| Course | MKT 443 Social Media Marketing (MKT/443) |
|---|---|
| Week | 2 |
| Paper type | Social media and loyalty analysis |
| Length | about 1,037 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 443 Week 2
From Followers to Regulars: How Social Media Can Build Fan Loyalty for a North Dakota Ball Club
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MKT/443: Social Media Marketing
Week 2 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The Missouri River Hawks and all figures are composites written for a model paper.
The Week 1 audit of the Missouri River Hawks, the invented minor league club in Bismarck, showed that their social media accounts broadcast scores but rarely invite fans to take part. The team's most valuable customers are season ticket holders. About 600 accounts generate roughly $410,000 a year, more than a third of ticket revenue, and they attend far more games than single-game buyers. Yet only 64 percent renew each year. Exit surveys mention busy summers, the team's losing record and a feeling that the front office only contacts them when it wants money. This paper defines customer loyalty, reviews research on how social media builds it and recommends a social media loyalty plan aimed at season ticket holders.
What Loyalty Means
Loyalty has two parts. Behavioral loyalty is repeat purchase, such as renewing a ticket package. Attitudinal loyalty is a preference and emotional attachment that keep a customer committed even when a competitor or a bad season offers a reason to leave. A customer who renews only because of a discount shows behavior without attitude, and is likely to leave when the discount ends. Durable loyalty requires both.
Stages of Fan Attachment
Funk and James (2001) proposed the psychological continuum model, which describes four stages in a person's connection to a sport or team: awareness, when a person knows the team exists; attraction, when the person enjoys and prefers it; attachment, when the team becomes part of the person's identity; and allegiance, a durable commitment that resists change and guides behavior. Many Hawks season ticket holders are at the attraction stage. They enjoy summer evenings at the park but do not see the team as part of who they are, so a busy summer or a losing season easily breaks the habit.
Brand Communities
Muniz and O'Guinn (2001) described brand communities as groups of admirers of a brand connected by three markers: members feel a kind of kinship with one another, they keep up customs and stories, and they feel they owe something to fellow members. Members help each other, celebrate the brand's history and welcome newcomers. Sports teams are natural brand communities, but the Hawks have no place where season ticket holders gather outside the ballpark.
Social Media Brand Communities
Laroche et al. (2012) surveyed members of brand communities on social media and found that these communities strengthened the community markers, encouraged value-creating practices such as sharing knowledge and helping others, and through those practices increased brand trust and brand loyalty. The study supports the idea that social media can build attachment, but only when the community gives members something to do together.
Participation and Spending
Rishika et al. (2013) studied a specialty wine retailer and compared customers who joined the firm's social media page with similar customers who did not. Those who participated visited more often, and the effect was stronger when the firm was active and when the customer engaged more. The finding suggests that social participation can raise the behaviors that matter, not only online engagement.
Loyalty grows from taking part, not from watching, and the team's accounts currently give fans only things to watch.
Diagnosing the Hawks' Problem
The research points to three gaps. First, season ticket holders receive the same posts as everyone else, so nothing marks them as insiders. Second, there are no rituals that connect fans to one another outside the park. Third, the team contacts fans mostly at renewal time, which fans read as a sales pitch. These gaps keep fans at attraction rather than attachment.
The Plan: A Members-Only Community
The Hawks will create a private online group for season ticket holders, managed by marketing coordinator Kayla Brandt with help from a ticket services representative. Members will receive news first, such as signings and promotions, take part in monthly polls and join a short online question session with the manager before each homestand. The group will also highlight members, such as a fan attending her 25th season.
Rituals and Recognition
Rituals turn attendance into tradition. The team will introduce a members' pregame gathering at the left field picnic area for each Friday home game, with photos posted to the group. Each member's anniversary with the team will be marked with a post and a small gift at the ballpark. Recognition of long-time holders on the video board, shared on social media, signals that loyalty is valued.
Responsive Service
Season ticket holders who post questions or complaints will receive a reply within four hours during the season. Ticket exchanges for missed games will be handled through direct messages, so busy families do not lose value when they cannot attend.
Measuring Results
Success will be measured by renewal rate, with a goal of 72 percent next year; average games attended per account; group membership and active participation; and response time. Renewal rates of members who participate in the group will be compared with those who do not, though the comparison will be treated cautiously, since the most loyal fans are likely to join first.
Why Season Ticket Holders Come First
Focusing the plan on one group is a deliberate choice. A season ticket account is worth about $680 a year in tickets alone, plus food, parking and merchandise, and each lost account must be replaced by several single-game buyers. Season ticket holders also bring friends and relatives, so they act as informal sales staff for the team. A community that keeps 50 more accounts each year would protect about $34,000 in ticket revenue, far more than the plan costs to run.
Limits
Social media cannot overcome every reason for leaving. Winning seasons, game times and prices also affect renewals. The plan addresses the relationship part of loyalty, the part the front office controls.
Conclusion
Loyalty combines repeat behavior with attachment, and research on fan psychology and brand communities shows that attachment grows when people belong and participate. The Missouri River Hawks currently treat social media as a bulletin board. A members-only community, rituals, recognition and responsive service give season ticket holders reasons to move from enjoying the team to identifying with it, and renewal rates will show whether the plan works.
References
Funk, D. C., & James, J. D. (2001). The psychological continuum model: A conceptual framework for understanding an individual's psychological connection to sport. Sport Management Review, 4(2), 119-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523(01)70072-1
Laroche, M., Habibi, M. R., Richard, M.-O., & Sankaranarayanan, R. (2012). The effects of social media based brand communities on brand community markers, value creation practices, brand trust and brand loyalty. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(5), 1755-1767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.016
Muniz, A. M., & O'Guinn, T. C. (2001). Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412-432. https://doi.org/10.1086/319618
Rishika, R., Kumar, A., Janakiraman, R., & Bezawada, R. (2013). The effect of customers' social media participation on customer visit frequency and profitability: An empirical investigation. Information Systems Research, 24(1), 108-127. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1120.0460
What the MKT 443 Week 2 instructions ask
In Week 2, MKT 443 students are often asked to analyze how social media marketing affects customer loyalty, usually for a chosen company. Expect to define loyalty, which includes both repeat behavior and an attitude of preference, and to explain the ways social media can strengthen it, such as brand communities, recognition of loyal customers, responsive service and content that keeps the brand part of daily life. Some prompts ask for examples of companies that use social media for loyalty well, and others ask for a loyalty plan. Base the analysis on research, apply it to the organization's actual customers and recommend actions that can be measured. Cite scholarly sources in APA format.
How this MKT 443 Week 2 example is built
The Missouri River Hawks keep only 64 percent of their roughly 600 season ticket accounts each year, and the paper asks whether social media could raise that figure. It starts by defining loyalty as repeat purchase backed by a preference that resists competing options. Research on brand communities explains the shared rituals and sense of belonging that bind customers, and a study of social media brand communities shows how they build trust and loyalty. A sport psychology model describes four stages from awareness to allegiance. A retail study then links customers' social media participation to more visits and higher spending. The diagnosis finds that the team talks to all fans the same way, and the plan builds a members-only community, recognition rituals and responsive service for season ticket holders.
MKT 443 Week 2 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong loyalty papers define loyalty carefully, distinguishing repeat buying from genuine commitment, and use research to explain how social media builds both. Faculty reward analysis that identifies which customers matter most to the organization's revenue and why they leave or stay. Applying concepts such as brand community, recognition and responsiveness to specific social media actions earns higher marks than general claims that engagement creates loyalty. Measurable recommendations, such as renewal rates or visits per season, show the student understands that loyalty must be tracked. Scholarly sources, well-organized sections, accurate APA citations and a clear conclusion are expected. Evidence of honest limits, such as loyalty driven mostly by winning or price, signals critical thinking.
MKT 443 Week 2 help: mistakes to avoid
A frequent mistake is assuming that more followers or more likes mean more loyalty. Research shows the link runs through participation and belonging, so explain the mechanism. Another common gap is treating all customers alike; identify the most valuable group and focus the plan there. Students also confuse loyalty programs with discounts. Price incentives can buy repeat visits without creating any attachment, and they end when the discount ends. Some papers recommend a community without saying who will manage it or how. Assign responsibility and describe what members will actually do. Use research rather than company press releases as evidence. Finally, include a way to measure success, such as renewal rate, attendance per account or response time to fan questions.
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MKT 443 Week 2 questions, answered
What does MKT 443 Week 2 usually cover?
It usually covers how social media marketing affects customer loyalty, including brand communities, customer recognition, responsive service and how companies measure whether online engagement leads to repeat purchases.
Where can I find a free MKT 443 Week 2 sample paper?
The Week 2 loyalty analysis for a composite baseball club in Bismarck is posted in full above, including its renewal figures and loyalty plan.
What is a brand community?
A brand community is a group of customers connected by their shared attachment to a brand, marked by a sense of belonging, shared rituals and traditions and a feeling of responsibility toward other members.
Does social media engagement increase customer loyalty?
Research suggests it can when customers actively participate, for example by joining a community or interacting with a firm, but simply following an account has a weaker effect.
How do you measure customer loyalty from social media?
Track behaviors such as renewal or repeat purchase rates, visits per customer and spending, and compare customers who participate in social activities with those who do not.
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