Families have been cooped up all year and holiday events are getting canceled. During this holiday season, parents are looking for positive memories for their families. Little Bear Tree Farm might be a solution for these families looking to start a new tradition. It’s a family-owned business that’s only an hour’s drive from Sacramento. Select and cut your own Christmas tree, take cool family photos, enjoy the friendly animals, gift shop, famous hot chocolate, and other goodies.

William Jessup University’s upper-division marketing class has been hired by Little Bear Tree Farm to do marketing for the business. This class has a surprising track record of success when it comes to marketing real companies.

Adjunct Professor Scott Alvord, who teaches the class and runs a business consulting company, says, “I’ve been impressed with the students’ ability to turn classroom principles into actual marketing campaigns. In past semesters, the class brought heavy traffic to the Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce website and set sales records for the Sacramento Ballet’s The Nutcracker and the large BerryFest event.”

How can a class of inexperienced students be so successful in the real world? Dr. Stephen Strombeck, Dean of the Business School at WJU explains, “Many of our professors are working professionals in the field, allowing them to integrate real-life applications into business concepts. This has led to some creative class projects with legitimate marketing budgets.”

This year has been especially challenging for the university due to the pandemic. The president of the university, Dr. John Jackson, states, “Our teaching staff and students have refused to let this pandemic stop them from getting a quality education. I’m impressed with the creativity of our professors to give our students hands-on experience in this unique hybrid teaching model. Classes like this help our students be exceptionally employable.”

“The hybrid teaching model provides flexibility for regional students and opportunities for international students, like me, to participate in the experience,” explains Kenny Cao, a Hong Kong-based Junior, majoring in Business.

Sarah DeRise, a Junior majoring in Digital Communication and Design, admits, “Even though I’m not a business major, this class has taught me useful skills I can use in my career field.”

The students will be using a mixture of social media and print advertising to reach new customers. The whole marketing strategy centers around carefully-developed target avatars.

MacGregor Douglass, a Junior majoring in Business with an Entrepreneurship Concentration, explains, “One of our target avatars is Jenny Johnson, a 38-year old mother of two in the Sacramento area. After having her children cooped up at home all year, she wants to start a unique family tradition for the holidays. Our second avatar is Linda Johnson, a 65-year-old grandmother who wants lasting memories for the whole family.”

Holly Parrish Bezner, owner of Little Bear Tree Farm, shares, “I was pleasantly surprised with their professionalism. They dressed up for our initial interview, and they asked in-depth questions to get to the heart of my family business. Their target avatar approach is unique and an effective way to market my business.”

If your family is looking for a fun new tradition that will make fond family memories, Little Bear Tree Farm could be exactly what you’re looking for. They are only a short 1-hour ride from Sacramento and the location is full of photo opportunities, friendly animals, thousands of Christmas trees to choose from, unique gift shop items, and sweet treats to eat.

Weekends can be a little busy but mid-week visitors have the best experience without the larger crowds. Holly is excited about reaching new visitors. “We are ready for the new families, and we have taken COVID-19 safety precautions to give them peace of mind as they look for their special tree.”

Visit their website for more information LittleBearTreeFarm.com

SOURCE: Little Bear Tree Farm and William Jessup University

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