Cannabis marketing might seem tricky at first, but it is a highly lucrative vertical when done right. In Canada, cannabis sales more than doubled in 2020, to $2.6 billion. Projections see the market growing over 2021 as well, making it the right time to focus on your cannabis business success. The good news is that cannabis brand marketing follows many digital marketing best practices. Applying these tricks to your industry and your business is a surefire strategy to increase sales.
As you plan your marketing strategy, make sure you follow all of the regulations under the Cannabis Act. These regulations apply to the logo, colours, branding, and labelling of all cannabis products. After familiarizing yourself with the rules, planning around them is easy.
Top Cannabis Brand Marketing Strategies
Effective cannabis marketing requires a diverse approach that includes branding, visuals, content, customer service, and e-commerce. Below, we describe three main tips to grow your brand from these different angles. Incorporate them into your strategy to help ensure your cannabis business success.
1. Create a Strong Brand Identity
Cultivating a strong brand identity is key to successful marketing in the cannabis space. A cohesive and recognizable cannabis brand will attract and keep customers at a higher rate. It will also position you as a source of authority and knowledge. As this is a space where many people still have a lot to learn, you can build a lot of customer trust. Strong brand identity is useful for guiding the direction of content marketing campaigns as well.
Related Reading: How to Keep a Consistent Brand Identity in Content Marketing Campaigns
When it comes to cannabis marketing, there are three essential components involved in building your brand.
Clear and Cohesive Visuals
The customer’s very first interaction with your brand is a visual one. Attractive and cohesive visuals will draw them in, but a messy design will quickly lose their interest. The visuals can even communicate your vibe and brand lifestyle. Make sure you have an appealing colour scheme and a clean design that invites people to read and learn more about your brand. This applies to your website and all of your visual social media content, particularly on Instagram.
Sticking to the Facts
Cannabis marketing is a unique vertical due to all of the regulations and constraints on the industry. Using facts is the best way to avoid running into trouble and keep the trust of your customers. When talking about cannabis, it is important not to make any false statements. This may not only go against regulations, but it can make your customer feel misled. Representing your product honestly will help you build a good reputation.
Find out more about how to talk about cannabis in our helpful guide on the topic: Cannabis Writing Guidelines and Tips.
Cannabis Marketing Content
The crux of any good marketing strategy is quality digital content. The content needs to be SEO-friendly so that potential customers find it. It should also be engaging enough to draw them in. Cannabis brand marketing can take the form of Instagram polls, memes, quizzes, and blog posts. At the same time, you have to ensure your marketing content doesn’t advertise direct prices, doesn’t promote direct product ordering, and includes age disclaimers.
Your content will reflect positively or negatively on your brand. The experienced writers at Constant Content can create all of the content you need for cannabis business success. You won’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing, and you’ll have ready-made content to use in your marketing campaigns.
2. Improve Your Customer Service
Customer service plays a very important role in brand marketing and image. Satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal to a brand. High customer satisfaction leads to positive word of mouth as well. The way you communicate with your customers will influence how satisfied they feel. This may include emails, FAQ pages, social media messaging, chat bots, and general content. Constant Content can also help you ensure that your brand communication is up to scratch.
Related Reading: Customer Satisfaction Tips: Better Content for Business Success
3. Branch Out into E-Commerce
One of the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cannabis industry was that it spurred a shift towards e-commerce. Regulations had previously made e-commerce difficult for cannabis businesses. Now, regulators had to permit new ways of serving customers while maintaining social distancing. The pandemic necessitated options like online ordering, curbside pickup, and home delivery.
Today, e-commerce is critical for success in the cannabis industry. Having an online presence lets you diversify your customer base and serve more people. It can also help you customize your marketing content strategy. Just remember that any type of e-commerce strategy must meet all current provincial regulations.
Get Started on Your Way to Cannabis Business Success
Cannabis marketing seems a lot less intimidating once you understand good marketing basics. While you need to be mindful of how you present your products, marketing cannabis can be a lot of fun. Quality content is the best way to reach a target audience and keep customers satisfied. It will also ensure you meet all of the Cannabis Act regulations.
Constant Content is here to help with your cannabis brand marketing strategy. Our skilled freelance writers have experience in many different marketing areas, including Canada’s cannabis industry. Take advantage of the industry’s growth and start building a thriving business with content you can count on.