With the marijuana industry exploding, cannabis brands are vying for a piece of the pie. Unsurprisingly, cannabis brand marketing is essential to success in this competitive market. But what’s the best way to go about it?
Learn more about effective tactics, customer segmentation and engagement, and more!
Whether you’re looking to promote your cannabis brand or want to understand how the industry works, this comprehensive guide on cannabis brand marketing strategy will help you make sense of it all.
Key Takeaways
- Building a strong brand identity is crucial for cannabis businesses looking to stand out in a crowded market. This can be achieved through clear messaging, visually appealing branding, and a well-defined target audience.
- Establishing a strong online presence is key to successful cannabis brand marketing. Utilizing social media platforms, search engine optimization, and a user-friendly website can help businesses reach a wider audience and increase engagement.
- Collaborating with influencers and partnering with other cannabis brands can help businesses expand their reach and build credibility within the industry. This can also help brands tap into new markets and gain exposure to different demographics.
- Creating high-quality, informative content that educates and entertains customers is a powerful marketing tool. By providing value to consumers, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders within the industry and build trust with their audience.
- Finally, it is important for cannabis brands to stay up-to-date with changing regulations and industry trends. By remaining flexible and adaptable, businesses can position themselves for long-term success in the fast-paced cannabis industry.
Promoting a cannabis business: strategies and techniques
If you’re looking for strategies to market your cannabis business, there are several techniques that you can use. Social media offers a powerful means of promotion that should not be overlooked.
Additionally, participating in local community events and sponsoring charitable causes can help boost your brand’s reputation. Partnering with other companies within the same industry could also generate leads and gain access to their customer base.
Lastly, programmatic advertising on relevant websites effectively reaches a large audience with your marketing message.
In the following lines, we are looking at some of the most prevalent means to promote your recreational or medical cannabis business.
Attracting local customers
There are a few key ways to market your cannabis brand to locals. First, identify your target audience. Are you targeting medical patients, recreational users, or both? Once you know your target, you can better craft your marketing strategy.
Next, get involved in your local community. Attend local events and sponsor local causes. Get to know the other businesses in your area and partner with them when possible. The more visible you are in the community, the more likely people will remember your brand.
Finally, make sure your branding is on point. Your logo, website, and packaging should all be cohesive and professional. This will help instill trust in potential customers and make them more likely to choose your brand over others.
These are other great ways to market your business locally:
Billboards
To reach the largest audience possible, many cannabis companies opt to advertise on billboards. While billboards can be an effective way to get many people, some things could be improved with this form of advertising.
Billboards are relatively expensive, so ensuring your target audience will likely see your cannabis content and remember your ad is important.
Additionally, because billboards are often located in high-traffic areas, they can be seen by people who are not interested in your product or may even find your ad offensive.
As such, carefully considering your target audience and location is crucial when deciding whether or not to use billboard advertising for your cannabis brand.
Vending machines
Vending machines efficiently promote and distribute cannabis products without needing a retail store or dispensary. They provide a convenient option for customers who want quick and easy access to your brand’s products.
To maximize the impact of vending machines, use eye-catching graphics, including identifying elements of your brand, offering promotional items with information about your business, clearly listing product information and prices, and providing discounts or coupons.
Local advertising
When advertising cannabis brands, there are a few key things to remember. First and foremost, advertising must comply with state and local laws. Secondly, it’s essential to consider the target audience for the brand and what type of messaging will resonate with them.
For brands looking to advertise locally, newspaper, radio, and TV are still viable options. However, given the restrictions placed on cannabis ads, getting creative with how the brand is promoted is important.
One way is through grassroots marketing efforts such as events or sponsorships.
Another avenue for local cannabis advertising is through digital platforms. Social media advertising can be a powerful tool for reaching potential customers already spending time online.
Additionally, several digital publications focus on the cannabis industry, which can be a great way to get your brand in front of a relevant audience.
Event marketing
As more states legalize cannabis, event marketing is becoming an important and increasingly popular way to reach consumers and promote brands. Event marketing can take many forms, from trade shows and festivals to educational seminars and product demos.
No matter what type of event you’re planning, a few key considerations will help ensure its success.
First, ensure your event is well-branded and consistent with your overall cannabis marketing strategy. This means using your brand’s colors, fonts, and logo in all event collateral, from the invitations to the signage.
Next, think about how you can use events to create an experience for attendees that they will remember. This could involve incorporating interactive elements like games or activities or providing complimentary products or services.
Finally, remember to promote your event ahead of time! Use social media, email marketing, and traditional advertising to get the word out and build excitement.
Once the event is over, follow up with attendees and collect feedback so you can continue improving your cannabis brand marketing strategy.
Attending conventions and other events
When it comes to cannabis brand marketing, one of the most effective strategies is attending conventions and other events. This allows you to meet potential customers and partners face-to-face while raising awareness for your brand.
Though, there are a few things to remember when attending conventions and other events. First, make sure you’re knowledgeable about your product and the cannabis industry as a whole. Attendees will likely ask you questions, so you need to answer them confidently.
Second, have plenty of branded merchandise on hand to give out. This could include anything from T-shirts and hats to lighters and pipes. Attendees will appreciate the freebies, and it’s a great way to get your brand name out there.
Last, take the time to network with other cannabis businesses. You never know when a valuable partnership could form, so it’s always worth putting yourself out there.
By following these tips, you can make the most of every convention or event you attend – furthering your cannabis brand’s reach.
Hosting events
If you’re looking to market your cannabis brand, hosting events is one of the best ways. This gets your name out there and allows you to build relationships with other businesses, including cannabis companies, and customers.
When it comes to hosting events, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, ensure that your event complies with all state and local laws. This includes ensuring that all attendees are of legal age and that no one is selling cannabis products or consuming it at the event.
Second, you must ensure that your event is well-organized and runs smoothly. This means having a clear plan for how the event will run and adequate staff to help things run smoothly.
Finally, you need to make sure that you promote your event correctly. This includes creating attractive and eye-catching marketing materials. Include the use of social media platforms to spread the word about your event.
Collaborations and sponsorships
Cannabis companies constantly seek new ways to reach their target audiences. One way to do this is through collaborations and sponsorships as this could be your most powerful marketing tool.
This can be a great cannabis marketing strategy to get your brand in front of a new audience and build relationships with other companies in the industry.
Collaborations and sponsorships can take many different forms. You could partner with other cannabis business owners to produce a joint marketing campaign, sponsor an event or charity, or collaborate on social media advertising.
Whatever form it takes, ensure that your collaboration or sponsorship aligns with your brand’s values and mission.
If you’re unsure where to start, contact other cannabis businesses in the industry you admire and see if they’re interested in collaborating. You may be surprised at how open they are to work together!
Collaborating with other brands
When collaborating with other brands, remember a few things. First and foremost, always keep your brand’s identity in mind and make sure that any collaboration is true to your brand’s voice, values, and aesthetic.
Secondly, consider what the other cannabis companies’ brand offers and how a collaboration could be mutually beneficial. Finally, don’t be afraid to think outside the box – sometimes, the most unexpected collaborations can be the most successful.
Here are a few tips for successfully collaborating with other brands:
1. Do your research
Before reaching out to another brand, take some time to familiarize yourself with their work. This will help you determine whether or not a collaboration would be a good fit and give you a better understanding of their aesthetic and audience.
2. Have a clear vision for the collaboration
Be clear about what you hope to achieve and what each brand will bring. Having a shared vision will make the collaboration process much smoother.
3. Be flexible
Be open to compromise and adjust your plans as needed – after all, two brains are better than one! Great things can happen if both cannabis businesses put their egos aside and work together towards a common goal.
4. Be respectful of each other’s time & resources
Both brands should feel like they’re getting something out of the collaboration, so respecting each other’s time and resources is essential. Discuss expectations and establish clear communication channels from the beginning to avoid any misunderstandings.
5. Promote the collaboration
Once the collaboration is underway, promote it on social media platforms and other digital marketing channels to maximize its impact. This will increase the visibility of the partnership and help both brands reach a wider range of cannabis users, and gain new followers.
Collaborating with other another cannabis company can be a powerful way to grow your reach and increase your brand identity in the cannabis industry. By remembering these tips, you can ensure that your collaborations are successful, authentic, and beneficial for everyone involved.
Sponsorships
When promoting a cannabis brand, one of the effective marketing efforts is to pursue sponsorships. This can involve partnering with like-minded cannabis companies or sponsoring events that align with your target audience.
For example, a cannabis brand might partner with a music festival that attracts its target demographic. Or, a brand might sponsor a local sports team in a market where recreational cannabis is legal.
Pursuing sponsorships is an excellent way to raise awareness for your brand and reach new customers. If you’re interested in pursuing this type of marketing strategy, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide below.
Brand ambassadors and word-of-mouth advertising
Cannabis brand ambassadors are people who love your product and tell others about it. They can be your customers, employees, or even celebrities. Brand ambassadors help with marketing cannabis by spreading the word about your product through word-of-mouth advertising.
Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most powerful marketing tools you have at your disposal.
When someone tells their friends about a great product they’ve tried, those friends are more likely to try it themselves. And when they do, they’re more likely to become brand ambassadors!
A well-executed brand ambassador program can do wonders for your cannabis business. Not only will it help you reach new cannabis users, but it will also create a community of passionate advocates for your brand.
Hiring brand ambassadors
When promoting your cannabis brand, there is no more effective method than hiring brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors are people hired to represent a company or product in a positive light and generate interest and excitement around it.
There are a few things to remember when hiring brand ambassadors as your cannabis marketers. First and foremost, they should be passionate about your product and believe in its mission.
Additionally, they should be outgoing and have a solid social media presence. Finally, they should be able to articulate your brand’s key messages clearly and efficiently.
If you’re looking to hire brand ambassadors for your cannabis brand, we highly recommend contacting 420 College.
420 College is the leading provider of comprehensive training for those looking to enter the cannabis industry. Their team of experts can help you find the perfect cannabis marketers to suit your needs.
Word of mouth advertising
There’s no question that word of mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools available to businesses. And when it comes to cannabis brands, word-of-mouth advertising can be especially effective in getting people to try your products.
That’s because people who use cannabis are often passionate about it and love talking to others about their favorite products. So if you can get your brand in front of these potential customers and convert them into fans, they’ll do a lot of the work for you to spread the word.
Of course, there’s more to effective word-of-mouth marketing than just putting your products out there and hoping for the best. You need to have a strategy for how you’re going to get people talking about your brand. Here are a few ideas:
1. Make sure your products are top-notch – This should go without saying, but ensuring they are high-quality is vital if you want people to talk about them positively. No one will recommend a subpar product to their friends, so make sure yours are worth recommending.
2. Get involved in the community – Another great way to generate word-of-mouth buzz is to get involved with the cannabis community. Plenty of forums, meetups, and other events where like-minded people gather to chat about all things cannabis.
If you can get your brand in front of these folks, they’ll be more likely to recommend your products to others.
Affiliate Marketing and Media Pitching
Affiliate marketing is a great way to generate more revenue for your cannabis brand in front of new customers. By partnering with other businesses in the cannabis industry, you can reach a larger audience and promote your products or services to a broader group of people.
Media pitching is another effective marketing strategy for cannabis brands. By reaching out to journalists and influencers, you can get your brand’s story in front of a new audience.
Both affiliate marketing and media pitching can be great ways to grow your cannabis brand. If you’re not sure where to start, our team at The Cannabis Marketing Lab can help you develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes these and other effective marketing tactics.
Drive sales through affiliate marketing
Cannabis affiliate marketing is a great way to drive sales for your brand. By partnering with other businesses in the cannabis industry, you can tap into their customer base and promote your products or services to a wider audience.
To get started, contact companies complementary to your business and inquire about affiliate opportunities. Once you have established relationships with a few key partners, start promoting their products or services on your website or blog.
Be sure to include links to their site so customers can easily purchase the products they want.
In addition to promoting partner products on your site, you can participate in joint marketing efforts. This could involve hosting a contest or giveaway, sponsoring an event, or creating joint content like blog posts or infographics.
By working together, you can reach a larger audience and generate more sales for both businesses.
Pitch to well-known journalists and publications
If you want your cannabis brand to succeed, getting exposure to well-known publications is essential. But how do you go about doing that?
Here are a few tips:
1. Do your research. Find out which publications your target audience reads and see if they accept pitches from companies like yours.
2. Make sure your story is newsworthy. Consider what makes your brand unique and why someone would want to write about it.
3. Write a great pitch. Once you’ve identified a few potential outlets, craft a compelling pitch to grab their attention.
4. Follow up. After you’ve sent your pitch, follow up with the journalist or editor to ensure they received it and express your interest in working with them.
B2B marketing strategies
As the cannabis industry continues to grow, B2B marketing over the past few years has become an essential part of reaching the target audience. These include dispensaries, cultivators, processors, and other cannabis-related businesses.
However, due to the legal and regulatory challenges associated with the cannabis industry, B2B marketers must be knowledgeable about the specific rules and regulations in their respective regions.
Effective cannabis B2B marketing involves building strong relationships with industry stakeholders, such as cultivators, manufacturers, and distributors. This can be achieved through various tactics such as attending industry events and engaging in social media outreach.
It also includes providing informative content and industry news that speaks to the needs and interests of these stakeholders.
It’s also crucial to maintain strict compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including restrictions on advertising and cannabis marketing to minors.
By taking a strategic and thoughtful approach, B2B marketers can successfully navigate the complex and rapidly evolving cannabis industry, and help their clients grow and thrive in this exciting new market.
SEO and content marketing strategy
As the cannabis market matures, marketing strategies must evolve. To stay ahead of the competition and increase conversions, cannabis SEO marketing and content marketing are vital components that brands should focus on.
Effective research of cannabis related keywords, website optimization, and link building can improve search engine rankings. Additionally, creating relevant, exciting content catered to their target audience will help establish trust and credibility with potential customers.
Text message marketing
When crafting a text message marketing strategy, remember that the cannabis consumer has unique needs. Timing is essential when reaching them, so send your messages in a timeslot when they are most receptive.
Additionally, ensure that your texts are short and sweet, as no one wants to read a lengthy statement on their phone.
Adding a call-to-action can also help increase conversions from your readers. Finally, don’t forget to test out your campaigns before you launch them—doing this will help ensure they are as effective as possible.
Referral programs
One of the most effective methods for expanding your customer base is to offer an incentive or reward through a referral program.
This can be done by providing existing customers with discounts or other benefits when they refer new customers, who receive a discount or bonus upon making their first purchase.
The incentives should be substantial enough to motivate people to take action but not so generous that customers feel taken advantage of.
Different companies may find other offers most effective, and it is worth experimenting with various options to see what works best for you.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing has become crucial to digital marketing due to its widespread use among individuals and many local businesses.
With millions of users on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, social media allows companies to connect with their target audience and build brand awareness.
Businesses can generate leads and drive sales through social media marketing by creating engaging content, promoting products or services, and interacting with followers.
Social media offers valuable consumer behavior and preferences insights, allowing businesses and cannabis entrepreneurs to tailor their marketing strategies accordingly.
E-commerce remarketing
E-commerce remarketing is an effective way to reach cannabis consumers and maintain your brand’s visibility. It enables you to target people who have already expressed an interest in your products or services, increasing the chances of them becoming paying customers.
There are a few different ways to go about e-commerce remarketing, but one of the most effective is through email marketing. You can target customers who have abandoned their shopping carts or still need to complete a purchase with special discounts or promotions.
Another great way to reach these customers is through targeted ads on social media or search engines, such as google ads.
Native and display advertising (PPC)
Cannabis advertising has been a challenge. While it remains federally illegal, restrictions in each state are easing. There are many more opportunities opening up for getting your message to your desired audience. If you opt for native or display advertising (PPC), remember a few key things.
When crafting content for native ads, be sure it’s of interest to them and concise with clear copy and captivating visuals. And if utilizing display advertising, put it where your ideal buyers congregate – social media sites, popular news hubs, cannabis-centric forums – and use visuals that will draw their attention.
No matter which route you take when promoting your brand, these pointers should help guide you!
Content creation
The success of cannabis businesses relies on quality content. Developing creative and focused educational materials is essential for connecting with potential customers as the industry grows.
Establishing a strategy incorporating informative, accurate, and engaging content can help you build a successful brand presence. Brainstorm ideas with your team, create them, and share them on various platforms – this will surely attract customers and keep them engaged over time.
Guest posting
Regarding cannabis marketing, guest posting is a great way to get your name out there. By contributing articles to other people’s blogs or websites, you can build up your brand’s credibility and authority in the industry. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with like-minded individuals passionate about cannabis.
If you’re new to guest posting, here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Find relevant blogs and websites in your industry.
2. Reach out to the site owner or editor and introduce yourself.
3. Offer to write a guest post for their site.
4. Share your article on your social media channels once it is published.
Guest posting is an effective way to grow your cannabis brand and reach a wider audience. We even allow it with some of our customers, like CannaShroom. Remember these tips, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a guest posting pro!
Influencer marketing
With the cannabis industry expanding, so does the necessity for practical marketing approaches. Influencer marketing is a compelling tactic that cannabis brands can use effectively.
This form of marketing involves collaborating with influential people with sizable followings within your target demographic.
These influencers can assist in promoting your brand and its products or services on their social media accounts, blogs, or other online outlets.
Instagram and Pinterest accounts
As a cannabis company, taking advantage of social media should be a priority since it can open up great opportunities for reaching customers.
Both Instagram and Pinterest are highly visual outlets, which makes them ideal for showcasing your products and promoting your company.
Additionally, interacting with your followers, responding to their queries, and running occasional promotions or giveaways can help create strong customer and brand loyalty.
Customer retention
When it comes to customer retention, the main objective is to make your customers feel valued. Ensuring excellent customer service and staying in touch with them through various channels can help you strengthen those relationships and boost loyalty. Offering discounts or other promotions can keep customers satisfied and encourage repeat business.
Loyalty programs
To build a successful brand, you must have a comprehensive cannabis marketing strategy, including loyalty programs. These programs are an excellent way to build customer loyalty and keep them returning for more.
There are a few things to remember when creating a loyalty program for your cannabis brand:
1. Make it easy for customers to sign up and earn rewards.
2. Offer valuable rewards that will appeal to your target audience.
3. Make sure the program is easy to use and understand.
4. Promote your loyalty program heavily to ensure customers know it.
5. Evaluate the program regularly and make changes as needed.
Measuring success
To measure the success of your cannabis marketing strategy, you can use critical metrics such as website traffic, conversion rate, and social media engagement.
Google Analytics or another similar tool can be used to track how many people visit your website and the rate at which they take desired actions, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
Additionally, tracking engagement levels on your social media channels (e.g., likes, comments, shares) will provide insight into how interested people are in your content and their willingness to share it with others.
Key performance metrics
There are several key performance indicators or metrics that any cannabis brand should be tracking to gauge the success of its marketing strategy. Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Website traffic: This is perhaps the most obvious metric to track, but it’s still important. Keep an eye on how much traffic your website gets from your various marketing channels. Are specific channels performing better than others?
2. Engagement metrics: You need more than just getting people to visit your website; you want them to stick around and engage with your content. Track metrics such as time on site, pages per visit, and bounce rate to get an idea of your visitors’ engagement.
3. Conversion rates: Ultimately, you want your cannabis marketing efforts to result in conversions (sales, leads, etc.). Track your conversion rates from your marketing channels to see which ones are performing best.
4. Social media engagement: If you’re active on social media, it’s important to track engagement metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and follows. This will give you an idea of how well your social media campaigns perform. We supercharged this client’s cannabis business with better social media strategies.
5. Email open and click-through rates: If you use email marketing, track these two key metrics for your engagement success.
Final thoughts
As you can see, a lot goes into creating and executing a successful cannabis brand marketing strategy. But, by following the tips and advice in this guide, you should be well on your way to establishing your brand in the cannabis industry.
Of course, your brand marketing strategy will continue to evolve as the industry does. So, stay up-to-date on all the latest news and trends. And most importantly, always remember to stay true to your brand’s core values.
Jack Alexander Morrison Austin is a content marketing maverick, driving sales, and growth through high-quality content and advanced SEO strategies.
As the creative engine behind Grassroots Content, Jack’s mission is to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, ensuring brands get noticed in the crowded digital landscape.
Hailing originally from the UK, Jack now calls Da Nang, Vietnam his home, an inspiring backdrop for his audacious vision of revolutionizing content creation to catalyze tangible growth in business performance. His approach is not just about words or SEO for SEO’s sake; it’s about creating a unified vision that genuinely assists customers and primes brands for Google’s ranking.
With a keen interest in Google’s Natural Language Processing and algorithm analysis, Jack masterfully crafts content that is compelling and designed to surge traffic, skyrocket click-through rates, and multiply sales. Every month, he and his team deliver over 500,000 words to delighted clients worldwide, paving the way for unprecedented growth in their business performance.
When he’s not immersed in crafting top-notch content or decoding Google’s algorithms, Jack can be found indulging in his love for football, music, and outdoor adventures. A fan of camping, he thrives on the thrill of exploring new terrains, much like his approach to content marketing.
Ready to transform your content strategy and experience the Grassroots Content difference? Feel free to contact Jack for a free consultation. Be part of the revolution in content creation that drives organic growth and boosts conversions. Jack Austin is here to amplify your brand and turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.