Whether you are starting a dispensary, a boutique, a salon, or a dental practice, digital marketing for small business carries a lot of similarities. Granted there are some differences between each type of business and their associated strategies and goals but there is much more that is common than different.
We’ll cover some digital marketing best practices for cannabis dispensaries, including some specific suggestions for what to do and what not to do based on stats.
Regulations
The cannabis industry is subject to some strict regulations when it comes to marketing. But dispensaries have a little more leeway when it comes to advertising since they can discuss topics like promotions, hours, and location rather than specific cannabis products.
Do: Research the regulations before you start advertising or social media. A good place to start is this state-by-state guide from Leafly. Also become familiar with the intricacies of different platforms like Facebook or Google. Many dispensaries have lost their presence due to running afoul of the policies so look for best practices in cannabis marketing—don’t just read the platform guidelines.
Don’t: Navigating the different laws and quickly-evolving restrictions of platforms can be a challenge for dispensaries without full-time marketing staff. Dispensaries that already have a good location might consider doing very little or even no digital marketing but this will affect business in the long-term. Trends toward greater legalization and more competition, especially with larger corporations taking interest, will mean that only the dispensaries with the strongest marketing foundation and customer experience will survive.
Branding and Messaging
Customer obsession. The terminology might be a bit strong but it’s the one of the core principles of the world’s biggest retailer. Don’t forget their humble beginning—selling books. As the cannabis industry charts its own path to growth, a likely contributor to success for the strongest dispensaries will be a focus on the customer.
Do: Take note of customer demographics and build your brand and messaging accordingly. As seen in the recent study on cannabis customers, the demographics overwhelmingly skew to a younger and more professional audience that is socially aware. Aim to strike a friendly and more professional tone across advertising, social media channels, web content, and in-store experience.
Don’t: Your brand should be personal but also accessible and professional. In other words, don’t use funny stoner memes or references to illicitness. While this might have seemed suitable in the past, it will create a negative perception of your brand to an increasingly diverse, professional, and socially aware customer base.
Website
More and more consumers are shopping online and this trend has only increased during the recent pandemic. This makes it more likely that your first impression with customers will be through your website. You want to ensure it won’t be the first and only impression.
Do: Pay special attention to your website, web design and ensure that is easy to navigate and also easy to read. Keep customer conversations in mind when adding information to your site. For example, are they typically calling about store directions or asking about special discounts? By anticipating these requests and readily providing information you can ensure a better customer experience. Webflow, Wordpress, Squarespace or Wix are the best resources to start your website.
Stay on top of trends to further improve the customer experience. For instance, due to the current pandemic more dispensaries are offering online shopping and store pick-up options for customers. Also, with an increasing customer base, more dispensaries are offering educational content and more data on their websites.
Don’t: Avoid using unprofessional images. Poor photos of store locations, products, or staff will cause customers to re-think their store visit. Also avoid letting your website get too stale. This can include more obvious examples like old locations or hours as well as less obvious ones like dead links.
SEO
A solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy will ensure that customers can readily find your dispensary. For many small businesses, SEO is important for creating local awareness. For dispensaries, it’s even more important given the restrictions on certain forms of advertising.
Do: Consider SEO a long-term strategy rather than just a one-time project. An ongoing SEO strategy is especially helpful in driving customers to additional content on your website like blog posts, new pages, or online shopping options.
For more on SEO, check out our SEO tips blog post.
Don’t: Many website design agencies and vendors include SEO in their plans. In some cases the SEO work is poorly done with missing or mislabeled tags or improper headings. Even for successful SEO projects, it’s important to avoid being complacent and checking your SEO score after several months. Any unknown gaps in SEO can lead to less awareness and less traffic to your website.
Social Media
Just like most technologies, social media can be a double-edged sword. A strong, well-executed social media strategy can increase awareness and drive more traffic to your website and brick-and-mortar locations. A poorly executed strategy can create a poor impression with customers or, even worse, drive customers away.
Do: Pay attention to where your customers are spending their time online. Are they using Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or another platform? Wherever they spend most of their time, benchmark other dispensaries to learn about trends and best practices. Also benchmark other businesses outside of the industry that your customers follow to get further insight on trends.
Don’t: Try to avoid choosing social media channels based on your own preferences or capabilities. Be mindful of each platform’s rules when developing your strategy and keep accounts active.