| Course | CIS 434 Internet Marketing |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Online marketing strategy |
| Length | About 1,053 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for CIS 434 Module 3
Trip-Ready: An Online Marketing Strategy That Sells Montana Fishing Knowledge Before the Angler Arrives
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
CIS 434: Internet Marketing
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Trip-Ready: An Online Marketing Strategy That Sells Montana Fishing Knowledge Before the Angler Arrives
Module 2 found that anglers who travel to fish western Montana want three things the market supplies poorly: knowing which river and week will fish well, arriving with flies that work there and keeping a connection with a guide. Rattlesnake Creek Fly Shop's knowledge fits those needs, but knowledge alone is not a strategy. This paper chooses the target, writes the value proposition, positions the shop against its rivals and explains how the strategy earns money. Rattlesnake Creek, its rivals and the numbers are invented for this course.
The Target
The strategy targets anglers who travel to western Montana to fish, a segment of about 70,000 a year in the composite license figures. Within it, the shop will focus first on anglers making their first or second trip, who need the most help and have not yet settled on a lodge or guide. Locals and regional anglers remain customers of the store, but the online strategy is not designed for them, and anglers who will never visit are served only through fly kits, without extra marketing spending.
Value in Both Directions
Kumar and Reinartz (2016) argued that customer value has two sides. One is the value customers perceive from the firm's offer, the benefits they receive relative to what they give up. The other is the value customers provide to the firm over their relationship, through purchases, referrals, influence and knowledge they share. Firms that manage only one side either give away margin or offer too little to keep customers, and the two sides reinforce each other when designed together.
For the shop, the first side is the help a traveling angler receives. The second side is what a satisfied angler returns: repeat trips, fly orders between trips and, most valuable for a small shop, stories and photographs shared with other anglers. The strategy is designed around both.
The Value Proposition
Trip-ready: Rattlesnake Creek helps anglers who travel to western Montana pick the right river and week, arrive with flies tied for that water and stay in touch with a guide who knows them. Each part answers one of the three needs from Module 2, and each draws on something the shop already has: guides who fish daily, a tying bench and a small enough staff that a customer can talk to the same person twice.
Positioning
| Alternative | Local knowledge | Continuing relationship | Price to the angler | What the angler gives up by choosing it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-in lodges | High | Moderate, within the stay | Very high | Most anglers cannot afford it |
| National online fly retailers | Low | Low | Low | Generic flies and no advice |
| Guide booking sites | Varies by listed guide | Low | Moderate | No help before or after the trip |
| Rattlesnake Creek | High | High | Moderate | Fewer amenities than a lodge |
Steering the Channel Mix
Ansari et al. (2008) studied the customers of a retailer selling through catalogs and the internet and how they shifted between channels over several years. Marketing contacts such as e-mails and catalogs influenced which channel customers moved to, so a firm's communication shaped its channel mix rather than merely responding to it. Customers who moved toward the internet initially bought more, but heavier internet use was associated with lower purchase volume later, perhaps because comparison and switching are easier online.
That warning shapes the strategy. The shop does not want past guided clients to become anonymous web buyers who can be lured away by a cheaper fly site. Its e-mails will therefore come from the client's own guide, mention the river they fished together and invite a reply, keeping the relationship personal even when the purchase happens online.
The Resource System
| Activity | Resource | How it delivers trip-ready |
|---|---|---|
| Daily river reports with flows and hatches | Six guides, ten minutes each after a trip | Tells anglers which river and week |
| River-and-month fly kits | Tying bench, two tiers in winter | Puts the right flies in the angler's box |
| Pre-trip call and post-trip follow-up | Booking calendar and guide notes | Keeps the guide connection |
| Photo and story sharing | Simple gallery and e-mail list | Returns value from customers to the shop |
Touchpoints and Outcomes
Kannan and Li (2017) organized digital marketing research into a framework linking the environment in which firms and customers interact, the touchpoints through which they meet, such as search, social media, e-mail and the firm's own site, and the outcomes those touchpoints produce for customers and firms. Their framework emphasizes that touchpoints work together across a customer's journey and that firms need to understand how each contributes to outcomes such as acquisition, retention and value. For Rattlesnake Creek, the main touchpoints are search results for western Montana fishing questions, the river report, e-mail from guides and the booking page. Modules 4 to 6 design each one.
The Revenue Model
The strategy earns money in three ways. Guided trips remain the largest stream, at $650 to $750 a day for two anglers. River-and-month fly kits, priced at $89 to $129 for a box of two to three dozen flies chosen for a stretch of river and a month, carry margins near 55% because the shop ties many of the flies itself. A $49 yearly planning membership gives anglers a thirty-minute video call with a guide before their trip, early access to booking dates and 10% off kits. The membership turns advice the shop already gives away by phone into revenue and gives the shop a reason to stay in touch through the year. Last season the shop's phone took roughly 600 planning calls from out-of-state anglers, most of whom never booked; if one in five became members, the fees alone would pay for a winter of report writing.
What the Shop Will Not Do
The strategy deliberately leaves out competing on price for rods, reels and waders online, building a lodge-style package with lodging and meals and buying broad national advertising. Each would spread a small shop's money and attention across fights it cannot win.
Conclusion
Rattlesnake Creek's strategy targets first- and second-time traveling anglers with a trip-ready promise, positioned between expensive lodges and generic online retailers. Kumar and Reinartz justify designing for value in both directions, Ansari, Mela and Neslin explain why communication should keep past clients close and personal, and Kannan and Li frame the touchpoints the next modules design.
References
Ansari, A., Mela, C. F., & Neslin, S. A. (2008). Customer channel migration. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(1), 60-76. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.45.1.60
Kannan, P. K., & Li, H. (2017). Digital marketing: A framework, review and research agenda. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 34(1), 22-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2016.11.006
Kumar, V., & Reinartz, W. (2016). Creating enduring customer value. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 36-68. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0414
Reading the CIS 434 Module 3 assignment instructions
In CIS 434, the third module concerns formulating the marketing strategy, and the paper generally asks for a target, a value proposition, positioning and a way to make money online. Treat the Module 3 directions in your own classroom as binding; Rattlesnake Creek is a made-up business. Confirm the segment chosen and why. State the value proposition as the benefits customers receive, in their words. Position the company against the alternatives customers actually consider. Describe the activities and resources that deliver the promise. Explain the revenue model and how the strategy builds a lasting relationship, citing your sources in APA 7 form.
Inside the CIS 434 Module 3 example
The segment is traveling anglers, about 70,000 a year in the composite license data from Module 2. The value proposition, trip-ready, combines three benefits: knowing which river and week will fish well, arriving with flies tied for that water and staying in touch with a guide before and after. A positioning map places the shop against fly-in lodges, national online retailers and guide booking sites on two axes, local knowledge and continuing relationship. The resource system links guides who write river reports, a tying bench that assembles kits and a booking calendar. Revenue comes from trips, river-and-month fly kits and a $49 yearly planning membership. Kumar and Reinartz (Journal of Marketing), Ansari, Mela and Neslin (Journal of Marketing Research) and Kannan and Li (International Journal of Research in Marketing) support the design.
Where the marks sit in the CIS 434 Module 3 rubric
Strategy papers at Aspen earn credit when every element connects: the segment explains the value proposition, the proposition explains the positioning and the resource system explains why rivals cannot copy it easily. This one states a single proposition in the angler's own language and checks it against the three needs found in Module 2. The positioning map uses dimensions customers care about rather than the shop's preferences. Kumar and Reinartz justify designing for value in both directions, Ansari and colleagues explain why the strategy steers past clients deliberately and Kannan and Li frame the touchpoints the later modules will build. The revenue model is specific, with prices and a reason for each stream.
CIS 434 Module 3 help from the desk
Strategy papers often name several target segments and promise something to each, which leaves no clear strategy. Choose one segment and explain what you will not do. Another weakness is a value proposition written as a slogan instead of as benefits a customer would recognize. Position against the alternatives customers really weigh, which may include doing nothing. Describe how the company will deliver the promise, not just what it will claim. Explain how each revenue stream fits the strategy rather than listing ways to sell more. Finally, say how the strategy keeps customers coming back, because acquiring a customer online is expensive.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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- CIS 434 Module 7: Implementing the Marketing Program
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CIS 434 Module 3 questions, answered
What does CIS 434 Module 3 usually ask for?
Aspen's CIS 434 covers formulating the marketing strategy in this module, so choosing a target, stating a value proposition, positioning against rivals and setting a revenue model is typical. Follow your classroom prompt.
What is a value proposition in internet marketing?
A statement of the benefits a chosen customer receives from the firm's offer, online and offline, and why those benefits beat the alternatives.
Can a retailer influence which channel customers use?
Ansari, Mela and Neslin found that marketing contacts such as e-mails and catalogs shaped customers' migration between channels.
Where can I find a free CIS 434 Module 3 sample paper?
Above, at no charge, sits the full strategy paper: one target segment, a trip-ready promise, a positioning map and three revenue streams for a made-up fly shop.
What is customer value in two directions?
Kumar and Reinartz's idea that firms create value for customers and receive value from them over time, so strategy should manage both.