| Course | MT358 Social Media Marketing and AI Optimization |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Content plan |
| Length | About 1,180 words, 7 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT358 Unit 3
For Knitters, Not Everyone: An MT358 Unit 3 Six-Week Content Plan for a Hand-Dyed Yarn Studio
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT358: Social Media Marketing and AI Optimization
Unit 3 Content Plan
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The studio, posts and schedule are composite; the frameworks and sources cited are real.
The Findings the Plan Builds On
The Unit 2 brief found that knitters value daylight color photos, dye-lot information, credited pattern pairings and quick yardage answers, and that they refuse countdown timers, AI-made images, paid praise and unpermitted reposts. Kozinets (2002) argues that research into an online community is only useful if its findings change what the marketer does next, and this plan is the place where they must. Findings therefore come before formats: no pillar exists because other brands use it, and every pillar below answers one of those findings.
Five Pillars
The first pillar is colorways shown in three lights. Each new or restocked colorway is photographed by the studio's north window in daylight, under a warm reading lamp and on an overcast porch, side by side, and the caption says which is which. This answers the value placed on honest color photos and the refusal of misleading images. Since 151 of the 212 survey respondents said they trust a daylight photo over any other kind, the plan expects this pillar to reduce color complaints, and it will count them.
The second pillar is phone-filmed dye days. Short, unpolished videos show a colorway being dyed: the pots, the dye, the drying racks. This shows the craft behind the yarn, which the community respects, and explains why dye lots vary.
The third pillar is pattern pairings with credited designers. Each pairing names a pattern, links the designer and notes how many skeins are needed. This answers both the value of pattern pairings and the expectation that designers are credited.
The fourth pillar is customer finished objects, shared only with written permission. A customer's FO is reposted only after the studio messages them, receives a yes in writing and confirms how they want to be credited. This turns a common refusal into a practice the community will notice and respect.
The fifth pillar is a Thursday yardage thread. Every Thursday in the Ravelry group, the studio opens a thread where knitters can ask whether a skein count is enough for a named pattern, and staff answer within the day. This answers the community's most common question in the place where it is most often asked. Berger and Milkman (2012) found that content offering practical value is shared more than content that does not, and a clear answer about whether three skeins will cover a size-large pullover is exactly the kind of help knitters pass to one another.
Each pillar is a promise kept: honest color, visible craft, credit to designers, permission before reposting and a straight answer about yardage.
Where Each Conversation Already Happens
Platforms are assigned by where each kind of conversation already takes place in this community, not by where the studio has the most followers. Yardage questions go to Ravelry, because knitters already ask them there in text, often with a pattern link, and a written answer stays searchable for the next knitter with the same question. Color goes to Instagram, because the image carries the answer and comments there are mostly about how a colorway looks. Dye-day video goes to YouTube for the long version and Instagram for a short cut, since the long version is watched by knitters who want to understand why lots vary. The newsletter carries dye-lot availability because sweater knitters planning a project need the numbers in one place they can return to.
The Schedule
Instagram carries four posts a week: one three-light colorway, one pattern pairing, one finished object with permission and one dye-day video. The Ravelry group carries two threads a week: the Thursday yardage thread and a weekly colorway discussion. YouTube carries one studio video a month, about ten minutes, showing a full dye day. The newsletter goes out twice a month with new colorways, the month's pattern pairings and dye-lot availability.
In the first two weeks, the plan reintroduces the Harbor Ice colorway with three-light photos and a short note acknowledging the earlier mistake, then moves on. Weeks three and four focus on sweater knitters, with pattern pairings for cardigans and pullovers and dye-lot notes for sweater quantities. Weeks five and six focus on sock knitters, with new single-skein colorways and sock pattern pairings.
Segment and Register Checks
Each scheduled post names its segment, sweater or sock knitters. Gift buyers are served by the newsletter's gift section and are not targeted on social media, since the research found they rarely follow the studio there. Before posting, each caption is checked against the twelve-term glossary from Unit 2, so that words like gauge, colorway and frogging are used as knitters use them.
Exclusions
The plan bans trending audio, because knitters in the research described it as noise unrelated to the craft. It bans countdown stickers and sell-out timers, because the community refuses them. It bans AI-made images of garments or yarn, because of the Harbor Ice episode and the community's strong rejection. It bans discount blasts, meaning repeated sale posts, because knitters described them as treating crafters like impulse buyers. Each exclusion names the finding that ruled it out, so a future staff member cannot add it back without arguing against the research.
Staff Time
The plan takes about eight hours a week: three for photography and video, two for writing captions and threads, two for answering the Thursday thread and comments and one for securing permissions. Muniz and O'Guinn (2001) note that brand communities sustain themselves through members' participation, and the plan's time is weighted toward responding rather than broadcasting.
A Sample Week
Week three, the first sweater-knitter week, shows how the grid works. Monday carries a three-light post of a deep green colorway, with a caption stating how many skeins remain in the current lot. Tuesday carries a cardigan pattern pairing that names and links the designer and lists skeins needed in each size. Wednesday opens the weekly colorway discussion in Ravelry. Thursday opens the yardage thread. Friday carries a customer's finished pullover, posted with the permission message and the knitter's chosen credit. Saturday carries a short dye-day clip of the same green being mixed. Each cell names sweater knitters as its segment, and each caption has been checked against the glossary.
How the Plan Will Learn
Each pillar is measured by what it should change: saves and comments for colorway posts, sign-ups for pattern pairings, replies for the yardage thread and orders traced to tagged links and pattern-pairing codes for all of them. Saves and replies are reviewed every Monday, and a pillar that draws neither for three weeks is revised before it is repeated. Color complaints sent through messages or email are counted each month against the same months last year. The social analytics report in Unit 9 will compare pillars on orders and repeat buying, so the plan's own claims can be checked.
References
Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192-205. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.10.0353
Kozinets, R. V. (2002). The field behind the screen: Using netnography for marketing research in online communities. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(1), 61-72. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.39.1.61.18935
Muniz, A. M., Jr., & O'Guinn, T. C. (2001). Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412-432. https://doi.org/10.1086/319618
Reading the MT 358 Unit 3 instructions
Unit 3 turns the research brief into a content plan. The prompt expects pillars derived from findings, a schedule across the platforms the community uses, a segment for each post and a statement of what the brand will not publish. Instructors want to see the line from each finding to each pillar written out, not implied. Platforms should be chosen for the conversations that happen on them rather than for follower counts. A grid with weeks as rows lets a reader check balance quickly. Register matters, so captions are tested against the community's vocabulary. Exclusions deserve reasons tied to the research. Staff time should be estimated. The plan should say how it will learn, naming the measure each pillar is meant to move.
Inside the MT358 Unit 3 example
Opening with the four Unit 2 findings, the sample uses Kozinets to argue that research is only useful if it changes what the marketer does. Each pillar follows with the finding it answers, and the three-light pillar adds the 151-of-212 survey figure. A section on platforms explains why yardage questions belong in Ravelry and color belongs on Instagram. The schedule gives each platform its weekly load and moves from the Harbor Ice relaunch to sweater weeks and then sock weeks. Week three is laid out day by day. Segment and register checks follow, then exclusions with their reasons. A staff-time estimate of eight hours a week precedes the closing section on measures, which names saves, replies and traced orders.
MT358 Unit 3 rubric: what earns full points
Content plans are usually assessed on the connection between research and pillars, the logic of platform choices, the completeness of the schedule and the plan for measuring results. Pillars that answer named findings score higher than pillars borrowed from other brands. Platform assignments need a reason. A schedule should be specific enough that a new staff member could carry it out. Segments and register checks show the plan was written for this audience. Exclusions with reasons demonstrate judgment. A realistic staff-time figure shows the plan can be sustained. Measures tied to each pillar let the plan be judged later. APA 7 citations support claims about community behavior and content sharing, and the writing stays concrete throughout.
MT358 Unit 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Plans in this unit often start from formats, such as reels, carousels or stories, and only afterward look for a reason to use them. That produces content any brand could post. Another problem is assigning every pillar to every platform, which suggests the research was never applied. Exclusions are frequently missing, though a craft community will notice what a brand posts that it should not. Some plans measure everything by reach, which cannot show whether a pillar did its job. Before drafting the grid, write each pillar on one line with the finding it answers beside it. Any pillar without a finding next to it should be cut or justified.
Get an MT358 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Share your community research, or the brand and audience your section assigned, together with the instructions and rubric for Unit 3. Within 24-48h a custom content plan arrives, the first one free, deriving every pillar from a finding, assigning platforms by where each conversation already happens and listing the formats it deliberately leaves out. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT358 Unit 3 questions, answered
How many content pillars should a plan have?
Usually three to six. Each should answer something your research found, so the number follows the findings rather than a template. A pillar that exists only because competitors use it tends to produce posts that could belong to anyone. Show the link from finding to pillar explicitly, even in a single sentence per pillar.
Should the plan include every platform the brand uses?
Only those where the community has the conversations your content serves. It is reasonable to give different platforms different jobs, such as questions on a forum and visual content on an image platform, or to leave a platform out with a reason. Assigning every pillar to every platform usually signals the research was not applied.
Can I include AI-generated content in the plan?
If the prompt allows it and the community would accept it, but say how it will be disclosed and checked. Some communities, especially craft and hobby groups, react badly to generated images presented as real work. Your research should tell you where that line is; state it, and let the plan respect it.
Where can I find a free MT358 Unit 3 sample paper?
The complete MT358 Unit 3 content plan is printed on this page, with five pillars, a six-week schedule and a page of exclusions for a yarn studio.
Why does the MT358 Unit 3 sample photograph each colorway in three lights?
Knitters in the research distrusted studio-lit photos, and 151 of 212 survey respondents trusted daylight images most, so each colorway is shown by a window, under a lamp and outdoors.