With a global market of $31B in 2021, the cannabis retail industry is a thriving one. And the competition is growing by the numbers. Cannabis dispensaries fight the competition with all kinds of marketing strategies. In this article we’ll talk about dispensary social media marketing strategy.
Many of the top players in almost every niche use social media marketing for dispensaries. And the potential is just too great to be left untapped by the cannabis industry.
So, how should you market your cannabis dispensary using the power of social media to stay and prevail in the online marketing game?
Social Media Marketing for Dispensaries(SMM) is The Name of the Game
As of January, social media has a whopping 3.99 billion users worldwide spread over all platforms. As a result, it is one of the top digital marketing channels brands use to keep direct contact with users. This holds especially true for brands in regulated categories, such as the cannabis industry.
But, beware of the regulations. While the cannabis industry is under strict surveillance for promoting drug-related products online, it has survived over the years and found its way through.
With benefits like:
- increased website traffic
- improved online visibility
- better user experience
Using social media is too good not to be leveraged for your cannabis dispensary business.
If you feel uneasy about it, the best option is to partner with an experienced brand that can help you with your dispensary social media marketing.
So, what should you be looking at when promoting your brand via social media? Of course, we should discuss platforms first.
Which Social Media Platform To Use?
Did someone say – Gimme a little bit of everything! 😀
Sure, using every imaginable channel sounds like a brilliant idea at first. However, you ought to be a little more strategic about it. Even the top players choose their social platforms wisely.
To put things plainly, the decision almost always (and should) boils down to guessing what your audience is already using.
For instance, dispensary advertising on Facebook is always a safe bet. However, being more on the business side, Linkedin probably should not be the first thing on your cannabis dispensary marketing-channels list. Of course, you can leverage Linkedin. However, it will require imagination, effort, and different goals overall.
If you aim for a younger, tech-savvy audience, TikTok or Instagram may be viable options, and so on. That being said, it’s a good idea to ask yourself how to use instagram to market my cannabis dispensary.
How To Go On About Your Dispensary Social Media Advertising Strategy
Get In-Line With The Audience
The end goal of marketing is to attract the audience, and the purpose of marketing is to connect with them!
Not only should your platform of choice resonate with the one your audience is using, but you should strive to talk to that ideal customer of yours.
So, your content should:
- address their pain points
- recognize their goals
- help them solve their issues.
One place to start is to create your ideal customer persona. Try to identify the things they are interested in, what kind of content they appreciate, and what are some of the concerns that you can provide answers to. Luckily, there are tools to define your target audience.
Write CBD Content That Educates, Not One That Sells
Cannot stress this enough. Not only do your consumers undervalue the overly-selling type of content, but they will even try to avoid it.
The real value of sharing anything online is not to sell like crazy. Rather, to inform and educate.
Your cannabis dispensary should strive to be a thought leader in the niche. Try to focus on creating the kind of content that entertains, educates, and drives shares. All of the rest (yes, the sale part) will surely follow.
Think Advertising
Okay, you just told me not to sell like crazy, right??
Well, yes.
However, advertising on social media should not be connected entirely to sales but to boost your following.
Think of it like raising a fellowship in the famous Lord Of The Rings series, in a sense. You get the gist – In essence, you are building a team. A group of people on your side that share the same values and feel connected to your brand.
There is a certain amount of audience you can reach organically. And there is nothing wrong with that. But, you should probably think about paid promotion now and again.
This is a great tactic when you’re:
- promoting a post that engages,
- sharing a promotion,
- or organizing competitions
If you do dispensary social media marketing right, you won’t need to spend tons on advertising. Instead, it should be a handy complement to what you already have.
Leverage Influencers
It’s another worthy option from the CBD social media marketing aspect. And it is becoming ever more popular.
Think of it like getting others to do the job for you.
You can hire social media influencers (people followed by many others) to create the content through which they promote your brand in some way specific to them. Influencers have the power to showcase products being used in a real-life way. And that is something people can relate to.
Your brand acquires different faces and gets showcased in many different styles. In turn, you get new-coming fans eager to have the same experience, just like their favorite influencer.
Get Techy
There are software solutions making things easier for you!
The tools allow you to:
- Create and schedule your posts
- Track your performance
- Get relevant insights to optimize your activity
Are there interested customers contacting you all at once?
Not a problem. Social media platforms can help you set up your chatbots to communicate with your audience, filter out the contacts and get back to them when you get the time.
To Conclude
Social media today is the best option to find and engage with your cannabis dispensary audience. And this method of digital marketing isn’t likely to go away either. Another great marketing channel to grow your canna business is via cannabis SEO.
It is just a matter of thinking about your audience, tailoring your efforts to their preferences, and enjoying the healthy growth of your business. And if you lack the time and prefer to stick to the core business, you can always partner with our professionals to do it for you!