The cannabis industry is rapidly growing (despite this year’s pandemic).
Projections estimate the global legal cannabis market will reach a value of nearly $74B by 2027. The North American legal cannabis market reached $12.9B in 2019, and by the close of 2020, experts expect the number to exceed $15B. We’re on the precipice of federal legalization (fingers crossed), and there’s a deluge of new dispensaries preparing to open.
My first Colorado dispensary experience wasn’t positive – or comfortable. Let me explain.
Colorado’s legal recreational cannabis sales started on January 1, 2014. Lines wrapped around buildings state-wide, but Denver’s “Green Mile,” attracted crowds of stoners as far as the eye could see. The Green Mile is a stretch of South Broadway with dispensaries on every corner for those reading who are unfamiliar.
Cannabis dispensaries consider every detail but too often miss the mark on creating a customer service culture.
Customer service is everything.
And customer service isn’t a department or set of rules and regulations (although guidelines are essential).
Content marketing isn’t new.
Brands have used content to tell their stories for hundreds of years, and storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication (cave drawings are content).
But today, the word content isn’t just overused; it’s misused. Marketers aggressively use the phrase, “content is king,” like it’s going out of style.
Whether you’re a cannabis dispensary owner, a processor, or a grower, the question you must constantly ask yourself is “why would somebody purchase my products over my competitors?” Be honest with yourself. If you can’t answer clearly, consumers won’t be able to either. That’s why differentiating your business from competitors is so critical. When a cannabis market develops and becomes saturated, (i’m looking at you Oregon), standing out from the pack is the difference between success and failure. Here’s three powerful differentiators for your cannabis business.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is mysterious. Area 51 mysterious. And marijuana businesses are often swindled by dispensary SEO “professionals.”
Slippery smooth-talkers are preying on innocent business owners, with the skills of greasily coiffed car salesmen. Unfortunately, SEO is only getting more complicated, opening the door to increased deception.
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We are big podcast listeners here at Hybrid! That’s why we were excited when our strategist Johnathan McFarlane was a guest on the Marketing Upheaval podcast. He spoke with host Rudy Hernandez about cannabis marketing tactics and why we find it such an exciting space for marketers.
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Like any new industry, the early years of legal cannabis were fast-moving and exciting. And as the industry matures, we’re getting a clearer picture of products poised to drive future growth, and cannabis edibles are the front runner.
From infused beverages and dark chocolates to gummies and mints, edibles are arguably the most diverse and attractive cannabis product category for businesses and consumers. And with COVID-19 and the vape crisis limiting consumer attraction to inhaled marijuana products, we expect to see edibles surge in popularity this year.
But the methods of effectively marketing cannabis edibles online are different than other product categories, and some risks could limit growth for edibles-focused businesses, from regulatory compliance to increasing competition and consumer concerns.
Here’s how to use digital marketing to bring awareness to your cannabis edibles brand or dispensary.
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Colorado kicked-off the trend of legal cannabis in 2012, and as of this writing, fourteen states and territories are selling legal weed to happy consumers. With the 2020 presidential election in view, we’re perched on the precipice of federal cannabis legalization (fingers crossed), and an undetermined number of new cannabis businesses are waiting in the wings.
“Arcview projects the legal marijuana market will hit $20.6 billion in revenue by 2020, up from $5.4 billion in 2015. That’s more than what American’s spent on chocolate last year and nearly double what the US porn industry rakes in annually. In other words, that’s an insane amount of weed.”—Business Insider
With more cannabis businesses, comes a greater need for specialized cannabis marketing.
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After years of campaigns, experiments, tests, hard work, and trial and error, we’ve developed a winning approach to driving dispensary success. And despite the apparent challenges (and what you’ve heard), digital marketing is a valuable tool in your cannabis dispensary marketing toolkit.
In contrast to radio, television, and print, digital marketing allows cannabis businesses (and marketers) to view data in real-time, and measure ROI for every digital marketing channel. For example, you can see how many people visit your website and get live notifications and reports on how customers
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