As more states legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical use, the industry is opening up new opportunities to reach customers. But cannabis marketing presents its own set of obstacles which must be overcome to deliver positive results.
Many social media platforms prohibit paid advertisements related to marijuana-related businesses, so having an organic strategy in place is critical for success.
1. SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential element of digital marketing strategies for cannabis businesses. SEO ensures your cannabis services and products can be seen when searchers look for similar ones on Google or other search engines.
Effective use of SEO can boost organic traffic and build brand presence online, helping reach more potential customers while remaining within industry regulations and limitations.
To maximize the success of your cannabis SEO efforts, include visual elements such as high-resolution images and videos into your campaigns. This can add a personal touch while increasing audience engagement with the content – giving your cannabis business an edge against rival businesses in its sector.
2. Social Media
Cannabis businesses are relatively new and expanding rapidly in 2023, so social media marketing is an effective way to reach your target audience. Unfortunately, however, certain social media platforms prohibit paid advertisements for businesses within the cannabis industry.
Social media offers an effective solution: use it to showcase the unique culture and products of your company. You can do this through creative content like zen videos featuring nature, green colors or your product packaging; or by designing content around specific experiences (e.g. creating cannabis-related “go here” TikTok posts).
However, it’s important to keep in mind that social media marketing is an ongoing strategy requiring significant research and maintenance. A reputable digital marketing agency can assist your business with setting up, monitoring and optimizing its social media accounts to maximize their potential and achieve maximum return.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing can be one of the most impactful tools in your cannabis digital marketing arsenal. By directly reaching customers and engaging them over time, email marketing enables long-term relationships and builds brand loyalty.
Email can also provide cannabis businesses with an effective means of sharing product reviews, testimonials and sales records with prospective buyers before they make a purchase decision. In today’s age of user awareness, these forms of content remain reliable sources for potential purchasers to review before making their choice.
Segmenting users based on location or interest and creating personalized content can drive more sales. Klaviyo provides email automation platform users a reliable means of doing just this while also offering performance analytics to show how well their campaigns are doing.
4. Content Marketing
Establishing your brand online as a dispensary, cultivator or headshop is vital to increasing both visibility and trustworthiness of your services. A strategic content approach can drive more visitors directly to your website.
Establishing your presence by publishing informative blog posts and high-quality content highlighting the many benefits of cannabis can help build your following. SEO keywords – words or phrases used by search engines to rank websites – may also assist in increasing search engine rankings and strengthening search rankings.
Use out-of-home advertising such as billboards or signage, taking note of state laws and regulations as you do so.
5. Paid Advertising
Cannabis brands must carefully balance owned, earned and paid media strategies in order to build brand recognition and increase product sales – but navigating industry restrictions and marketing restrictions may prove challenging.
Traditional advertising channels such as Google and Facebook are off limits to cannabis businesses; however, cannabis-specific programmatic ads offer businesses another means of reaching their target audiences online.
Social PR (Public Relations) can be an effective strategy for cannabis brands looking for free publicity and sharing important consumer-facing data, such as market research or scientific studies or FAQ pages that address consumer inquiries or complaints. Social PR campaigns provide brands with another tool for building credibility among customers while at the same time giving prospective customers a chance to understand more about the mission and values of the business.