From Surface-Level to Strategic: Unlocking Competitive Insights

As the deadline looms for a critical roundtable meeting, the designer flips through the SWOT analysis she's about to present to her team and senior leadership. Almost immediately, her stomach sinks.

The analysis feels thin. The strengths and opportunities are nearly identical, while the weaknesses and threats blur together. Instead of highlighting real insights, the list reads like surface-level repetition. Buried in the competitor section, she spots another problem: parts of it have drifted into nothing more than a checklist of features—mobile app here, newsletter there, one has it, one doesn’t. And worse, she realizes she's completely overlooked indirect competitors, leaving a blind spot in how the market is shifting.

She doesn't have time to start over; instead, she sketches a plan: pull overlapping items apart so each quadrant speaks to a different kind of insight; add one or two concrete market opportunities that reflect real trends, not internal strengths; reframe the threats so they highlight outside forces that the team can't control; and replace the feature checklist with a clear picture of competitor positioning, including the indirect players she ignored.

Once she digs in, she sees the work isn't as overwhelming as she feared. The analysis wasn’t wrong—it was just shallow. With sharper distinctions, richer examples, and a few key competitor insights added in, the document finally starts to feel strategic. Minutes before the meeting, she closes her laptop, confident that what she has now is clear, balanced, and ready to guide the discussion.

How to Make Your SWOT Truly Strategic

The designer’s scramble highlights why clarity and depth matter in a SWOT analysis. It’s not just a list—it’s a tool to guide strategic decisions. Here’s how to approach each quadrant thoughtfully:

Strengths (Internal, controllable advantages)
For each company being analyzed, ask:

  • What does this company do better than anyone else?

  • What unique resources or capabilities make it hard to replicate?

  • Which strengths align with current market needs or trends?

  • What do customers consistently praise about this company?

Weaknesses (Internal, controllable limitations)
For each company being analyzed, ask:

  • Where is this company falling short compared to competitors?

  • Which weaknesses could cause a competitive disadvantage if left unaddressed?

  • Which weaknesses could be turned into strengths with the right strategy or resources?

  • What complaints or challenges do customers consistently report?

Opportunities (External trends to capitalize on)
For each company being analyzed, ask:

  • What emerging trends or unmet market needs could this company take advantage of?

  • How can it leverage its strengths to capitalize on these opportunities?

  • What external changes could create new advantages for this company?

  • What potential barriers exist, and how can they be overcome?

Threats (External risks to monitor)
For each company being analyzed, ask:

  • What external factors could disrupt this company’s success?

  • Are competitors entering or expanding in the market?

  • What early warning signs indicate a threat is becoming imminent?

  • How resilient is this company to these threats, and what contingency plans can be implemented?

Indirect Competitors

  • Who else do customers turn to for a solution to this problem?

  • How could these indirect competitors affect customer acquisition or retention?

  • What unique value can this company provide to differentiate itself from indirect competitors?

Avoid Feature Checklists

It’s tempting to slip into comparison mode, checking boxes to see which competitor offers a mobile app, newsletter, or free trial. But that’s not a SWOT analysis. A checklist only shows what exists—it doesn’t explain what it means.

By thinking critically about each quadrant, separating overlapping items, including indirect competitors, and avoiding feature checklists, you ensure your SWOT analysis provides real, actionable insights rather than shallow repetition. Like the designer, a clear, well-structured SWOT can guide decisions, even under pressure.

If organizing your analysis feels overwhelming, this template can help you get started and stay focused on insights, not formatting.  View Template 


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