Category Local Advertising

The role of social media in cannabis marketing has become more than just a trend; it’s a necessity. As legal and cultural attitudes towards cannabis continue to evolve, navigating this space effectively requires a keen understanding of the digital realm. From leveraging various platforms to building authentic brand identities and overcoming legal hurdles, many strategies, tips, and trends can elevate your cannabis marketing game in the digital age. So, let’s discover the future of cannabis marketing!

Leverage Social Media Platforms

When it comes to launching your cannabis startup or scaling your cannabis business to the next level, traditional marketing strategies are undoubtedly vital. However, in today’s digital world, there’s a game-changer that can’t be overlooked: social media marketing. It’s the bridge that connects your cannabis brand to a vast and diverse audience, fostering engagement and building brand loyalty.

Social media offers a treasure trove of opportunities for cannabis entrepreneurs. Platforms like Instagram provide a visual canvas to showcase your products, while Facebook allows for community building and customer interaction. X can be your real-time communication channel, and LinkedIn can help you network within the industry and build powerful partnership and collaborations. Each platform has its unique strengths, and a well-crafted social media strategy can harness these strengths to your advantage.

Navigate Legal and Advertising Challenges

In cannabis marketing, legal and advertising challenges can often seem like tough obstacles. Unlike many other industries, cannabis faces strict regulations and restrictions on advertising and promotion. Navigating this complex terrain is crucial to building a successful cannabis brand on social media.

The legal framework for cannabis advertising varies greatly from one region to another, and even within states or countries where cannabis is legal, there can be significant variations in rules. It’s imperative to understand and comply with these regulations to avoid legal consequences that can harm your brand’s reputation.

To navigate these challenges, cannabis marketers must develop a deep understanding of local and national laws. You need to strike a delicate balance between promoting your products and services and adhering to these regulations. This is why developing SOPs (standard operating procedures)for social media can help your entire organization stay on the same page and avoid many common pitfalls in the industry.

Build Authentic Brand Identity

When it comes to social media in cannabis marketing, market segmentation plays a crucial role in targeting diverse consumer groups. That’s why establishing an authentic brand identity is essential. The brand’s identity you promote on social media sets you apart from the competition, helps your business resonate with your target audience, and fosters brand loyalty.

To build an authentic brand identity, define your core values and mission. Then, craft a compelling narrative that tells the story of your cannabis business, highlighting what makes you unique. Authenticity is the key to aligning your values with your marketing efforts, and it enables you to create a genuine connection with your audience.

Market research is also important to understand your target audience’s preferences and needs. Tailor your messaging and content to resonate with their interests, values, and aspirations. Engage in open and transparent communication and address consumer concerns and questions honestly.

Also, don’t forget to maintain consistency across all social media platforms. Use a consistent tone, visual style, and messaging to reinforce your brand’s identity. Showcase your commitment to quality, sustainability, and community engagement.

Engaging Content Strategies

Captivating your audience with engaging content is also relevant for social media in cannabis marketing. To create a lasting impact, you must go beyond promotional posts and immerse your audience in valuable, informative, and entertaining content. So, let’s explore some winning content strategies that will set your cannabis brand apart:

• Educational Content: Educate your audience about the benefits of cannabis, different strains, and consumption methods. Address common misconceptions and provide credible information.
• Storytelling: Share authentic stories about your brand’s journey, values, and mission. Create a narrative that resonates with your audience on a personal level.
• User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to share their experiences with your products. This builds trust and authenticity.
• Visual Appeal: Invest in high-quality, visually appealing content. Showcase your products through professional photography and videos.
• Interactive Content: Use polls, quizzes, and contests to engage your audience. This fosters active participation and real engagement.
• Leverage Social Media Tools: Utilize top social media tools for scheduling, analytics, and content creation to streamline your efforts.

Analyzing Data and Measuring Success

To ensure your social media efforts are paying off, analyze data effectively. This enables you to fine-tune your social media strategy, allocate resources effectively, and ensure your cannabis brand’s long-term success. Here, we’ll explore the KPIs all cannabis brands should track to gauge the impact of their social media campaigns.

• Engagement Metrics: Monitor likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates to assess how well your content resonates with your audience.
• Follower Growth: Keep an eye on your follower count and track its growth over time.
• Website Traffic: Use tools like Google Analytics to measure the traffic driven to your website from social media.
• Conversion Rates: Analyze how many social media leads convert into actual customers.
• ROI: Calculate the return on investment for your social media campaigns by comparing costs to revenue generated.

Trends in Cannabis Social Media Marketing

The world of cannabis social media marketing is in a state of constant evolution, shaped by ever-changing consumer behaviors and industry dynamics. Staying ahead of the curve is vital to remain competitive. Here are some noteworthy trends that are reshaping the cannabis marketing landscape:

• Micro-influencer partnerships are gaining momentum, with brands collaborating with micro-influencers having niche audiences, offering a more authentic and targeted approach.
• The surge in CBD’s popularity has led to a proliferation of content focused on its benefits and uses.
• Video content continues to dominate, with live streams, product demos, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of cannabis businesses gaining traction.
• Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that demonstrate sustainability and social responsibility, making these values essential in your marketing efforts.
• Innovative brands are also utilizing AR (Augmented Reality) to create immersive and interactive experiences for their audiences while adopting compliance tech solutions to ensure adherence to legal requirements, which is on the rise.

The Future of the Role of Social Media in Cannabis Marketing

Social media has emerged as a powerful tool in marketing. From leveraging various platforms to navigating legal challenges, building authentic brand identities, and implementing engaging content and data-driven strategies, it’s clear that social media plays a pivotal role.

Embracing trends and analyzing key performance indicators are also essential for success. In the digital age, the role of social media in cannabis marketing has never been more promising.

Will your #cannabisbusiness survive impending economic changes (recession)?

Companies that invest in marketing (properly) will be able to survive the economic changes we will inevitably experience, but those that don’t, may not be able to make it through a downturn.

If you think that #cannabis is recession-proof…you’re right and wrong.

The data is proving that it is, but that doesn’t make every cannabis company exempt from going down in flames should a recession hit us.

Cannabis, however, is not bad, or lack of leadership proof, and that can pose a problem no matter what the economy looks like.

Companies that invest in their long term #marketingstrategy and effective #leadership (not just hiring freelancers or vendors to implement what they think they should be doing) those are the companies that will survive.

Which type of company do you want to be? 

The company that burns through freelancers or employees because there’s no real #strategy or leadership in place, or a company that values their employees, values strong leadership, and is defining their brand position in the market to be able to successfully weather any storm?

With many challenges facing the cannabis industry, having strong leadership to help define #branding is critical before any storms hit. 

Think of it as preparing for a hurricane, and not waiting until the last minute to get supplies.

Things to think about:

Are you memorable?

Are all of your marketing or advertising efforts standing out from the sea of green? 

Yes, cannabis has a lot of land mines to navigate, but that also doesn’t mean that you can’t push the envelope of what can be done to get attention and become memorable, making the most of your marketing budget.

Don’t be lame. Even as a highly regulated industry, we have to think outside of the box with fun and creative advertising. 

Is your imagery visually appealing?

Do you know how to stop the scroll, and demand attention from your ideal client? 

If not, you’re wasting money on your marketing efforts.

There are certainly limitations in the #cannabisindustry, but there are easy ways to overcome these obstacles, again, thinking out of the box and getting your head out of the sand to address the blindspots you aren’t even aware of, helping your team learn the true cost of lead generation.

Is your team writing good copy?

Do you know how to use words to get your ideal customer to take an action in the name of lead generation (whether you do this in-house or you rely on lead generation outsourcing?)

That’s what good copy can do, but if your team is just slapping something together for the sake of #content, then you’re missing valuable opportunities on a daily basis, and leaving money on the table….your competitor’s table, and they’re about to roll it up and smoke it. 💨

The choice is yours, but don’t get caught unprepared if (or when) the storm hits, and don’t say you weren’t warned. ⚠

#marketing #advertising #team #creativeadvertising #cannabiscommunity #cannabismarketing #brandpositioning #brandpower

We are quickly approaching the end of 2022. It went up in smoke, and we’re left wondering where the days went…did we squander the time and resources for effective cannabis marketing available to us during the year?

If you’ve spent any amount of time staying up to date on trends in the cannabis industry, you know that the major thing on the minds of brands and dispensary operators alike, is “how are we going to gain a competitive advantage in 2023?

Of course we can’t reliably predict federal legalization, but we can definitely start working on our cannabis marketing strategy now, before things drastically change.

You have a unique advantage if you already have an operating cannabis brand or dispensary because you can start implementing a strategy through the holidays and into the new year, getting a jump on your competition that are just trying to keep things together.

What are some pitfalls of not having a strategy in place for the coming year?

If your cannabis business has been operating without strategic leadership up until this point, you may find that your marketing efforts seem to fall short, or you know they could be improved.

You may either end up with a wasted budget, wasted talent, wasted data, and wasted potential.

What a bummer.

No one wants to spin their wheels when it comes to marketing and advertising their business, that’s why it’s important to not only track your KPIs, but it’s also important to have the leadership you need to help you navigate the haze of common obstacles that plague regulated industries like cannabis.

These are some pitfalls of not having effective leadership in place to help navigate your team to success:

1. Wasted Budget: If there is no accountability on where to focus time, energy and resources, then it become a slow drip of money in wasted time, and wasted focus and missed opportunities. Not having a focused idea of where efforts should be concentrated will cause budget to get wasted rapidly. Slow drip of budget is scary for leadership because can cause the ship to slowly sink.
2. Wasted Talent: This is also related to wasted budget. When you don’t have a data-driven strategy, like PPC metrics, and other critical data points, the personnel you do have will end up working on things that will not lead to income-driving activities. Your team thrives under inspiration and motivation, and without either of those, they won’t have the drive in them to meet quarterly and yearly goals. Wasting talent is a shame– people want to be proud of what they’re doing, but they might not be able to see where they’re going without a strategic leader helping to plan 3-6 months out for them so they can focus on doing only the necessary tasks at hand.
3. Wasted Data: If you don’t own your data, that’s a whole other issue, however, IF you are collecting data, using that data to course correct, or you’re leaving that data to float about, hoping that your customers will continue to shop with you when they’re ready? If you don’t own your data…why? Why are you allowing a third-party provider handle your customer acquisitions? Sure it’s short term gains, but in the long term, you’re paying for the cost of taking short cuts by losing out on customer loyalty and brand building.

The benefits of having a strategic leader (Fractional CMO) that will help guide your cannabis marketing team:

1. Properly Utilized Budget: When you have a Fractional CMO on your team, you’re able to not only operate within a budget, you’re able to properly utilize the budget and get the biggest “hit” for your buck 😉
2. Excelling Talent: You’d be surprised at how a strong leader with a solid strategy will do for your team. Your team members will no longer feel like they’re being spread too thin. Why? Because you can’t expect to hire one or two people and make them take on the full responsibility of an 8 person team. There will be less burnout with your team, and will be blazing through their delegated duties, and able to be effective in the skills and tasks they can accomplish the best. Accountability is critical!
3. Preserved Data: With a proper cannabis marketing strategy in place, you’ll be able to effectively track your customer data (and own it), course correct based on that data, and utilize the appropriate copy and creative to attract those ideal customers that you serve the best.

Ready to get your cannabis brand marketing strategy on the right track? Book a time to have a quick clarity call to discuss your 2023 plan for success in the cannabis industry.

Cannabis marketing doesn’t have to be difficult.

Yes, it can be a tough, and bumpy road to navigate, but you can still get to your destination….more traffic, more customers and a brand that stands out from the rest with a community of loyal customers.

The market is rapidly changing, and setting yourself up for success now is critical to the future of your dispensary or cannabis brand strategy.

“If you build it, they will come” is a passive way to build a solid business, and is an even worse way to run your marketing strategy because you’ll always be behind your competition.

I’m sure at this point, you’re thinking, sure, “blah, blah, blah…get to the point”

So what are some ways to help your dispensary or cannabis brand to stand out in a sea of a competitors in a wild west market that’s also regulated?

The cannabis industry is a cluster and many are operating on speculation, but there are some principles that are going to help you get your brand on a solid footing and reach your perfect customers in the doors more often, and actually keep them for longer.

1. Identify Your Ideal Customer: Do you know who you’re selling to? It’s one of the most basic thing to identify when you’re starting a business, but most don’t start there. They’ll create their logo, website, and other marketing collateral without taking into account color psychology, fonts, their company vision/mission, tone of voice, and building a true brand identity that will connect and build a community of raving fans.
2. Branding: Now that you know who you’re marketing to, now you need to make sure that you’re building an authentic brand that connects with the community you want to build. Why waste time doing anything else until you have a guide on how anyone in your organization should represent the brand?
3. Attract those Ideal Customers: If you’re not focusing on local SEO, you’re leaving some serious money on the table when your ideal customer is searching for “dispensaries near me” or “dispensary near me”. Why? Your customer is going to go to the first 3 results, and if you’re not on that list, you’re missing out people that are actively looking to find your business. Your customers can’t become loyal fans unless they’re able to find you. There are so many platforms for cannabis brands to utilize safely, however having the right road map for success will make the most out of your marketing budget.
4. Talk the talk and Walk the Walk: Are you leaving the right impression on your community? Are you showing up in the places that your people are hanging out at? Are you making interacting and doing business with you as easy as possible? Don’t spread yourself too thin. A strategy, and brand guide is going to help you determine how to respond to customers, where your people hang out, and how to create a strong relationship with your customers, keeping them longer as raving fans who spread your word for you much faster.
5. Don’t compete on price or with the big dogs: The race to the bottom is a painful one. If we want to make cannabis a sustainable market, let’s take a cue from the “legacy market” that operates on value and convenience than they are on price. Customers pay what they ask because they want/need it and don’t have easy access to it, and the legacy market players make it convenient for you whether they come deliver it to you, or are available at the last minute and after hours. How can you implement this idea in your marketing strategy to create a unique experience for your customers? The answer to that is going to determine your success in the rapidly changing cannabis industry.

Cannabis marketing is easier when you have a leader driving strategy that can help you stand out in a market that’s rapidly changing.

Leadership in this industry needs to have knowledge of the legacy market and knowledge on how to navigate obstacles like compliance and community guidelines, bridging the gap, is helpful to direct your organization in the right direction, helping your organization identify how to show up for the community in a safe and legal way.

Do you know what KPIs you should be tracking for your cannabis or dispensary brand? Request your access to your top 5 KPIs all Cannabis CEOs should know today and schedule a time to speak to a cannabis marketing Fractional CMO to discuss your brand and cannabis marketing goals!

We can’t begin to thank our clients and appreciate the opportunity to serve this community of leaders paving the way for equitable access to a plant that is beneficial to society in so many ways.

The Future of Cannabis Marketing

Looking to the future of Cannabis Marketing, we can’t wait to see how the industry will grow, and we’re excited and honored to be a part of it.

We’ve seen the industry change rapidly, and aim to stay on the cutting edge of to help our clients remain competitive and create brand loyalty in their local markets. We’re looking forward to see what the next 5 years hold for the industry.

Check out the award press release here:

Is your dispensary or cannabis brand struggling to gain market share in this increasingly competitive market?

Contact us today to discuss how our services can support your business growth and goals.

iFreshly Digital founder, Erica Vallejo talks about her professional journey in this interview by Voyage Austin. She discusses how she grew the business; a process that started with a need to provide for herself and her child and was fueled by her passion for helping businesses reach their ideal clients and desire to be a strong role model to her daughter.  

We are thrilled to align our professional energy with the Cannabis culture we are so passionate about since the article’s publication! 

Joining the cannabis marketing community is more than just an ingenious savvy business move for iFreshly Digital; it represents the alignment of our passion for the Cannabis community and our professional energy.

As the number of recreational marijuana states increases and we know that marijuana legalization is on the horizon for many more of us, we seek to spread awareness about the marijuana plant and destigmatize its consumption!

Read about our journey and let us know about yours in the comments! 

We look forward to connecting!

Happy World Book Day! We are big proponents of learning and reading and know that we don’t know everything there is to know about the magical plant we call cannabis.

Cannabis goes by so many names and has quite a history.

So where does one start if they want to start learning more about Cannabis?

Minorities have created the culture behind Cannabis, but for decades that has been behind closed doors, and now that legalization and decriminalization is spreading throughout the US and across the world, Cannabis dispensaries are looking for ways to reach the community where they’re at.

If you’re not a consumer of cannabis, knowing the culture can be difficult, especially having to deal with your own implicit biases.

It’s our goal to be able to combat stigmas, stereotypes, and roadblocks and help everyone in the United States get access to medical and recreational Cannabis.

The people are going to do it either way, so it’s all about using this important natural resource to help our economy in a sustainable and equitable way.

That being said, make sure to do your research!

Books, books, books!

Read as much as you can. Consume the latest news, and become a part of the community and politics.

As a professional, I’ve shied away from making a political stance and hide my knowledge of Cannabis culture, however becoming a public part of the Cannabis industry, it’s pretty impossible to not make a stand.

Social justice, equitable access, etiquette and more!

Are there any books you’d recommend to Cannabis CEOs to get a bigger understanding, whether you’re a seasoned black market pro, or relatively new to the White, legal market?

These are a few that are on our list and it’s growing:

Marijuana Books

Other recommended books to look into:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katieshapiro/2020/03/30/the-best-weed-reads-to-build-your-cannabis-library/?sh=6397215e10c0

rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/books/best-books-about-weed-870807/

Do you know the key performing indicators (KPIs) in your cannabis business that will help you predictably and reliably forecast revenue?

Enter your name and Email below to get your Cannabis Marketing 5 KPIs that All CEOs Should Know to Successfully Scale

As humbling and honored as it’s been, we’d like to announce that we’ve gotten selected to be listed as one of the Top Texas Advertising Agencies by DesignRush!

This business of ours has grown over the last several years, and we are so excited that we are getting recognition in the industry, especially in a city and state like Texas with some stiff competition!

We are excited to see what opportunities come our way, and can’t wait to continue serving Austin, Texas, and beyond with all your Marketing and advertising needs!

Check out our profile on DesignRush and don’t forget to contact us if you’d like to discuss how we might be able to help your business!

Local Search Engine Optimization

Have you ever asked yourself, “what is search engine optimization?” What’s the difference between regular SEO and local SEO? Do you know the difference and are you paying the right agency to do it? Do you know how to reach your local market if your business depends on geographical business? If you’re not optimizing locally and already running Search Engine Optimization (SEO), then you’re hurting yourself drastically. 

Help Customers Find You When They Need Your Services 

People automatically hop on Google if they don’t have a personal referral for a service or product they’re needing.  Even if they do, they’re researching the company to make sure the referral they’ve been given is competent and a good fit for them.  96% of people use online reviews from multiple sources to decide what business they want to choose as their provider.  The magical thing that happens when you pair reviews with search engine optimization and do it with an agency that has your best interest in mind, your business will start growing because you’re being seen more often by your target market.  Your reputation and your strategy revolving around this fact about human behavior will help you reach your ideal client because they’ll be contacting YOU instead of having to chase them. Imagine all the time you’ll get back in your life! What’s the price to pay if you ignore it?

Optimizing Your Website for Sales and Ranking

Do you know how to optimize your website to rank highly by Google and other search engines?  Are you telling a story for your potential customers as well as the robots scraping your website deciding where you should be ranked? If you’re not optimizing your current content, and adding more content consistently, you know, keeping things FRESH, you’ll become irrelevant. 

When you’re irrelevant with a bad reputation, Google pushes you down in search engine ranking results and drives down revenue.  Do you know what Search Engine Optimization is and why you need it for your business? If you don’t have both a long term and short term marketing plan for your business, then you may be shooting yourself in the proverbial foot.  Don’t wait until you’re stressing about where your next client is coming from.

Your business depends on people being able to find you when they need your services.  With a sea of options, what will make you stand out from the crowd?  Do you have the data you need to create a marketing plan to generate a consistent flow of paying customers?  If what you’re doing now isn’t working, you may need to turn your marketing strategy around. 

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