In the next ten years, legal sales of cannabis are expected to hit almost $60 billion around the world. That’s a whole lot of green spent on a green plant many people are becoming better acquainted with!
Marijuana is much more accepted and understood than it used to be. It’s not something for “stoners” anymore; it’s a powerful tool for medical purposes as well as a popular recreational interest. As such, cannabis marketing is becoming increasingly intense.
The success of weed startups is no longer about who can enter the market quickly and advertise aggressively. Instead, you have to think about your cannabis marketing plan like any other business would.
Marketing is all about creating genuine, long-term relationships with your audience. It’s meant to draw people in, build an interest, and guide them through the buying cycle.
To accomplish this and more within your market, use the following cannabis marketing tips.
1. Know Your Audience
Cannabis brands can reach anyone from the average stoner to a recently-diagnosed medical patient. The wide range of products – including fresh flowers, vaping tools, creams and lotions, and even cannabis items for pets – add to the density of this market even more.
This is why it’s crucial to have a clear sense of who your audience really is. Is your target market people who smoke every single day? Do they smoke just for fun or because of a condition they want to improve?
Consider whether these people even smoke at all. Many cannabis users prefer to stick to edibles, while others are interested in topical products.
There’s no “typical” user. But your cannabis company should have an ideal customer in mind before working on any marketing ideas. In fact, this should guide all aspects of your business.
2. Share Your Knowledge
Once you have a better sense of who you’re trying to reach, start by telling your audience why they should listen to you in the first place. In other words, create a sense of authority for yourself among other cannabis businesses.
One of the best ways to do this is by starting a blog. Blogging is the way people share ideas these days. It’s your platform to talk about everything from how you source your products to the best cannabis strains for certain experiences.
The more you blog, the more trust you’ll create with potential consumers. Not to mention, blogging plays a significant role in helping consumers find your website.
3. Be Social
Another tool many cannabis websites are using to market themselves is social media. From a digital marketing perspective, social media and blogging go hand in hand. But, when it comes to selling weed, there’s much more to this tool than meets the eye.
Cannabis companies are still having trouble being seen as legal online. Popular platforms like Google and Facebook don’t allow them to fund ads for their products due to complex terms surrounding the legalities (i.e. legal in one state, but not another; legal for medical use but not recreational).
The solution? Working with influencers.
Influencers are a powerful social tool for pretty much any industry. For cannabis companies, though, they’re practically a must. This is how companies can talk to their consumers without being blocked by certain platforms.
Plus, cannabis influencers already have an established sense of authority and a large following to show for it. They make it easy for companies to tap into a big part of their market, without being tapped by online regulations.
4. Focus on Visual Content
As important as it is to follow the rules, it’s also valuable to come up with creative campaigns. If everyone is working with influencers or writing blogs, how is your cannabis marketing supposed to stand out?
With the right content. Focus on your brand voice and make sure it shines in all the copy you write. More importantly, make a strong effort to create quality, eye-catching visuals.
Put a video on your site’s homepage to tell people more about who you are and what you do. Create graphics that have movement or that interact with user commands. Don’t forget to get sharp close-up shots of your products, either.
5. Ask for Feedback
It’s a good idea to ask for feedback from time to time as you’re putting your marketing initiatives together and tracking how they perform. Tell users to comment on social media posts or to send in emails/direct messages about what they think.
This has many benefits. For starters, it tells your audience how committed you are to offering the best products possible. It also helps you generate leads to build more sales with in the future.
Meanwhile, your SEO is benefiting, too. Feedback is user-made content that works to your advantage. Whether it’s on a Google My Business page, a forum chat, or directly on your website, what your audience says plays into how well you rank.
6. Make Your Digital Cannabis Marketing Come to Life
The final cannabis marketing tip to take note of is real-life interactions. As valuable as it is to create online conversions and social media relationships, there are ways to bring your product to the people off the screen, too.
Meet your audience where they are. Go to trade shows and conventions and talk about why your cannabis company is better than someone else’s. Hand out samples if you can or invite an influencer you work with to appear at your booth.
Whatever you do, be sure you’re drawing the attention you’re looking for and leveraging it as much as possible. This goes for on-screen efforts as well as real-life initiatives.
How to Simplify Your Marketing Process
Although the cannabis marketing tips above are extremely beneficial, they can also be a lot of work. It’s hard to focus on all the ins and outs of great marketing if you’re also trying to manage orders, create new products, and find employees to hire.
Thankfully, there are plenty of marketing professionals willing to help your cannabis company succeed. Some of them will focus solely on weed marketing, while others will have experience that draws from all industries.
Still, there is one team of marketing professionals that’s the right solution for you. Click here to find them.