As the cannabis industry continues to grow, so does the competition to get your product in front of more people. You can use several different marketing strategies to put your cannabis business in the spotlight. However, it can be tough to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together the top three cannabis marketing strategies that will help you jumpstart your advertising efforts. Whether you’re looking for ways to reach new customers or connect with current ones, these tips will help you build effective and creative marketing efforts that stand out from the crowd.
Who is the Target Market for Cannabis?
Knowing your target audience is the first step in developing effective cannabis marketing strategies. Your audience depends on your business type, products, and services. For example, at Green 420 Pack, we provide customized cannabis packaging for cannabis cultivators and manufacturers. We aren’t trying to reach cannabis consumers. If you’re a manufacturer, your target audience may be dispensaries, where you can sell your products. If you’re a dispensary, you’re likely trying to reach and engage consumers to get them to purchase their cannabis from you. Knowing your target audience is the first step in creating cannabis advertising campaigns that reach the right people.
How Do Cannabis Brands Advertise?
Once you know your target audience, it’s time to develop cannabis marketing strategies and create advertising campaigns to reach and engage them. Unfortunately, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and many other online platforms heavily regulate and ban cannabis advertising. For example, Google does not allow paid advertising targeting “cannabis” or related words. This makes it hard for companies to know the best way to get their brand in front of their target audience. Similarly, social media platforms ban companies from advertising their cannabis-related content. Sometimes, they even go as far as removing content and accounts that promote such information. So, how do cannabis brands advertise? They get creative and go organic.
Three Organic Cannabis Marketing Strategies that Work
Organic marketing is a strategy that doesn’t use paid advertising. The three best organic cannabis marketing strategies are SEO, blogging, and social content. Organic marketing is a long-term strategy. While it won’t necessarily get you results overnight, it is an effective form of cannabis advertising to work around the strict regulations.
1. SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Incorporating SEO strategies into your website copy and design enables your business to rank on Google and other search engines naturally. Rather than paying for an ad that gets your business website to the top of Google, you write content and incorporate specific keywords and phrases into your web copy to rank at the top organically. Effective SEO also uses internal and external links to credible sources to show your site is credible as well.
2. Blogging
Blogging is another valuable organic cannabis marketing strategy that uses SEO to reach and engage your target audience. When you write blog content relevant to your audience (similar to the post you’re reading right now), you expand your reach. For a blog post to be effective, it must include specific SEO keywords and phrases relevant to a particular cannabis topic. For example, the SEO keyword phrase of this blog post is “Cannabis Marketing Strategies.” We want search engines to know this blog post shares helpful cannabis advertising tips. That way, when someone types “Cannabis Marketing Strategies” into Google, our blog post shows up on the first page over time. By writing blog content that your audience is searching for online, your brand receives more visibility, awareness, engagement, and sales.
2. Social Content
Although you likely won’t get very far if you try to “boost” a post or create an ad with cannabis content, you can use social media organically. Write posts and use cannabis-related hashtags to target the audience looking for content like yours. Focus on content that highlights education rather than cannabis consumption for your best chance at not being banned. For your social media presence to reach and engage your target audience, you must post consistently, use all the platform’s features (i.e., IG Stories, Reels, etc.), and engage with your audience. A post-it-and-forget-it approach isn’t likely to facilitate substantial growth for your business.
How Can I Make My Cannabis Products Stand Out?
Even if you identify your target audience, write compelling blog content that ranks on Google, and grow your following on social media, there’s one last step. You need to make your cannabis products stand out. The cannabis industry competition is fierce. Having a good product isn’t enough these days. You need to go above and beyond with unique, exciting, and eye-catching cannabis packaging. At Green 420 Pack, we specialize in custom cannabis design and packaging. We know what it takes to get your cannabis products to stand out from the rest, and we are here to help! Learn more about our cannabis packaging products and services, and contact us today to take your product design to the next level.
