| Course | BUSI 4003 Marketing Strategies for Small Business |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Marketing spend plan |
| Length | About 860 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 4003 Week 8
Spending $3,000 on Riverbend's Spring Midday Classes: Eight Tactics Priced From Real Quotes and Rates, From Coworking Demonstrations to a Neighborhood Newsletter, Each Defended Against the Option It Displaced
Student Name
Walden University
BUSI 4003: Marketing Strategies for Small Business
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Spending $3,000 on Riverbend's Spring Midday Classes: Eight Tactics Priced From Real Quotes and Rates, From Coworking Demonstrations to a Neighborhood Newsletter, Each Defended Against the Option It Displaced
The Budget and the Goal
Riverbend, the clay studio this course follows, has $3,000 to spend on marketing from February through May 2028. The goal is to fill two weekday midday course sections of six students each in March and two more in April, 24 seats in all, and to convert at least a third of those students into monthly members by June. Every dollar below is assigned, every line is priced from a quote or a published rate, and every line names what it displaced.
The Allocation
Table 1
Spring Marketing Spend Plan, February to May 2028
| Tactic | Cost | Basis for the price | What it displaced | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunchtime demonstrations at three coworking spaces | $585 | Clay, instructor time and transport, $195 per demonstration | A booth at a spring craft fair, $350, aimed at tourists | |
| Member discount, $20 off for coworking members | $300 | 15 expected uses | A general 10 percent discount for everyone | |
| Flyers and postcards, 500 printed | $140 | Quote from a local print shop | Glossy brochures at $420 | |
| Two sponsored notes in a West Asheville neighborhood email newsletter | $500 | Newsletter's published rate, $250 per issue | Local radio, about $900 for a week of spots | |
| Paid social ads shown only to booking-page visitors | $450 | Planned spend at platform rates | Broad paid social ads to all nearby adults | |
| Photographs of a real midday class | $400 | Quote from a local photographer, two hours | Stock photos, free but generic | |
| Small bowls given to demonstration attendees | $150 | Studio materials and firing | Branded pens and tote bags | |
| Open-studio lunch for prospects in April | $475 | Food, clay and two instructors' time | A second round of newsletter sponsorship | |
| Total | $3,000 | Sum of the eight lines | Not applicable | |
Riverbend Clay Studio and its quotes are composite; the newsletter rate and print quote are planning figures.
Why Each Line Earned Its Place
The coworking demonstrations get the largest share because the channel comparison found them the best way to reach the buyer and the easiest to measure. The craft fair booth they displaced would reach many more people, but mostly tourists and families who cannot come at midday on weekdays.
The member discount is small and tied to codes. A general discount would cost more, reach people the studio already gets and erase the ability to see which coworking space produced each student.
Flyers and postcards are the physical piece left behind after each demonstration. Plain two-sided cards serve that purpose at a third of the price of brochures.
The neighborhood newsletter reaches newcomers who do not use coworking spaces, a gap the channel comparison flagged. Radio would reach more people, but at nearly twice the cost and with no way to tell who heard it.
Paid social ads are limited to people who already visited the booking page. Lewis and Rao (2015) showed how hard it is to measure whether broad advertising works, and a small reminder aimed at people who have already shown interest is easier to judge than a wide campaign.
The photographs replace stock images with pictures of the actual midday class, which every other tactic will use. Heath and Heath (2007) argue that concrete, specific detail makes a message more credible; a photo of five real people at the wheel at noon is that detail.
The small bowls given at demonstrations are cheap to make and carry the studio's stamp. Unlike pens or tote bags, they show the product.
The April open-studio lunch is the second chance for people who saw a demonstration or a newsletter note but did not book. It displaced a second newsletter round because people who come in person convert better than people who read a note twice.
What the Plan Does Not Fund
No money goes to search advertising, a print ad in the city's weekly paper or an influencer partnership. Each was considered. Search ads would mostly reach people already looking for pottery, who are not the midday buyer; the weekly paper's readers skew toward visitors; and an influencer post would reach followers across the region, few of them free at noon on a Tuesday. Kotler and Keller (2022) describe a marketing budget as a set of choices about where communication will be most effective for a target segment, and these omissions follow from the segment.
How the Plan Would Shrink
If the owner cut the budget to $2,000, the plan would keep the demonstrations, the discounts, the flyers and the photographs, which together cost $1,425 and carry the main channel, then add one newsletter note at $250 and $325 of reminder ads. The bowls and the open-studio lunch would go first, since both are second chances for people who have already been reached once.
Checking the Total
The eight lines total $3,000 exactly. If the March sections fill early, the April open-studio lunch can be scaled down and the savings held for the summer; if they lag, the newsletter budget will be reviewed first, since it is the line with the least evidence behind it.
References
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. Random House.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2022). Marketing management (16th ed.). Pearson.
Lewis, R. A., & Rao, J. M. (2015). The unfavorable economics of measuring the returns to advertising. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(4), 1941-1973. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjv023
Reading the BUSI 4003 Week 8 instructions
The eighth week gives you a fixed budget and asks where it goes. Split the amount across four to eight tactics, and price each line from a real quote, published rate or documented estimate. For every line, explain why it deserves the money and name the alternative it displaced, since spending on one tactic means not spending on another. The total must match the budget exactly, with nothing left unassigned. Explain anything you chose not to fund. Many sections also ask how the plan would change if the budget shrank or results came in early. A table carries the allocation, and two to three pages of justification is typical, supported by readings on marketing budgets or measurement.
How the BUSI 4003 Week 8 example is put together
The plan opens with the $3,000 budget and the goal of 24 midday seats and a third of students becoming members. An eight-row table lists each tactic, its cost, the basis for the price and the alternative it displaced, from a craft fair booth to radio spots and stock photos. A section defends each line: demonstrations for fit and measurability, coded discounts, plain postcards, the newsletter for newcomers outside coworking spaces, reminder ads limited to interested visitors citing Lewis and Rao, real photographs citing Heath and Heath, gift bowls and an April open studio. A section explains not funding search ads, the weekly paper or influencers, citing Kotler and Keller. A section shows how the plan would shrink, and the total is checked.
BUSI 4003 Week 8 rubric: what earns full marks
Spend plans are graded on completeness, pricing and justification. The total must match the budget, and every line needs a stated basis. Graders look closely at the displaced alternatives, since naming what each dollar replaced shows real choices were made. Allocations should follow from earlier decisions about the buyer, positioning and channels; a plan that funds tactics unrelated to the buyer loses marks. Explaining what is not funded, and how the plan would change with a smaller budget or early results, demonstrates flexibility. Readings should support specific choices, such as favoring measurable tactics. A clear table and concise prose keep the plan usable by an owner on a busy morning.
Common BUSI 4003 Week 8 mistakes, and how to avoid them
List every tactic you could fund, then cut to the four to eight most tied to your buyer and channels. Get a price for each from a real source: a printer's quote, a newsletter's rate card, a photographer's estimate. For each, write one sentence on why it is worth the money and name what you would have spent it on otherwise. Add the lines and adjust until they equal the budget exactly. Then decide what you would cut first if the budget shrank. Weak plans leave money unassigned, use round guesses or fund every tactic a little. Others never connect spending to the buyer. If you would like a model spend plan for a small business campaign, share the budget, the buyer and the tactics you are considering.
Get a BUSI 4003 Week 8 example written to your instructions
Week 8's prompt and rubric are enough to produce a fully priced spend plan, back in 24 to 48 hours, with the opening request free. State the budget figure your section assigned and the plan is built to that ceiling exactly. Where a spreadsheet is required, the arithmetic arrives as live formulas.
More BUSI 4003 papers and BS in Business Administration samples
- BUSI 4003 Week 1: Advertisement Analysis Post
- BUSI 4003 Week 2: Single Buyer Customer Profile
- BUSI 4003 Week 3: Competitor Market Scan
- BUSI 4003 Week 4: Brand Positioning Statement
- BUSI 4003 Week 5: Targeting Audit Peer Replies
- BUSI 4003 Week 6: Two-Channel Comparison
- BUSI 4003 Week 7: Marketing Message Draft
- BUSI 4003 Week 9: Campaign Calendar Outline
- BUSI 4003 Week 10: Campaign Results Measures
- BUSI 4003 Week 11: Small Business Marketing Plan
- BUSI 4002 Week 8: Venture Risk Register
- BUSI 3016 Week 8: Revenue Variance Explanation
- BUSI 3014 Week 8: Seasonal Trend Read
- BUSI 3010 Week 8: Forecast Method Comparison
BUSI 4003 Week 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free BUSI 4003 Week 8 sample paper?
The $3,000 spend plan, with every line priced and defended, is reproduced in full here for free.
How is the budget split in the BUSI 4003 Week 8 example?
Across eight tactics, led by coworking demonstrations at $585, newsletter notes at $500 and reminder ads at $450.
What does each line include besides cost?
The basis for its price and the alternative it displaced, such as radio spots or a craft fair booth.
What does the plan not fund?
Search ads, a print ad in the city weekly and influencer posts, each judged a poor fit for the midday buyer.
How would the plan shrink to $2,000?
It would keep demonstrations, discounts, printing and photographs, run one newsletter note and fewer ads, and drop the gift bowls and the open studio.