exploration of questions like how to leverage strengths to capitalize on opportunities or mitigate weaknesses by utilizing opportunities.
3. Best templates if you like working in a document: Smartsheet
Smartsheet caters to both Microsoft Word and Google Docs users with its diverse range of templates.
Their comprehensive Google Doc templates are designed to assist with various SWOT analysis needs. Whether you’re aiming to achieve business goals or evaluating individual performance, these templates can be valuable assets.
Furthermore, Smartsheet provides same set of templates formatted as Microsoft Word documents, ensuring compatibility regardless of your preferred work environment.
4. Best template for a variety of SWOT formats: TemplateLAB
TemplateLAB offers a collection of templates in multiple formats:
- Word Doc
- PowerPoint
- Photoshop
Whether you prefer drafting in Word and converting to PowerPoint or PDF, or are simply unsure of your desired format, TemplateLAB has you covered.
With a range of styles and designs available, you can find templates for both internal brainstorming sessions and formal presentations.
5. Best spreadsheet-style SWOT template: Airtable
While Excel excels in formulas and numerical data, Airtable offers a more streamlined approach for organizing written information, combining the structure of Excel with enhanced capabilities for handling text.
This makes the Airtable SWOT analysis template ideal for individuals who appreciate spreadsheets and require color-coding, labeling, and filtering features that would otherwise require manual setup in Excel.
6. Best no-frills template: SCORE
SCORE’s straightforward This template, a simple Word document containing only the essential elements for SWOT analysis, is perfect for those who prefer a minimalist approach.
As an affiliate of the US Small Business Administration, SCORE provides additional resources and support for business owners, including mentorship and educational opportunities.
7. Best SWOT template from AI: Notion
For businesses seeking AI integration, this template (developed within Notion by Your Notion Dose) leverages ChatGPT to streamline the SWOT analysis process.
By providing basic business information, you can utilize pre-designed ChatGPT prompts to generate SWOT analysis insights. Consider ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner that can offer fresh perspectives.
Bonus: The nexus-security free SWOT analysis template
For the ultimate SWOT analysis experience, our the nexus-security template template, built in Google Sheets, offers a comprehensive solution.
Try using a SWOT analysis template today for business growth tomorrow
When choosing a template, prioritize functionality over aesthetics. The true value lies in the strategic work performed, so select a suitable option and initiate a brainstorming session with your team. Draw inspiration from these SWOT examples, and you’ll uncover invaluable insights to propel your business forward. If you find yourself needing assistance with your marketing efforts, explore how our solutions can help you amplify your strategy’s strengths, minimize weaknesses, and achieve long-term success.