Culture eats strategy for breakfast. It doesn’t matter how great your plans to introduce a new cannabis or CBD product to the market are if your culture weakens execution. Culture is how things get done around a company. Great leaders focus on the culture their leadership helps create as much as they focus on business […]
marijuana marketing
Will California’s Section 5032 Disrupt the Cannabis Market?
By Ian Stewart On December 7, 2018, California’s three cannabis licensing authorities submitted final versions of the state cannabis regulations scheduled to be approved by January 16, 2019. California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) submitted a final version of Section 5032 of the regulations that substantially limits commercial cannabis activity between licensed and unlicensed entities. […]
America’s Genius For Branding Is Taking Marijuana To The Next Level
If there’s one thing America does really well, it’s selling products. From Air Jordans to fidget spinners, the U.S. selling machine knows how to crank it out by the millions and create hip products that stick. Some of that success has to do with sleek and novel design, like the iPhone, or the perfect celebrity […]
Why Advocacy Needs to be a Part of Your Communications Strategy
Heading into the November Midterms, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the myriad ways in which lawmakers and regulators affect our ability to do business in the legal cannabis sector—and how reaching those audiences needs to be an important part of any cannabis company’s overall communications strategy. So for my latest Cannabis Business Executive […]
Some Graphic Design Tips for Non-Designers in the Cannabis Industry
Given the power of visual content (it’s more memorable and more engaging than text-based content), many cannabis marketers have turned to DIY graphic design software or contracted with graphic artists. With more traditionally text-focused people entering the world of visuals, it’s time for a brief refresher on the essential principles of design. It’s time for a reminder […]
Who Do They Think You Are? Building Your Cannabis Brand
Without giving it more than a second, answer this question: What is your favorite brand? For many of you, a few recognizable names are coming to the fore: Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Patagonia. Whatever company that you thought of, chances are images of the company also populated your thoughts—almost assuredly their logos and their products. But […]
Cannabis Conferences: Five Smart Tips for Getting the Most Out of Marijuana Trade Shows
We’re heading into trade show season. So for my latest Cannabis Business Executive column—where I regularly unpack the art of public relations in the cannabis industry—let’s dig into some smart ways to decide what cannabis conferences are worth your time and money, and how to get the most out of any event you attend. Trade […]
Cannabis + Influencer Marketing is it a Fit?
What is Influencer Marketing? Influencer marketing is the process by which brands leverage well-known figures who have influence over their target markets to promote their brands. This doesn’t mean you need to be able to afford to pay Lil Wayne to promote your concentrate line. In fact, many of the most successful influencer marketers are not extremely […]
How To Name A Cannabis Company
Believe it or not, I get this question a lot. The cannabis industry is getting more and more crowded, therefore, naming your product is super critical. Will people buy your product based on its name? Probably not. But can a bad product name turn your prospects off? Yep. And can a good product name contribute to […]
SEO… Keyword Strategies for Cannabis Companies (part 2)
Well, I’m a week late on Part 2, but here it is. I’m excited to continue on this keyword journey with you… Creating a keyword spreadsheet  So, we started our initial view, of all the keywords that could be used to find our cannabis website. But what we want to do, is start downloading all those keywords into […]
