Only a few years before, it was impossible to purchase cannabis products in the US legally. However, everything is changing, and the situation with cannabis is no exception. More than a dozen states offer us to buy recreational cannabis products legally, and the choice is huge! The industry is drastically developing, and this is only a beginning.
However, the situation with marketing is completely different. There are numerous regulations and prohibitions against the advertising of cannabis and CBD. The owners of canna-businesses need to constantly look for ways to let people know about their brand and be extremely attentive to avoid breaking any laws.
Fortunately, there are several ways to market cannabis and achieve success. For example, a professional agency with experience in a niche like mjseo.agency could be the best choice if you don’t have enough time and resources to educate yourself in this field. Everything you need to do is define your goals and let the professionals attract customers to your website.
At the same time, it wouldn’t go amiss to learn about common channels of cannabis marketing. Some channels are better, some worse, and some completely prohibit cannabis marketing. This article will help you understand what channels to choose to avoid wasting money and attract new potential customers.
Cannabis Marketing Channels
You already know something about the cannabis industry and the businesses presented there. The next step is to understand the ways allowing you to reach your future customers. It is not enough to just have a dispensary or a website. You should know how to increase the visibility of your brand.
The first thing to remember is that the cannabis industry has numerous laws and regulations. And this relates to marketing, too. We want to tell you about seven marketing channels and the principles of their work. At the same time, some of them are completely useless for the cannabis industry.
1. Paid search
This tool is highly effective for attracting customers in many industries. But it doesn’t work for the cannabis one. Google’s ad policy clearly prohibits any advertising of “substances that alter mental state for recreation or otherwise.” Sometimes companies succeed in creating an ad and it is further published by Google. However, it is not clear whether these are Google’s mistakes or the policies will be changed soon as there are no official statements from the company’s representatives. In that way, we don’t recommend using this tool to avoid any possible sanctions.
2. Paid social
It is another highly effective channel of digital marketing that allows covering the target audience and communicating your message. However, it is also not available for the cannabis niche. At least if you want to place the ads. At the same time, you can create a page of your brand and place information, data, videos, and other types of content unless they are not directly promotional.
3. Programmatic advertising
Programmatic advertising is a way to reach people who are interested in your product. It analyzes the interests of people based on the content they are looking for. And this is one of the most effective methods of advertising in the cannabis niche. This also allows reaching not only the current users of the products or services but also those who might be potentially interested in it. It may sound complex, but in reality, it is similar to a digital ad.
4. Email marketing
It is another extremely effective way of advertising suitable for the cannabis niche. Basically, there are no restrictions there, and you can communicate any message you want. The main thing is to attract customers and make them interested in your emails. A great way to achieve this is to offer your potential clients a discount or some type of deal that will bring them some benefit.
5. Content/SEO
Creating content is an effective way to promote any product or service. The best way to do it is to use Leafly for cannabis marketing. Useful and engaging content will interest users who will also like to visit your website and learn more about your product.
Another effective option is to engage a local SEO program that allows you to increase the visibility of your brand among potential customers who live, work, or amuse near you. Of course, it is always more effective to address professionals who know all the pitfalls of the industry. But if you spend some time, you will be able to create it on your own since SEO is not a mystery and magic but your time and resources.
6. SMS
It is another available channel for cannabis marketing, but it is also a difficult one. The reason for it is the privacy of phone owners and their unwillingness to share their data for receiving marketing materials. Thus, there is almost no room for advertisers. At the same time, such messages are more personalized, targeted, and useful which makes them quite effective for marketing purposes.
7. OOH
Out-of-home advertising is a great way to tell more people about your brand. And this is another option with several mild restrictions which makes it so effective and accessible for businesses. You only need to check for the specific state requirements and make sure to follow them.
In Conclusion
You can choose any channel you like and start advertising using it. However, the best results will come only if you will cover several directions of marketing. Choose one that you like more and then gradually add something else. Thus, you will cover more of your target audience as well as potential customers.