PPB August 2020

1 Build A Strong Brand Like all marketing, one of the key parts of marketing marijuana is building a strong brand. As time goes on, more marijuana companies are popping up. As such, you need your client’s business to stand out ahead of the others when it comes to drawing in customers. Many things go into building a strong brand. First, if your client is just starting the business, help them choose a catchy business name along with an eye-catching brand logo. Making the right choices here can have a huge impact when it comes to boosting brand recognition. But branding goes beyond just a name and logo. Also consider your client’s goals and how they want to position the company in themarketplace. Sticking to a clear, unique selling point, such as having the lowest-priced products, the fastest delivery or the widest product range, can help your client’s brand build a reputation fast. Emphasize to your client the importance of taking care of customer queries and complaints as fast as possible to ensure good service as this goes a long way in word-of-mouth marketing. 2 Target The Right People Another major piece of marketing marijuana is knowing who to target. While marijuana is becoming increasingly accepted, there are still certain demographics that you’ll likely have more luck with than others. Focusing your efforts on a particular target market can yield much better results. For example, many dispensaries focus their marketing on attracting older users, as many seniors use marijuana to help with issues such as arthritis, glaucoma, inflammation and other ailments. Other cannabis stores might want to focus their efforts on local college students who smoke weed for recreational purposes. Talk with your client about the demographics of who they want to attract and then plan how to do it. You don’t necessarily have to focus on one particular target demographic. While focusing on one can often help with branding and marketing, you might want to launch multiple campaigns aimed at different segments of the public. Just think about ways you can market your client’s products successfully to the right people. 3 Use The Internet To Your Advantage When it comes to marketing marijuana and cannabis-based businesses, the internet is crucial. One of the best things you can do is ensure your client’s marijuana business has a professional website. Many customers find businesses by finding their website first. Some businesses even sell online, although this can be tricky for marijuana businesses. Nonetheless, you can still display your menu, explain why customers should choose your client’s company and encourage them to visit. You should also take advantage of the wide variety of business directories. Suggest your client register the business on Google My Business to help potential customers find the company’s website as well as its physical location on Google Maps. Also, recommend or help clients improve their search engine optimization so customers in the local area can find the business more easily. Suggest also listing the business on cannabis directories such as WeedMaps (www.weedmaps.com) and Leafly (www.leafly.com) . Working on targeted SEO content can give your client’s website a huge boost in views. Creating blogs aimed at things cannabis consumers search for will help them reach their target demographic. It also helps to promote their content on social media. While your client’s type of business may restrict the availability of advertising on major platforms such as Google or Facebook, they can use third- party advertising services. These marijuana-friendly advertising services are usually targeted to the desired demographic. While ads on these sites may not get as many viewers, they’re much more likely to appeal to marijuana users. As such, they are more likely to receive clicks and make more sales. Digital advertising networks, such as Mantis (www.mantisadnetwork.com) and target Outbrain (www. outbrain.com) , are known for being marijuana-friendly. You can help your client launch a From dispensaries to recreational cannabis stores to growers, all of these businesses need to know how to promote and advertise their products while complying with rules and restrictions. | AUGUST 2020 | 45 GROW