Cannabis Marketing Tips - How YOU can stand out

It’s no secret that since the legalization of weed in Canada, everyone has been singing “Oh Cannabis!” – everyone except for those trying to market the product that is ... With tight restrictions surrounding how it can be marketed, cannabis companies are having trouble finding a way to keep things interesting and differentiate themselves among the competition. So let’s take a look at how YOU can stand out in a world full of buds, with the best cannabis marketing tips in the game!

Restrictions

We won’t bore you with the details, but essentially Canadian laws prohibit cannabis marketing that appeals to young people, involves testimonials, exhibits positive or negative emotions, is misleading/deceptive – among many others. This presents a bit of a problem when it comes to making a name for yourself in this growth industry. You can find a full list of the restrictions here.

Utilize social media

With all cannabis marketing restrictions in mind, it’s time to kick things up a notch with social channels. Social marketing is a given these days, with multiple platforms to use and build awareness of your brand.

Test the waters on all platforms to see what works best and where your audience is growing. If your target audience is geared more towards women, you may get better results from Pinterest than Twitter, for example. Also make sure to stay on top of hashtags on the appropriate social channels. It makes you much more visible and will help attract your audience!

Play on words

When it comes to curating the perfect post for social channels or other marketing methods, you should be using THC - tender hearted care - and choose your words wisely. Let’s not look at these rules as restrictions but rather a way to seek out creativity!

We’ve seen all the big players utilize a play on words to get their message across without crossing any boundaries. For example, Canopy Growth was seen getting creative with their language when they shared a post that simply had “hi.” written. Royal Canadian Cannabis on the other hand went with a not so subtle, “it’s good to be green”. It’s safe to say that the message was received.

Storytelling - it’s about the brand, not the product

If you want to break through the grass ceiling, it’s all about how you tell your story. In order to do so, you’ll want to place the focus on your brand identity, rather than the product you’re selling.

Here are some techniques you can use to paint the perfect picture:

• Get personal - Don’t be afraid to get personal with your audience. Introduce them to the founders, explain what you’ve been doing, how you got to where you are and what makes you special. If your story relies heavily on a family business dynamic, be sure that your audience can feel that connection. See what we’re talking about here.

• Create an analogy - Analogies or metaphors can also be a great tool when it comes to storytelling. Try relating the analogy to other senses like touch, taste, feel etc to create a stronger connection with the audience.

• Look at the big picture - Remember that great storytelling reaches beyond your product/service. The story should be bigger than your company and pull on aspects from the wider world. See how Aphria creates a larger story surrounding their innovation with technology that allows them to run ahead of the competition and make crazy ideas work.

It’s not a walk in the park when it comes to cannabis marketing but that’s grow biz baby! Need a hand with standing out from the crowd? Crucial Pictures is a content agency that lives and breathes cannabis marketing tactics! Get in touch today.