It’s no secret that the cannabis industry is booming. Cannabis sales increased by 40% in 2021 alone and are expected to surpass the $32 billion mark for 2022. New holistic cannabis businesses, dispensaries, and online CBD stores are popping up daily all across the US, and although the market isn’t quite saturated yet, it can be quite competitive.
Marketing competitive cannabis businesses can seem daunting or downright impossible, but these three important facets will help position your cannabis brand to be on top.
Powerful Branding
To create a powerful brand for any business, especially a cannabis brand, it is important to understand what branding is not.
It’s not just your logo, business name, and slogan.
Although these are crucial aspects of branding, they are not tantamount to creating a successful brand. What branding is:
It’s your promise, your integrity, and your reputation.
Your brand needs to promise something to its customers, and it needs to create an expectation that is delivered upon, time and time again. Brands that don’t keep their promises generally fail.
As a cannabis brand, you will need to determine your ‘why’, as well as discover who your ideal customers are, and deliver something unique to them that exceeds their expectations.
Social Media for Cannabis
When marketing products that are federally illegal, or fall within a gray area, knowledgeable professionals that understand how to navigate social media platforms and their ever-changing rules are essential. This is important to ensure that your social media accounts won’t get suspended or possibly banned, which could put a halt to all of your marketing efforts².
The policies on marketing cannabis and CBD on these platforms can be very inconsistent, to say the least, so cannabis brands must constantly monitor their social media to ensure that they are mitigating potential issues while toeing the social line.
While social media can be a great advertising avenue if done correctly, there is another effective marketing strategy that is often overlooked for cannabis brands; public relations.
Cannabis PR Strategy
By incorporating media coverage into your cannabis business strategy, you can create a successful PR marketing campaign that will help you reach your target audience.
Cannabis can be a tricky landscape to navigate for press coverage, so a creative approach is necessary. This is where PR specialists come in. They get the media coverage you need, build you a reputation and client base, and possibly attract investors for your company. And by putting the focus on the scientifically proven, holistic angles of cannabis and medical pain management, your cannabis brand will build the trust it needs to become an authority in the industry.
Of course, you want positive exposure for your brand, and the news media wants a great story. The challenge lies within taking the differentiators from your business (features, price, availability, and so on), and turning them into a story that the news media will actually cover.
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Evoke Strategy is one of the leading Digital Marketing Agencies that specializes in creating awareness for businesses with unique visions and voices. We work to open doors and help you to make the connections you need for your cannabis business to thrive. We use our well-honed industry PR knowledge, top-notch communication skills, and creative muscles to shape perceptions and help clients achieve positive media results.
Schedule a Complimentary PR Strategy Session with us today and we will help you create a news story for your company that will resonate with the media, and ensure your brand is at the forefront of the cannabis industry.
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Elizabeth has 15+ years experience in Public Relations, leading local, state and national accounts. Mother, reader, writer, marketer. Read more about me here.
