~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SWOT Analysis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a SWOT analysis, you identify strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities for your company, and threats to your business. You then use analysis to develop strategies that will minimize affect of your weaknesses on your business while maximizing your strengths. Ideally, you will match your strengths against market opportunities that result from your competitors’ weaknesses or voids.

When completing a SWOT analysis, you may find it helpful to create a table identifying observations relative to each SWOT component for both your company's site and your competitors' sites. In table, note Internet-related activities such as trade organization participation, search engine inclusion, and outside links to sites. Then, from table you create you can spot your company’s strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats to your business.

Often, opportunities arise as a result of a changing business environment. As you study your competitors, be on lookout for these opportunities. Some situations that could represent opportunities for a company include, but are certainly not limited to:

* New technology is created, but competition has been unable to deliver acceptable customer service.

* A customer segment is becoming more predominant, but their specific needs are not being fully met by your competitors.

* A customer, competitor, or supplier goes out of business or merges with another company.

Once you develop your strategies, you will be ready to choose tactics for your Web site marketing plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other Articles in this Series ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In first two article of this series, "Developing a Web Site Marketing Plan" and "Your Web Site's Objectives", I discussed marketing plan in general, then developing Web site objectives. In this, third article in series, I took a closer look at developing effective strategies. The final article is devoted to choosing tactics for your plan.

Part One: "Developing a Web Site Marketing Plan" Part Two: "Your Web Site's Objectives" Part Four:"Choosing Tactics for Your Web Site Marketing Plan"

We all have a dream of something we want to accomplish. A desire to be successful. Unfortunately people that fail do it to themselves. They get overwhelmed and don't stop, take a deep breath and ask for help. It is out there everywhere.

Yup, there is a lot of crap on Internet, but there is a lot of good help, a lot of it free. If you are feeling overwhelmed, lost and don't know where to turn, stop, don't quit! You might be just a question away from being a winner. A lot of successful folks are very willing to share their knowledge with you; even take you by hand and show you how.

Our E-Business Tutor Message Board is a prime example. We recently put it up for purpose of sharing our knowledge with anyone asking for help. Guess what? Very few are asking questions! Isn't that amazing? The reason is simple. They are afraid of being embarrassed by asking a stupid question. Wake up! The only stupid question is one that is not asked. Come on, ask! http://pub57.ezboard.com/fputercentralfrm2

The choice is yours. Are you quitting before you Win? are you making excuses to fail? You don't have to.

Happy Marketing, Mike and Gail