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 […]
SEO… Keyword Strategies for Cannabis Companies (part 1)
Welcome to keyword strategy in-depth with probably about 3 parts, this being part one. Keyword research is the fundamental building block, for all cannabis business’ online marketing efforts. It goes beyond optimizing your website, to enabling a better connection when marketing to your audience, as you are using their language. We’ll begin by finding sources […]
WHAT MAKES YOUR CANNABIS COMPANY DIFFERENT? CHANCES ARE YOU MIGHT STAMMER OR NEED TO COLLECT YOUR THOUGHTS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THIS…
Which is EXACTLY why I wrote this article. That’s right, this topic is super important to me (and your business!) I cannot wait to give you my top tips to ensure that your cannabis brand is heard, seen and successful. FIND YOUR THING: Recently I passed a cafe that had the sign “Best Chai in […]
5 Ways to Add Personality to Your Cannabis Brand
We’re learning more each day about the power of human connection within this new cannabis industry. People are far more likely to trust a cannabis business that has a personality behind it. While businesses may have been able to get away with only sharing their products in the past, I think consumers are getting better […]
How to Sell to the Cannabis Community via Instagram
People don’t buy what you do – they buy why you do it. Instagram’s powerful storytelling components give you the ability to make customers loyal before a purchase has been made. If you can tell a powerful story in fewer than 87 characters (the caption limit), along with a photo that matches and elevates the storytelling […]
Solving Search Engine Optimization Issues for the Cannabis Industry
Search engine optimization (SEO) is such an important part of cannabis marketing, and important part of growing your cannabis business today, that you better at least know enough to know how to buy it. SEO has really changed a lot in the last five years because of how Google has been able to innovate how […]
How to Get Leads and Customers at Cannabis Events
Cannabis events are a great way to meet people and develop long-term relationships. Events are also a great way to increase awareness of your business. Our secret missions are to find opportunities, which is why so many people go to things. It’s also about speeding up the KLT (know, like, and trust) factor. You’ve got […]
Popular Alcohol Marketer Jumps into the Cannabis Realm
Find your buds? The U.S. marketer of Corona, the Mexican beer known for its “Find Your Beach” tagline, is dipping its toe into the marijuana business. Constellation Brands, which also markets wine and spirits brands, has taken a 9.9% stake in a Canadian marijuana company called Canopy Growth Corp., the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. A Constellation […]
Lessons Learned in Cannabis Marketing
With cannabis marketing, I like having a very clear goal. It’s challenging. I think your goal should have some time frame and it should be kind of scary – not impossible but realistically impossible. For me, the unknown of life is the most interesting part. If you’re doing things that are super-known, there’s not really […]
