- July 1, 2022
- Posted by: How To Open A Dispensary
- Category: Uncategorized
New businesses in the cannabis industry are popping up every day. These include processing facilities, cultivation facilities, and dispensaries, to name a few. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global cannabis market will be valued at about $146 billion in 2025. So how do you run a successful dispensary when there’s so much competition?
Even in legal markets, federal regulations are stacked against the marketing, advertising, and sale of cannabis. This means dispensaries need to get creative with marketing ideas. Here are some tips to market a dispensary:
- Web presence
Through a website, you can control the conversation and legally engage in business with your audience. SEO is essential to ensure that your dispensary and website are seen. Maintaining an active blog not only helps educate customers but will also help with SEO. Ensuring that the website is optimized for mobile is also important because many consumers spend more time on their smartphones than on laptops when browsing.
Furthermore, make sure that your google maps listing is displayed on your website so that customers can easily locate the dispensary. Other links that should be added to the site include social media links and contact links.
Instagram has become a super popular platform for cannabis marketing, in large part due to its focus on stunning lifestyle visuals and influencer content.
- Brand Identity
Prior to any marketing plan, your brand must be developed and organized. Ask yourself: does your brand have a flawless web design, catchy business name, and most of all, distinct storefront?
- Customer Loyalty
The brand should incorporate creative tactics for capturing their attention. One method that has shown success is Text Message Marketing, where brands and customers connect and interact via SMS or a designated messaging platform.
Word-of-mouth is one of the strongest dispensary marketing channels available. Satisfied customers can become brand advocates. Offer customers a discount or a bit of free product in exchange for referrals.
- Cannabis Platforms
There are multiple cannabis-friendly platforms and publications. Ensure that your dispensary is listed on them. These include: Leafly, Weedmaps, MassRoots, and Dispensaries.com, among others. Consider taking out ad space in cannabis magazines as well.
Federal regulations can make dispensary advertising and marketing a challenge on traditional channels. But an online presence, strong brand identity, customer loyalty, and cannabis-friendly ad networks can give your growing dispensary the hand it needs to succeed.