What is the best way to determine your optimum cannabis marketing strategies? Here are some questions you can use to determine the mediums and the messaging.
Is your business a brick and mortar dispensary?
With an actual location, there are some additional marketing strategy options available to you including outdoor and some print. You can get involved in our community by participating with nonprofit organizations to garner goodwill and good PR. You’ll also need to focus on local SEO by claiming all your online directory listings so your business will show up on MapQuest, Yelp, Google My Business, etc. with consistent, accurate information. There are more than 60 available and there are portals available to help you reach them, or you can work with a qualified cannabis marketing firm to provide the information and keep them updated to continue to add to your SEO.
Are your products available solely online?
If so, then obviously you’ll need to focus on digital marketing strategies online. That can include pay-per-click, banner ads and search engine optimization – all designed to drive people to your cannabis website for sales. However, know that cannabis banner ads will be a little trickier in this space and you’ll need an agency experienced with cannabis marketing strategies that can help you navigate the available networks to find the ones that will accept your ads. You may also need landing pages to help accomplish your marketing goals.
What is your budget?
This should be a percentage of your sales plus an additional amount if you’re new or are adding a new location, service or brand extension. Generally, between 5 and 12% is allocated to advertising from gross revenue. Great customer service that leads to strong reviews and word-of-mouth referrals will let you decrease this amount overtime.
What do you want people to do?
Is your goal to have them sign up for your newsletter so you can market specials to them? Working to increase the awareness of a location? Are you trying to drive them to a menu to order? Are you marketing to existing customers to try to increase your per order average?
How will you measure results?
Is it just bottom line sales? Is it increased traffic to your website? Will it be a greater awareness among potential customers or just increasing your positive perception with a branding campaign designed for long term growth? Each goal will entail different mediums and messaging to accomplish and evaluate. What’s important is to clarify to yourself (and an agency if one is involved) how you will determine success.