Marketing Play for Cannabis Brands

Navigating the marketing landscape for cannabis brands presents unique challenges and opportunities. Despite strict regulations and platform restrictions, there are effective strategies to engage and grow your audience. Here’s a concise overview:

Opportunities: The expanding market and increasing acceptance offer fertile ground for brand growth.
Challenges: Strict advertising rules, platform bans, and lingering stigma complicate outreach.
Strategies for Success:
Leverage your own website and SEO for visibility.
Engage with content marketing to build trust.
Utilize social media carefully, adhering to platform guidelines.
Directly connect with your audience through email and SMS marketing.
Regulation Compliance: Stay informed on federal and state laws to navigate the legal landscape effectively.
Building Your Brand: Define your audience, develop a distinct brand voice, and create consistent branding guidelines.
Performance Measurement: Set clear metrics, use analytics, and continually optimize based on data.

By focusing on owned channels, compliance, and audience engagement, cannabis brands can navigate the complex marketing environment effectively.

Federal Regulations

The big rule at the national level is that cannabis is still seen as illegal, which means you can’t sell or promote it across state lines.
This rule stops cannabis brands from shipping products to different states where it’s legal or advertising them there.
It also means that radio and TV stations that cover the whole country can’t show ads for cannabis.
Because of these rules, you’re mostly stuck advertising within your own state, using your own websites or local word-of-mouth.

State Regulations

Every state with legal cannabis has its own set of rules for marketing.
A common rule is not to aim your marketing at young people under 21.
You’re also not allowed to say your cannabis products can cure or help with health issues unless it’s proven.
There are rules about where you can put ads, like billboards, too.
It’s important to keep up with any changes in the laws about cannabis ads in your state.

Ensuring Compliance

Make sure you really dig into the laws about cannabis ads at all levels – federal, state, and even local.
Talking to a lawyer who knows a lot about cannabis ads can help a lot.
Don’t try to sell to kids or make claims about health benefits without evidence.
Always check the rules of any platform before you post ads there.
Keep records of how you’re following the rules and get your ads checked out.
Regularly check your marketing to make sure it’s still following the law.

Sticking to the rules for cannabis marketing takes work, but it’s the best way to safely reach your customers. Keeping up with the laws and focusing on your own channels lets you talk to your audience without stepping over any lines.## Defining Your Target Audience

It’s really important to know who you’re selling to. By figuring out who your main customers are, cannabis brands can make messages that really speak to what these people care about, what they need, and any doubts they might have.

Conducting Audience Research

To get to know your customers better, start by asking your current customers and talking to people you want to sell to about:

Basic info like their age, gender, where they live, and how much money they make
Their attitudes, beliefs, and what’s important to them
How they use products, how often they buy, and what they like
What kinds of products, tastes, or effects they prefer

Looking at this info helps you see patterns and understand what your customers have in common.

Developing Detailed Buyer Personas

With the info you’ve gathered, create a few made-up characters that represent your main customer groups. For each one, include:

Details about who they are and what they like
What they’re trying to achieve, what problems they have, and what they need
Any doubts or worries they might have
What kind of information they like and how they prefer to get it

Doing this helps you really get who you’re selling to and how to talk to them.

Tailoring Messages to Audience Groups

Now that you know who your customers are, you can make messages and ads that they’ll really connect with.

For example, you might focus on:

How the product feels for people who use it just for fun
The health benefits for those looking into wellness
Being eco-friendly for people who care about the environment

Also, use the ways of communicating that each group likes best. Keep trying different messages with your customer groups to see what works best.

Remember to update your customer profiles with new info to keep your messages on point.

Building Your Brand Strategy

Identifying Your Brand’s Purpose

As a cannabis company, it’s key to know what your brand is all about from the start. This helps you talk to your customers in a way that makes sense to them and shows what makes you different.

Think about these things when figuring out your brand’s purpose:

What do your products do for your customers? Help with pain? Help them relax? Focus on the main benefit.
What does your brand care about? Helping with medical cannabis laws? Caring for the environment? Talk about what matters to your audience.
What makes you different from others? Do you grow your cannabis in a special way? Do you have great customer service? Show off what makes you stand out.

Putting this into a clear mission statement and a list of what you stand for makes your marketing clear and real.

Establishing a Distinct Brand Voice

Your brand voice is how you sound when you write or talk. It’s important that it fits who you are and connects with your customers.

Things to think about when finding your cannabis brand’s voice:

Tone: What kind of tone fits your brand and what your audience expects? Expert, friendly, serious, fun, etc.
Language: Will you speak formally or more casually? This changes how people see you.
Values: Talk about things like trust, knowledge, and caring for the earth that match what your brand is about.
Storytelling: Sharing stories about problems your customers face shows you understand them.

Try different ways of talking until you find what works. Make sure everyone who makes content knows how to use your voice.

Creating Brand Guidelines

Brand guidelines are like a rule book for how your marketing looks. They make sure everything is consistent.

Brand guidelines should include:

Logo rules and different versions
Color palette with main and extra colors
Typography like fonts, sizes, and spacing
Image style showing the right mood, filters, and setups
Graphic elements like badges and icons
Document templates for things like presentations

Also, show examples of what’s good and what’s not. Check and update your guidelines as your brand grows.

Using these rules keeps your brand looking the same everywhere, which helps people recognize you.

Choosing Your Marketing Channels

When you’re running a cannabis business, finding the right way to talk to your audience can be a bit tricky because of all the rules about advertising. But, if you plan well, you can still reach the people you want to.

Website and SEO

Having your own website and blog is a great way to naturally draw in customers by showing up in search results and proving you’re trustworthy.

Channel	Pros	Cons
Website and SEO	Good for reaching people naturally and showing you’re credible	Needs regular updates and effort in SEO

Make sure your website looks good on phones and reflects your brand
Keep adding new blog posts and articles to pull in search traffic
Use keywords that your customers are searching for
Make sure your site follows Google’s rules for cannabis info

Content Marketing

Sharing useful and relevant stuff helps grab your audience’s attention and shows you know your stuff.

Channel	Pros	Cons
Content Marketing	Keeps audience interested and builds trust	Takes a lot of time to make good content

Share detailed guides, videos, webinars, and more
Use your email and social media to spread the word
Make sure your content is what your target customers want to know about
Focus on being helpful rather than just selling something

Even with some advertising limits, social media lets you talk directly with your customers and promote your brand.

Channel	Pros	Cons
Social Media Marketing	Great for engaging and talking directly to customers	Has strict rules and risk of account being shut down

Create content that’s valuable and follows the rules
Use social media platforms that are okay with cannabis
Be very careful with any paid ads – check them carefully
Follow each platform’s rules closely

Email and SMS Marketing

Email and text messaging let you talk straight to your customers, which can be really effective.

Channel	Pros	Cons
Email and SMS Marketing	Direct way to reach customers, works well	You need to build and keep up a list, follow all the rules

Get permission to add people to your list
Send messages that are both promotional and informative
Tailor your messages to what people like
Make sure you’re following all the rules about sending messages

Finding your way around the advertising rules takes some work, but focusing on your own channels like your website, email, and social media gives you good ways to connect with customers. Always make following the rules your top priority in any campaign.

Measuring Performance

Setting Success Metrics

It’s important to know if your marketing is working, and for that, you need to decide what success looks like. Here are some ways to tell:

For getting your brand known: Look at how many people saw your stuff, how many new followers you got, and if more people are signing up for your emails.
For content that’s meant to get people talking: Check how many likes, comments, and shares you’re getting, and if people are actually clicking on your links.
For efforts aimed at making sales: Keep an eye on how many new leads you’re getting, how much it costs to get each lead, how many of those leads turn into customers, and how much money you’re making compared to what you’re spending on ads.

Set clear goals for these things based on what you’ve seen happen before and what you’re able to spend.

Leveraging Analytics

Using tools to understand your marketing better is a must:

Website stuff: Use Google Analytics to see how many people are coming to your site, where they’re coming from, and what they’re looking at.
Email stuff: Check your email tool’s reports to see how many people are opening your emails and clicking on links.
Social media stuff: Use the analytics that come with your social media platforms to see how your posts are doing.
Sales stuff: Use your customer relationship management (CRM) system to track how well you’re turning leads into sales.

Look at different groups of people separately to understand who’s engaging with what. Plan regular times to dive deep into this data and figure out your next moves.

Testing and Optimization

Keep tweaking your marketing to see what works best:

Try different things like changing up your email headlines, ad pictures, or website design and see what gets better results.
Mix and match different parts like pictures, text, and calls-to-action to find the best combination.
Be careful to only change one thing at a time so you know what made the difference.
Use the best versions to improve your results.

Also, use your data tools to find parts of your marketing that could be better and focus on what’s already doing well. Finding the right people to talk to can also make a big difference.

Getting better at marketing means always looking for ways to improve, based on what the numbers are telling you.

Overcoming Challenges

The cannabis industry has some tough marketing hurdles because of ever-changing rules, limits on where you can advertise, and some people still not being fully on board. But, by being smart about where and how you share your message, you can still reach the people you want to talk to.

Navigating Evolving Regulations

Keep an eye on any new advertising rules at the federal, state, and local levels
Talk to a lawyer who knows a lot about cannabis marketing to stay out of trouble
Be really careful with any paid ads to make sure they follow the rules
Make sure your own marketing efforts are always up to scratch

Working Within Platform Restrictions

Use your own website, blog, and email newsletters more
Find social media platforms that are okay with cannabis and post there
Team up with influencers who can share your stuff with their followers
Look into new ad networks that are cool with cannabis

Changing Public Perceptions

Share stories that show more people are okay with cannabis now
Talk about how cannabis can help with health issues
Get involved in your community and show you’re helping
Tell people about how the laws are changing to help fight the old negative views

By knowing the rules, focusing on sharing your message in your own spaces, and talking about the good stuff cannabis can do, you can reach the right people. The main thing is to be ready to change your plan when needed, keep an eye on the rules, and be real in your stories. There’s always a way to grow your audience with smart and thoughtful marketing in the cannabis world.

Conclusion

Even though it’s not easy, cannabis companies can still do really well by:

Following Regulations Closely

Always stay updated with the latest rules about advertising cannabis.
Talk to a lawyer who knows about these rules to make sure you’re doing things right.
Teach your team about these rules and double-check your ads.

Defining Your Audience

Learn who your customers are by asking questions and looking at data.
Make up profiles for your main types of customers to better understand them.
Make sure your messages speak to what your customers care about.

Developing Your Brand Strategy

Be clear about what your brand is all about.
Choose a way of speaking and looking that matches your brand and sticks with it.
Use logos, colors, and styles that show off your brand’s personality.

Utilizing Owned Channels

Work on getting your website to show up in search results naturally.
Create helpful content that people want to read or watch.
Reach out directly to people through email, texts, and social media that allows cannabis content.

Tracking Performance

Decide what success looks like and how you’ll know you’re reaching it.
Use tools to see how well your marketing is working and where you can make it better.
Keep trying new things based on what the data tells you.

By staying flexible, creative, and really focused on who you’re talking to, cannabis brands can get past the challenges and reach their goals. Even as things keep changing, sticking to these basic steps will help companies grow.

What is the marketing strategy of cannabis?

Cannabis brands can work together with local shops, artists, or business people to set up events, start joint projects, or help each other out with promotions. This is good for the community and helps the brand meet new customers and form important partnerships for growth.

Can cannabis brands advertise?

Yes, cannabis brands can put out ads in places where it’s legal, like California, but they have to follow strict rules. These rules are there to make sure ads don’t reach kids.

What is a cannabis brand strategy?

A cannabis brand strategy should focus on showing what the brand really stands for, the quality of its products, how it grows its cannabis, and how it treats its customers. It’s important to build trust, so sharing your unique story matters.

What is the market trend for cannabis?

In 2022, the legal cannabis market in California was worth $2.2 billion. It’s expected to grow by 12.2% each year from 2023 to 2030 as more places make it legal and more people start to see it in a positive light.