Throughout The Course You Are Working In A Small Business Endeavor Tha
Throughout the course you are working in a small business endeavor that solves a problem or creates an opportunity. For this week's assignment, please select a business in your program area emphasis. An example of a small business project would be: Dave Smith is a Business Management student with a Sales and Marketing emphasis. For his project, he is going to help a buddy, Sam, who runs his own painting company. Sam does a great job painting, but is not sure how to market his company to increase sales. Dave chooses to create a Marketing Plan for Sam's painting company. This fits the "solve a problem" criterion. It also ties to Dave's emphasis area of sales and marketing. In addition to creating the marketing plan, Dave includes how some of his business core classes (Introduction to Business, Introduction to Marketing, Professional Presentations) and emphasis classes (Marketing, Advertising) relate to the project. Prepare a brief essay that identifies your project and program area emphasis.
Paper For Above instruction
This project centers on developing a comprehensive marketing plan for a small local bakery called “Sweet Sensations,” owned by a friend of mine who has been running the business for five years. As a student specializing in Marketing within the Business Administration program, my goal is to apply the concepts learned in my coursework to solve real-world problems faced by small businesses. “Sweet Sensations” has good products and loyal customers but has yet to effectively utilize marketing strategies to expand its customer base and increase sales. This project aligns with my emphasis area of marketing—you need targeted promotion and strategic outreach to grow a small bakery successfully.
My program emphasis in marketing integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application. The primary goal is to develop strategies that target the bakery’s ideal customers—local residents and tourists who seek authentic, high-quality baked goods. The marketing plan I am formulating includes market research, branding, pricing strategies, promotional tactics, social media engagement, and local community outreach. This comprehensive approach aims not only to attract new customer segments but also to retain existing ones, thus fostering sustained growth.
The coursework in Introduction to Business provided foundational understanding of how small businesses operate, including the importance of market positioning and customer relations. Applying this, I will analyze how “Sweet Sensations” differentiates itself from larger competitors and mass-produced baked goods. The class on Introduction to Marketing introduced key concepts such as the marketing mix
(product, price, place, promotion) and segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP). These concepts are instrumental in designing tailored marketing strategies that resonate with the bakery’s target audience. Professional Presentations enhanced my ability to communicate these strategies persuasively, ensuring that my marketing proposals are clear and compelling to stakeholders and potential partners.
In addition, my emphasis classes in Marketing and Advertising have provided specific skills in creating promotional campaigns and leveraging digital platforms. For example, I plan to develop a social media marketing campaign highlighting the bakery’s unique offerings, behind-the-scenes preparation, and customer testimonials. This aligns with current trends in digital marketing, essential for small businesses seeking measurable growth. By integrating social media strategies, local partnerships, and community events, I aim to raise “Sweet Sensations’” profile locally, fostering loyalty and attracting new customers.
Overall, this project exemplifies how my coursework and emphasis area directly relate to real-world business challenges. It demonstrates the importance of applying marketing principles to help small businesses thrive in competitive environments. As I progress through this project, I anticipate gaining practical experience in strategic planning and promotional execution, essential skills for a future career in marketing management.
References
American Marketing Association. (2020).
Principles of marketing
. AMA Press.
Baines, P., Fill, C., & Urde, M. (2019).
Marketing
. Oxford University Press.
Kotler, P., Keller, K. L., Ancarani, F., & Costabile, M. (2019).
Marketing management . Pearson.
Schiffman, L. G., & Kanuk, L. L. (2018).
Consumer behavior . Pearson.
Solomon, M. R. (2020).
Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being . Pearson.
Felix, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., & Hinsch, C. (2017). Elements of strategic social media marketing: A holistic framework.
Journal of Business Research , 70, 118-126.
Hutter, K., Hautz, J., Dennen, P., & Füller, J. (2013). The impact of user reviews on perceptions of trust and purchase intentions in e-commerce.
Electronic Commerce Research and Applications , 12(4), 219-231.
Ryan, D. (2016).
Understanding digital marketing: Marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation . Kogan Page Publishers.
Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019).
Digital marketing . Pearson.
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey.
Journal of Marketing , 80(6), 69-96.