8 Digital Marketing Tools for Cannabis Business
By Leighana Martindale
Too many cannabis businesses do not effectively and efficiently market their products, business or even use marketing tools at all. While we are finally seeing a rise in cannabis marketing, most mom and pop shops or small businesses are still not using these tools or diving into the plethora of free/low-cost marketing tools they can utilize. So I put together a list of the top 8 marketing tools you can use to help grow your cannabis business today!
1. Google Analytics
This is so much easier than people realize, and while yes it can get very complicated very fast, you don’t need to be a pro to set it up and check your analytics. Google Analytics is free to use and you can create an account using your gmail. Once you login you can add a website, when you do so it will create a unique code, plug that code into your website [it tells you where] and voila!
Pro Tip: If you can’t find where to plug the code into your site, Google it specifically for whichever web builder you use [i.e.: Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress, etc.].
Solid data takes a while to build up, but you will be able to check here and see how many users you are getting and where you are acquiring them from. Knowing this information can drastically change your marketing approach and help you better understand what marketing methods work best for your company.
2. Facebook
Some people are active and have been on Facebook while other brands just create the page so they can set up a business profile on Instagram. Regardless, you should be using Facebook for your business more. While I don’t use Facebook for my personal use [fuck that personal data collecting bullshit], Facebook is an AMAZING tool for brands. The demographics between Facebook and Instagram are so different it’s a no brainer that you should be using both to reach more people.
Facebook, if used correctly, with good content, can drastically increase the traffic you receive on your website, and more traffic is good for everyone. Facebook is also an amazing place to have conversations so keep that in mind when you are making your posts and use that as a tool to drive engagement.
3. Instagram
Again for the no brainer, Instagram is an absolute marketing must! So many millennials go straight to Instagram when they are searching for a business and if you’re not there with quality content then you’ve just lost out on potential customers and free advertising. The best thing about Instagram is if you create high quality and relatable or “cool” content, it will get shared [a lot] and that’s free marketing baby!
4. LinkedIn
Another social platform but a very important one. Make sure your business is listed on LinkedIn and that you and/or your employees are creating profiles and linking to your business. If you also have a blog [see below] then this is a great place to share articles and connect with other businesswomen or men in the industry.
5. A Blog
This is one of, if not the biggest tools you can use to improve your SEO, connect with customers, and drive traffic to your site. It must be done correctly with important, useful, and easy to digest content but once done it really drives traffic up. Think of how you search for something on Google, long-tail keywords are well, key. The algorithm isn’t an easy one to beat and because cannabis companies can’t pay for ads yet it is imperative to work on your site’s SEO to drive organic search results.
Backlinking is also very important when it comes to blogging so either partner with or hire a writer who can work on backlinking and page ranking for you.
6. High-Quality Content
Okay, we’ve talked about this A LOT so now let’s dive into what exactly this is and why your business needs it. High-quality content comes in the form of photos, videos, web site design, and copywriting. Photography and videos are imperative for your website, your Instagram plus any and all other social media platforms you are on. High-quality content is needed because what person loves to look at shitty content? Do you ever look at confusing and crappy photos and think “oh I want to buy that!” The answer is most likely not.
On the other hand, think of a time you’ve read a really good mission statement, tagline, or blog that has impacted you and shifted your reality a little. Copywriting is especially important because this is what explains your business and helps you connect with your customers. When you get into creating a blog to improve SEO is always where quality copywriting is important. Ask yourself, would I want to read this article? Is it easy to read with “in your face” information? Do you think someone will benefit or learn something from it and will they want to share?
7. Email Marketing
Email marketing is such a great tool to drive people to your online store, website, or blog. The key is not over sending emails, however. As someone who religiously unsubscribes from email lists [I don’t ask to be on], it is important to not abuse this power or people’s information and to use your organic contact list as a way to connect with the customer as well as promote your sale or content they will be interested in.
Email lists can be acquired in many ways but my recommendation is to honestly grow yours organically (if you’re in Canada, organic growth is the only way to grow an email list, see more about CASL regulations here), your bounce rate and unsubscribe rates will decline and/or stay low with organic growth [Which is good!]. And in a world with no privacy, the people who receive your emails will not get upset because they want to see them.
With that said though, email marketing can drive more people to your site which equals more sales, views, or whatever your end goals are.
8. PR Kit
This seems overwhelming but trust me it is necessary whether you have a PR agent or not. Create a Google drive folder that has approved photos to be used [both vertical and horizontal], put your logos in the folder, as well as a bio and information on your top products, services or blogs. Keep this up to date because you never know when an opportunity will arise and most publications will ask for this basic information so it’s good to have on hand. Remember to also include all your links, that means your website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.!