The Cannabis Industry requires marketing that is simply not the same as it is with other industries. You may be feeling confused as to how to navigate Federal Laws and online policies to make your brand stand out in this growing industry, especially as Facebook and Instagram continue to deny advertising and unpublish cannabis pages.
At Cannabis Marketing, Inc., we employ effective strategies to set up your marketing for success, whether you specialize in topicals, edibles, concentrates, CBD, or have a storefront. Our goal is to help you reach the largest audience while utilizing the best techniques. Read on for several ways you can begin to effectively reach your ideal target audience in the cut-throat cannabis industry.
A Great Website
First things first, you need a great professional website to house all of the information and cannabis products your customers are seeking. Spend time to really think about the overall vision and mission of your company and allow your website to tell your brand’s story.
Even creating lists of what your brand is and is not can be helpful to make your company stand out. Refer to that list often and incorporate other members of your staff within your marketing campaigns to discuss and support the mission of your brand.
After creating a vision and goal for your company’s brand, it is time to create a fully-functioning, mobile-responsive, visually appealing website. You only have moments to make an impression on online users and your website needs to tell a story quickly and effectively.
Make sure to stick to only a few fonts and colors to make the brand and site cohesive. You want your audience to trust you, and if your branding is strong, the more you will stand out in the cannabis industry.
Choosing a domain will make a big difference in your marketing, as it is something you will want your audience to remember easily. Your domain will typically contain your brand name, as that is what people will first type into Google when searching for you. You can search for available domains here.
It is also important to remember to add an age-gate to your website. This is to ensure children are not browsing on your website, similar to what liquor brands have on their sites.
As the cannabis industry grows in popularity, maintaining accountability when promoting or advertising cannabis is imperative. Do your research on the laws your state has for advertising cannabis and employ a team of experts when in doubt. This protects you and your customers.
Canna-Tip: If you run into duplicate company names, try adding the word ‘dispensary’ or ‘collective’ after your brand name. If you’re still having trouble, let our branding experts at CMI help you come up with a memorable and effective name and tagline for your cannabis business.
Effective Email Marketing
After you have established a great website to house the information and products for your cannabis business, consider email marketing. Email marketing may not come to mind right away when thinking about how to market cannabis, but don’t scoff at it too harshly, as email is still a competent digital marketing tactic. When executed strategically to a targeted audience, email marketing can be a highly lucrative and effective way to market cannabis products.
Third, only to Facebook and Instagram, the email inbox is still one of the most popular places people visit daily on their phones and computers.
With clickable links and branded graphics, users can easily visit your cannabis website to read new information on products, specials, announcements, events, and your latest blogs. Email marketing is a fantastic way to lead consumers right to your website, then to your products, and finally, to sales.
Canna-tip: 94% of people get online to check email, and office workers check their email around 30 times each hour. Did you know that it’s the #1 activity on the internet? Use email marketing to stay in touch with your customers and reach your targeted audience on any device.
Incorporate a Blog
A question we hear often is “Does blogging work?” Blogging is a huge part of brand recognition, creating space for yourself as the leader in your field, and establishing frequent and consistent views to your website. Whether you commit to writing one blog a month or hire on some help to publish one blog a week, the trick here is to be selective and consistent with your blog and its topics.
What exactly is a ‘blog’? Well, let’s put it this way, it is a medium that has evolved into what is estimated to now be a $300 billion industry with over 75% of B2C marketers using blogs as a marketing strategy (according to Social Media Today). Blogs are articles that are written specifically for your brand and about a keyword-rich topic that helps your customers to find you when they are searching for that topic.
Blogs and content marketing are effective because your primary audience is actively seeking information about the health benefits of cannabis and CBD, as well as where and how to buy your cannabis or CBD product. Well-written, informative blogs allow your brand to provide relevant and useful content to current and prospective customers, which helps to further set you apart from the competition!
Like we’ve mentioned, Cannabis is a growing and competitive industry, and while more states are legalizing medical and recreational sales, consumers are seeking reliable information. Blogs can help to educate your customers by including topics like the laws of your state, product information, industry trends, and different ways for cannabis and CBD to be consumed. Making CBD and cannabis easier for your prospects and customers to understand will help establish your brand as an expert, which ultimately will help build social proof and lead to more sales and recognition.
While blog subjects can and should range in topics, they all share some of the same characteristics:
- Updated regularly with new content, found in a visible area on your website
- Blogs allow your audience to comment and ask questions while interacting with you and your company
- They present information in an informal but engaging way
- Blogs help to make dull topics more interesting
- Social media links tend to be integrated into blogs, allowing the audience to also find your presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Twitter.
“Full-Circle Marketing”
The next thing to consider is your “full-circle” advertising strategy. Your brand, tagline, and website need to be in front of the eyes and ears of your potential audience, reminding them of your presence over and over again. Did you know that radio remains one of the most effective ways to get in front of your targeted demo?
Only recently we’ve been able to create and air cannabis and CBD ads on the radio, and as legislation evolves, radio will become an even larger avenue to brand your product to current and potential customers. Contrary to what you may think, your radio campaign will target your ideal demographic, which varies per station. Each radio commercial gives you the opportunity to advertise specials, events, and new product announcements, and is served to your demographic in many different places: work, in the car, or at home. Radio is a companion to consumers wherever they go!
Studies indicate that a consumer needs to hear a message seven or more times before they turn into a customer. Radio is an effective avenue that provides the frequency you need as well as the reach you may not see using social media or print. Radio allows you to tailor your message and frequency to consumers to lead them to your store or website, and our clients have always seen an increase in sales and traffic when implementing this strategy.
Grow with us!
We hope this blog (yup, this is a blog!) has inspired you to start marketing your cannabis or CBD product and provided some insights to help you stand out in this very competitive industry. Here at CMI, we want your cannabis business to grow as high as your passion, and if you need help getting started or getting unstuck, we are here to help. We invite you to contact us for your free custom strategy proposal and let us be your cannabis marketing gurus. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter for tips and insight into all things cannabis marketing!
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