Customer reviews and word-of-mouth advertising can make or break a business. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a passive participant when it comes to customer reviews just because you’re a cannabis business owner. There are plenty of things you can do to gather more positive reviews, demonstrate your commitment to your customers, and show the world that your business provides a top-notch experience. Improve your customer review game with our guide.

Where are customer reviews usually posted?

Customer reviews generally live on a third-party platform or on a reseller’s website. Here are some common places you can expect to find customer reviews — places where you might want to set up a profile for your business.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you’re not sure where else to look for customer reviews about businesses like yours, ask some of your customers where they go for reliable information. You may find a new platform that suits your business perfectly.

Customer testimonials and how they differ from customer reviews

A customer testimonial is a positive story that’s deliberately requested for marketing purposes. When a customer testimonial is offered, it’s with the knowledge that the business plans to promote the story to grow their business. Customer testimonials are usually posted on a business’s website, rather than a third-party site.

Customer reviews are generally offered spontaneously and can be either positive or negative, reflecting a customer’s personal experience with a particular product or service a company offers. Incentivizing customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile or on sites like Leafly or Weedmaps doesn’t make them a testimonial. 

How to ask for customer reviews

Some customers are motivated to leave a review on their own, but most will simply complete their transaction and go about their day, even if they were totally satisfied. Around 37 percent of customers leave reviews after a positive interaction with your company, while a much smaller percentage — around 6 percent — are motivated to leave a review after a bad experience. 

If you’re stumped as to how to get customer reviews from more of your customers, consider the following tips to make it easier.

• Simply ask: Most of your customers would be happy to leave a positive review of your business. All you have to do is ask! If you see a frequent customer or think a customer is particularly satisfied, ask them if they wouldn’t mind leaving a review. Explain how this helps your business refine its service and make it even better, as well as how important it is to your business to demonstrate its dedication to quality service. In many cases, customers will understand — and may even want to help out.

• Make it easy: Simplifying the process increases the likelihood that a customer follows through. Consider displaying QR codes that link directly to your Google Business Profile or another review site of your choice to help customers quickly navigate to where they need to go to leave a review.

• Offer an incentive: If you really want to increase the amount of customer reviews your business receives, offer an incentive and let people know about it at the point of sale. Consider providing a small discount or a freebie to customers who can show that they left a review. Even modest incentives can encourage more people to leave customer reviews. 

• Give out free samples: Do you have a new product that you want more customer reviews for? Try handing out free samples at the point of sale and asking customers to leave a product review if they like it. Everyone loves a free sample, so you’ll already be starting off from an advantageous position.

Most customers will be happy to offer their thoughts and feedback if you only ask. The key is to give them multiple, simple avenues to get online and put those thoughts into writing. Once you do so, the customer reviews are bound to start rolling in.

5 customer review tips to keep in mind

1. Set up detailed profiles on review sites

Before you can expect to gather a bunch of customer reviews, you need to make sure your profiles are set up and thoroughly completed. That means including contact information like your phone number, email, and website URL, as well as photos that help to identify your business, products, and services. If you can include more personal information, like the names of particular managers, that can help build a stronger connection with customers as well. 

You can’t expect people to engage with a profile that’s half-finished, so take the time to make sure yours looks great before you start asking customers to leave reviews. Remember, as circumstances change for your business, you’ll need to update these profiles too. Leaving outdated information on review sites may confuse customers and lead to a negative experience.

2. Engage with reviewers

Don’t just let customers send their reviews into a vacuum — engage with them by replying and keeping the conversation going. When reviewers leave positive feedback, be sure to thank them and invite them to come back. The more personalized your responses, the better. After all, these customers have gone out of their way to review your products and services. Acknowledging them and showing appreciation for their effort can go a long way to boosting loyalty and encouraging others to leave reviews as well. 

3. Leverage negative reviews, too

Negative reviews are also good, in moderation. Having some negative reviews can make your product look more authentic. Think about it: if you see a product with a handful of reviews and an average score of 5 stars, you may wonder how legitimate the feedback could be. However, if you see a product with many reviews and an average score of 4.7 stars, you’re more likely to accept that the feedback is authentic and the product is actually good.

The way you respond to negative reviews can also demonstrate your commitment to improving service quality and your transparency with customers. By proactively replying to negative reviews and seeking ways to improve customer experience, you can actually build brand loyalty. And, if you’re able to offer a discount or otherwise make amends with the negative reviewer, you may even turn them into a repeat customer.

4. Promote reviews on your website and social media

Once you have a robust profile set up and the customer reviews are rolling in, you can promote them elsewhere as part of an omnichannel digital marketing strategy. By directing users to your review pages, you can demonstrate the valuable social proof that shows you offer quality products and services. What’s more, this can have a compounding effect that drives more customer reviews, increasing the archive of feedback you’ve already gathered. 

5. Outsource customer review management

If you’re thinking this all sounds like a lot of work, you’re right. Properly managing review site profiles, gathering customer reviews, and engaging with reviewers can be a full time job, especially as your footprint grows. So, if your digital marketing budget allows for it, consider outsourcing the customer review management process to a marketing agency. 

The best marketing agencies will handle everything for you, from setting up review site profiles to gathering customer reviews to engaging with users who provide feedback. You should still collect customer reviews at the point of sale, but you won’t have to do the work behind the scenes to make sure it all comes together. Instead, you can just focus on keeping your business running.

Demonstrate customer satisfaction with customer reviews

Your customers want to give reviews and have their voices heard, and luckily for you, their feedback can be a powerful marketing tool. By using the tips above to get more customer reviews and showcasing them in the right way, your business can become a social proof machine. Nothing convinces a new customer to buy from you like independent, authentic customer reviews that validate your products and services. Don’t sleep on customer reviews — start gathering them today.

If you’re looking for support when it comes to customer reviews or any other aspect of cannabis digital marketing, CannaContent can help. Check out our services to learn more about what we can do for your business.

It’s a mad dash to capture customers in cannabis, and canna-lovers are increasingly turning to reviews to learn more before they buy, just like they would any other product. For many consumers, cannabis product reviews are the best way to anticipate what to expect when they’re considering trying something new. And the good news for dispensaries? These reviews are just about the hottest thing you can leverage in your marketing, from SEO to social media to your website and so much more. Here, we examine why you should fold cannabis product reviews into your SEO content strategy and offer up some tips for quality review-writing.

The importance of reviews for marketing, by the numbers

• More than 90%: Nearly all customers look for reviews before making a purchasing decision. Some estimates place this number as high as 99%. 
• 93%: More than 9 out of 10 customers say that online reviews affect their shopping choices.
• 49%: Nearly half of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations from friends and family.
• 80%: More than 8 out of 10 customers look up products while they’re standing in a brick and mortar location.
• 10%: This is the average increase in sales a single review can produce.

The role of product reviews in your SEO content strategy

1. Specific searches indicate a customer is ready to buy

In general, the more specific a query, the further along that searcher is on their buying journey. These keywords have what’s called commercial intent. When searchers use keywords with commercial intent, they’ve moved beyond the awareness stage of a brand or store and into the consideration stage. They’re evaluating options before they take action. By capturing these types of searches, you can help steer soon-to-be customers to your shop as they make their final purchasing decisions. A review can be just the thing that takes this type of customer from “just browsing” to “ready for pickup.”

An SEO strategy is a marathon, not a sprint. Read our article about how long it takes for SEO content to rank on Google to learn more.

2. Product reviews build authority

A content strategy does not exist in a vacuum. Blogs are part of an overall plan to contribute to your website’s relevance in your sector (in this case, cannabis). That relevance is essential to securing good placement on search engines and climbing up the ranks. 

Reviews also demonstrate that you’re an expert in cannabis. Reviews that dive beyond flavors and discuss the why behind their effects signal to customers and search engines alike that you’re a reliable source of information. That pays off in spades for your search engine rankings and your sales.

3. Product-specific searches are only getting more popular

Adult-use cannabis has been around for more than a decade. In that time, many companies have built brand awareness that’s essential to any successful marketing endeavor. Writing product reviews is a great way to capitalize on the brand awareness those companies built. This drives internet traffic to your website, brings customers into your world, and links your dispensary with the brand. These searches will only get more competitive over time as more customers search for these keywords and more dispensaries attempt to secure this traffic. Creating thorough, helpful product reviews now can help you get ahead of the competition.

Let’s take one of the best-selling gummies in the U.S. as an example of how branded searches are on the rise. Launched in Oregon in 2015, Wyld THC products are currently available in 10 states in multiple flavors and cannabinoid formulations. User search trends about Wyld’s brand and its products make evident how much its popularity has grown over time. Here are some data snippets that give you a sense of how the search trends grew alongside Wyld.

Searches for “wyld gummies” have grown steadily over the years, as you can see in this chart. The keyword is searched an average of 21,000 times per month on Google, with natural fluctuations from month to month.

As the brand’s reach increases, you start to see more specific searches emerge,  specifically those with commercial intent. Searches for “wyld gummies near me” started to rise in early 2020, and currently average 1,000 searches per month on Google in the U.S.

Searches for “wyld review” have been around for quite some time, but they really start to take off in the summer of 2020. The term is searched on Google an estimated average of 700 times a month. Each user searching this term is likely close to buying, so if you can direct them to your website, there’s a higher chance of conversion. They’re ready to become your next customer, but you need the reviews they’re searching for to capture their attention.

4. Customers use social media as a secondary search engine

Google may be the leading search engine, but social media platforms are not far behind. YouTube, owned by Google, is the second-largest search engine in the world. TikTok is rapidly catching up, with Gen Zers turning to the platform for information and first-hand experiences. TikTok may be notoriously anti-cannabis, but it hasn’t stopped WeedTok from flourishing, and it certainly doesn’t stop customers from looking. Product reviews posted to their platforms can help drive more people to shop for a specific item at your dispensary. 

Reviews posted to social media are often accompanied by photos and videos that show customers precisely what they can expect when they buy an item. This insight helps would-be shoppers make the best assessment of their choices, moving them further down the customer acquisition funnel.

What are Google’s guidelines for writing product reviews?

Google Search Central released guidelines for reviews earlier this year, giving us a glimpse into what the search engine considers when assessing and ranking product reviews for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. This key ranking factor is known as E-E-A-T, and it plays a foundational role in assessing your website for relevance and subsequent placement in search results.

According to Google’s guidelines, reviews:

• Should be original
• Should prioritize the customer’s point of view
• Should explain the purpose of a product, with best use case scenarios
• Should prioritize decision-making factors that a customer might take into account

Example of a top-ranking cannabis product review

For this example, we’ll use Wyld again. We put together a Wyld gummies review for our client, Michigan-based dispensary Iconic Wellness and Provisioning. Wyld is among the more popular gummy brands in Michigan and a hot seller at Iconic. This opened an opportunity to create content aimed at bringing unacquainted, yet motivated customers into their dispensary. 

The plan paid off. Iconic Wellness content appears on Page 1 of search engine results pages (SERPs) when you look up reviews for Wyld. The way Google prioritizes reviews is immediately evident from the metadata, seen below. The search engine automatically parsed out pros and cons from the content and made them easy for customers to assess. Searchers can also navigate directly to a specific flavor mentioned in the review (terms which are gaining search traffic on their own) without having to dig deeper into the website or on other search results.

What other ways can you leverage product reviews in your marketing?

• Social media. Customers don’t have to take your word for it when it comes to customer reviews. Posts and video clips shared on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and many more platforms offer more ways for customers to learn about the products your dispensary sells.

• Email and text message marketing. Whether you have a big Green Wednesday sale coming up or want to spotlight a brand partner, reviews make for great content for your email marketing. You can even consider repurposing this content in text message marketing if your customer base prefers getting information straight to their phone.

• Collateral: Testimonials are instrumental to influencing the purchasing journey. Making them part of your case studies, flyers, and other marketing materials gives shoppers confidence and encourages them to move ahead. 

4 tips for cannabis product review writing

1. Give customers a sense of what their experience may be.

Is the product you’re reviewing great for kicking back and relaxing, staying laser-focused on a project due next week, or great for giggling along to your favorite stand-up? Include that information in your review. Be sure to clarify, though, that the reader’s experience may vary. No cannabis experience is guaranteed, and your customers need to know that they need to try something to get a full understanding of how it will affect them.

2. Highlight different flavors and formulations in a blog post.

If a brand has different serving sizes, cannabinoid ratios, terpene profiles, or flavors, try to discuss as many of these factors as possible when writing. This delivers a complete package of information customers can use to make an informed decision about their purchase.

3. Ask your budtenders and customers.

Which edibles are flying off the shelves? What brands are customers constantly asking about? Surveying shoppers and budtenders gives insight into the information people want to read and what influences their decision-making processes. It also validates your review, offering third-party perspectives that back up what you’re saying.

4. Think about how you’re distributing the review.

After your product review is written, think about how that content is going out on social media. Where will it be posted and which form will it take? Who will create that content? Have a plan before you write. 

Turn cannabis reviews into opportunities for your dispensary marketing

The timing couldn’t be more perfect to fold reviews into your marketing plans. SEO-informed reviews are a prime opportunity to take advantage of emerging search traffic and growing brand awareness, leveraging it into a powerful traffic driver for your business. And with the combined power of omnichannel marketing, your reviews go beyond the pages of Google and into thousands of inboxes and social media feeds. That power can’t be underestimated — you have to see it to believe it.

Cannabis consumers — and just about anyone, for that matter — turn to the internet first when looking for any product or service. It’s crucial, then, for your business to have a strong presence across the web. 

Cannabis marketing agencies can help create a digital marketing strategy for your business, but choosing the right partner is a critical first step. Working with a good cannabis marketing agency can lead to more sales, higher transaction volume, and satisfied, loyal customers. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of selecting the right digital marketing agency for your cannabis business and provide some tips to help you make the right decision.  

Why should I hire a cannabis digital marketing agency? 

A strong digital marketing agency that specializes in cannabis can help your brand stay ahead in the industry’s competitive landscape. By partnering with a reputable agency, you can ensure that your company stands out from the competition and reaches your target audience wherever they’re most active online. Investing in a cannabis-focused digital marketing agency can offer the following benefits:

• Save time and money: The best digital marketing agencies make magic happen quickly and cohesively, ultimately saving time and money by freeing up your time and resources to focus on other essential aspects of your business. Digital marketing is an important full time job, so trusting expert professionals to devise and execute your campaigns can help boost return on investment (ROI) while allowing you to focus on what matters most — running your business.
• Reach more likely customers: Experienced cannabis marketers know which channels to use to reach your target audience and how to use them effectively. A digital marketing agency can help you to increase your online visibility and brand awareness through targeted digital marketing campaigns that span your website, social media, email, text messaging, industry publications, and more.
• Experience and expertise: The cannabis industry is a dynamic place, so it’s best to have expert advice and input. A cannabis digital marketing agency will understand changing trends and what works best for each market segment, as well as the unique legal and regulatory requirements of the cannabis industry. These insights make sure your marketing campaigns are relevant, targeted, and in line with regulatory requirements and third-party platforms’ terms of service.
• Connections: Working with an agency broadens your brand’s horizons. They may have resources or tools you may not have in-house and can help you bridge valuable relationships within the industry. Agencies work with a variety of vendors, so they can serve as referral partners in addition to bringing the value of their professional skills and expertise to your business.

Realizing these benefits of course depends on hiring the right cannabis marketing agency. If you’re ready to shop around, you’ll want to do your due diligence to make sure you select the best team for your business. 

7 things to consider when outsourcing marketing for cannabis

Not all digital marketing agencies are created equal, and choosing the wrong one can be costly for your cannabis business. Every company has different needs, but the following aspects are good to consider when choosing a digital marketing agency for your cannabis business:  

1. Experience with the cannabis industry and your market segment

The cannabis industry is a unique and evolving space, so the marketing agency you choose should have demonstrable experience working with other cannabis businesses. Ask for case studies that highlight their success stories in the industry, ideally those involving companies in your same market segment. 

An experienced cannabis digital marketing agency also understands the legal and regulatory restrictions surrounding advertising and marketing in the industry, and will use that knowledge to develop strategies that comply with these restrictions to avoid potential legal issues. Additionally, they will have knowledge of industry trends and practices, allowing them to create effective campaigns that resonate with your target audience.

When selecting a cannabis marketing agency, be sure to ask questions about all of the above and expect to receive detailed responses that demonstrate the team’s expertise in each of these areas.

2. Range of services offered

When searching for a cannabis digital marketing agency, it’s essential to ensure that they offer the specific services that you need. This may include social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, building accessible websites, email marketing, and more. By partnering with an agency that can offer a comprehensive suite of services, you can ensure that your brand is reaching its marketing goals and reaching your audience effectively. Finding an agency with “deep and narrow” experience in one specific service, such as content writing or social media, can provide value and insight into specific marketing strategies as well. 

3. Extensive client portfolio in the cannabis industry

It’s not enough to be a skilled marketer to operate in the cannabis industry — your marketing team needs to understand the cannabis space itself. Review an agency’s past work and check out their current and previous client portfolio. This will give you an idea of their capabilities and whether they fit your needs. You can also look for testimonials and case studies from past clients to provide you with valuable insight into the agency. With this information in hand, you can make a more informed decision.

4. Transparent communication and professionalism 

You’ll want to work with an agency that is responsive, available, and able to communicate effectively throughout your partnership. Consider the agency’s ability to provide updates, answer questions, and address concerns in a timely and professional manner, as well as their availability and responsiveness. These qualities should be apparent when you first engage a company, from an introductory call and initial proposal throughout your entire working relationship.

Always look for agencies with clear communication protocols and set expectations for regular check-ins and updates. By partnering with agencies that prioritize communication and professionalism, you can ensure that your marketing is executed smoothly and you are kept informed along the way. 

5. Alignment in company culture and values

Consider whether the agency’s mission and values align with yours. When an agency understands and supports your vision, they are more likely to create marketing strategies that resonate with you and your target audience. By choosing an agency that shares your company’s values and priorities, you can be confident that you’re working with a partner who understands and supports your vision for your cannabis business. 

Explain your brand mission and vision statement in the introductory call. Ask how the agency feels about your values and whether they share them. It should be clear if this message resonates with the agency or not. Digital marketers are your first line of communicating your brand, products, and services to your customers, so they need to get what you’re all about. Choose a company that intrinsically understands these elements of your brand for the best results.

6. Agency size and location 

If you prefer face-to-face meetings or want the agency to be close to your physical location, it’s best to choose a local agency. On the other hand, if remote communication works for you and your business, selecting an agency that operates entirely online may be more convenient. 

Also consider whether a marketing agency has the capabilities to scale their services as your business grows. Ask about their processes when it comes to content creation and production. Make sure they have the capacity to meet your needs, delivering quality content for your campaigns in a timely manner. 

Marketing agencies also range in size, and small companies with small client lists generally offer a more personal experience and specialized attention to your business needs.  

7. Pricing that fits your budget

It’s essential to have a clear understanding of your finances and ensure that the agency you choose can provide quality services within your budget. Keep in mind that larger agencies with more prominent client lists may come with a higher price tag but also tend to offer more resources and expertise. Don’t be afraid to reach out or schedule a consultation with potential agencies to discuss your budget and get a better idea of what services they can provide. 

Expect a detailed proposal that breaks down the costs of each service an agency will provide. Transparent pricing is essential to planning your marketing budget effectively.

How to get the most out of your digital marketing agency

While a digital marketing agency is there to help, there are certain things you can do to ensure the best possible results. Follow these tips to foster a productive and successful partnership and get the most out of the relationship: 

• Be proactively involved: Your digital marketing agency should be seen as a partner rather than a vendor. It’s important to be actively engaged in the process and provide input and ideas to help share your marketing campaigns. Marketing teams may need access to team members for interviews or assets like graphics, images, and videos. The best marketing teams can create these for you if you don’t already have them.
• Schedule regular check-ins: Scheduling regular meetings with your marketing agency can help keep your campaigns on track and ensure everyone is on the same page. Use these meetings to discuss progress, address any concerns and provide necessary feedback. 
• Respond in a timely manner: Your agency will likely have questions about your business and goals throughout the process. It’s essential to be responsive and provide them with the information they need to create effective marketing campaigns.  
• Be open to suggestions and willing to make changes: Your agency is likely to suggest changes or adjustments to your campaigns based on their experience and expertise. Be open to their suggestions and willing to make changes as needed to improve results. 

If you adhere to these tips, the relationship with your marketing team will be a productive one and their work on your behalf will be all the better for it.

Cannabis marketing done right with CannaContent 

Choosing the right digital marketing agency for your cannabis business is crucial to achieving success in this highly competitive market. At CannaContent, our team of experienced professionals understands the unique challenges and opportunities facing cannabis businesses today. Whether you need help with SEO, social media, content marketing, or all of the above, we’re dedicated to helping our clients succeed. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you grow your cannabis business. 

Your online audience is constantly changing the channel, whether they’re browsing websites, scrolling on social media, or checking their email inbox. Capturing and retaining the attention of users while they’re channel surfing in this way is key for any business’s digital marketing efforts, which is where omnichannel strategies come into play. 

Omnichannel campaigns are powerful tools in a cannabis marketer’s arsenal, especially when navigating regulatory restrictions and strict terms of service from third party platforms. Creating an omnichannel marketing campaign requires a lot of content, though, so it’s important to allocate your time and effort wisely to create content that will resonate on each channel you publish it on. To help you pull off a successful omnichannel marketing campaign, CannaContent has created this omnichannel marketing guide to get you started off on a strong foot.

What is omnichannel marketing?

Omnichannel marketing is an approach to digital marketing that includes all available marketing channels, with the end goal of consistently reaching your audience as they change channels online. It’s an effective way to deliver a particular message or call to action (CTA) in the most effective way possible, whether it appears on a search engine, social media, in an email inbox, on a digital ad, or somewhere else entirely.

“[In an omnichannel campaign, marketers] are hoping to deliver on as many platforms as are available to them and to keep that high touch, recency frequency going with an omnichannel campaign,” said Amy Deneson, co-founder of Phenolution and founder of Cannabis Media Council.

Omnichannel marketing campaigns involve the strategic repurposing of content to create an integrated experience across each of these marketing channels. For example, whether a user sees a social media post, email, or landing page associated with the campaign, each will reinforce the other and amplify the overall message a brand is trying to communicate.

“Many marketers, especially in cannabis, are solving for bandwidth constraints. So, they’re trying to look at how they can get their message out in as many ways to their audience and to their target markets as they possibly can,” Deneson said. “One way to approach an omnichannel campaign is to say we want this one or cohesive set of messages to appear in multiple touch points.” 

Meeting a channel surfing audience wherever they are

An omnichannel marketing campaign takes place across all available marketing channels, which your audience traverses seamlessly during their time online. According to Deneson, you can think of marketing channels across four major buckets: owned channels, social media, earned media, and paid media.

• Owned channels: These channels include branded channels that are part of your own digital ecosystem, such as your website, email marketing, and text message marketing. In cannabis marketing, owned channels are generally the safest place to distribute content because you aren’t beholden to third-party platforms’ terms and conditions that restrict what you can do. So long as your content is legally compliant with applicable state and federal regulations, you can deploy it on owned channels.
• Social media channels: Social media channels are platforms like TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. These channels are generally more tightly controlled, each maintaining their own unique terms of service that must be followed to avoid account suspensions or bans. However, if you can navigate these terms of service well, social media channels offer a powerful way to build a community of engaged users who see your brand and engage with it repeatedly over time.
• Earned media channels: Earned media refers to public relations and traditional news outlets. You can work to gain earned media by sending press releases, speaking at conferences, hosting events, and more. It can be one of the most difficult channels to access, but also one of the most validating since earned media channels generally include reputable publications or sources of information. However, frequently securing earned media can be difficult, so it’s important to maintain more consistent messaging on other channels as well. In some cases, earned media may include influencer marketing, when the relationship is not transactional.
• Paid media channels: Paid media includes advertising and sponsorships, as well as most types of influencer marketing. This includes pay per click (PPC) advertisements on search engines, as well as display ads on websites and social media. In cannabis, paid advertising is somewhat restricted, though opportunities to advertise on paid channels do still exist if you know where to look. 

Omnichannel vs. multichannel marketing campaigns

Although you may sometimes see the terms omnichannel and multichannel marketing used interchangeably, there is an important technical difference between the two. The prefix “omni” means “all”, and so an omnichannel campaign would focus on every available marketing channel. In an omnichannel marketing campaign, each of these channels work together to deliver an integrated message and unified experience for the customer or prospect. As a result, the primary focus of an omnichannel marketing campaign is the target audience.

The prefix “multi” refers to more than one, so a multichannel campaign still covers multiple marketing channels, but not necessarily all available ones. The style and message of content delivered on each channel may also be distinct from those delivered on others and the focus tends to be on the product or service rather than the customer or prospect. Still, despite this key difference, it’s still important to adhere to some level of brand consistency in terms of tone, style, and message when running a multichannel marketing campaign.

Choosing the right channels to reach your audience

When crafting an omnichannel or multichannel marketing campaign, it’s important to first identify which channels your audience frequents most. In cannabis, advertising and marketing restrictions may prohibit particular options, such as television or radio advertisements. So cannabis marketers need to create a plan that is compliant with all applicable regulations, including which channels through which they will deploy content.

“Once we determine what’s available to us that meets the strategy… then [we need to determine] what’s the likelihood that by activating that marketing mix, we’re going to achieve what will then be our key performance indicators,” Deneson said.

In addition to identifying which channels are available, cannabis marketers also need to think about which channels their target audience is surfing, how they’re delivering their message on each, and generating conversions for their CTAs. In this way, cannabis marketing doesn’t differ from other industries, both restricted and not.

“We need to know what we’re trying to ask people to do,” she added. “If we want to drive foot traffic to a retail dispensary for a doorbuster sale, then a robust text message marketing channel is the most effective way to do that. If we want more of a long form campaign with multiple calls to action, email is still the most effective way to stay connected with cannabis consumers.”

Repurposing content for multiple marketing channels

After selecting all available marketing channels that will be effective, it’s time to develop content for each of them. The old adage “work smarter, not harder” can go a long way when running an omnichannel or multichannel marketing campaign for your cannabis business. Especially when you need to create content that will run across multiple channels, it’s best to reduce the workload by creating one piece of anchor content that can the be repurposed for use across other channels. 

For example, if you’ve taken the time to interview a subject matter expert for a webinar, consider creating a blog post that recaps the session for those who couldn’t attend; create an email send that promotes the content; and promote it before and after on social media. By doing so, you can reach as many members of your target audience in as many places as possible. With luck, you’ll reach some of those customers multiple times, an important metric when taking the slightly outdated, but still relevant “rule of 7” into account.

However, when repurposing content, it’s critical to think about how it should look in the context of each marketing channel — it’s not just a copy/paste affair. For example, a 1,500 word blog post is very different from a related Instagram post linking back to that page. Both will look quite different from a related email aimed at driving your customers to your dispensary menu or your ecommerce store. A paid display ad on a publication’s website will look and feel differently still. Although you might be able to borrow that same content and tweak it for each platform, ensuring it’s optimized for the marketing channel you’re targeting is critical.

“Do not skip that step of making sure the creative, the messaging, the way in which you’re engaging with the community makes good sense [for the platform you’re publishing on],” Deneson said. “That includes things like making sure on Instagram it’s a ‘link in bio’ and not just a link dropped into an unlinkable space. That just looks like you’re cutting corners, and if you’re taking the time and effort to reach out and connect, it’s worth making sure your content is polished in each environment.”

How to maintain brand consistency when repurposing content

This need to optimize repurposed content for the channel on which it appears must also be balanced with keeping your brand’s appearance consistent. Although the content will need to be adjusted, it should always be done so with your brand book in mind, including your color scheme, tone of voice, messaging, and style.

“It’s still your brand, and it still has to have the same effect,” Deneson said. “It’s important to show up as glorious as you possibly can be. Make sure that for each incredibly precious moment you have somebody’s attention that you value it by being your absolute best polished self.”

Not sure how to start developing your brand? Check out our cannabis brand planning guide that can get you started in just 420 minutes!

Once your content is created and optimized for each marketing channel and you’ve ensured it reflects your brand properly, you can begin publishing. Create a schedule that strategically targets users in a way that keeps your brand, product, or service top of mind and gives you as many opportunities as possible to reach your target audience.

Measuring the effectiveness of omnichannel marketing 

Once your campaign is underway and content has been published across multiple platforms, you’ll want to understand how well it’s working. That’s where tracking and analyzing results comes in, and there are a few important ways to do it.

“Attribution and measurement is one of the most complex parts of marketing,” Denson said. “But of all the KPIs I look at, most simply is for each individual instance of our call to action, did they do what we asked them to do?

“If we want them to enthusiastically opt into our newsletter, did they do it? If we ask them to go to a webpage, did they spend more than one minute or ideally two minutes on that page? If we ask them to share it, did they do it? If we ask them to come to a webinar or event, did they RSVP and did they actually show up?”

These examples include important marketing metrics such as open rate, clickthrough rate (CTR), dwell time, and engagement rate. However, Deneson said, as important as these “micro metrics” are, marketers should also consider the “macro” circumstances surrounding a campaign.

“For example, clickthrough rate attribution can be very difficult but what you may be able to see is that there’s an overall lift on your website, or an overall lift on your direct-to-consumer sales,” Deneson said. “We can’t always tie it one to one because, let’s face it, your memory gets jogged and what do you do? You go to Google and type it into the search bar.”

That type of traffic coming from organic search may seem tied to your SEO content strategy, not an omnichannel marketing campaign. But your campaign may be the reason that the user’s interest was piqued in the first place. So take a look at your data analytics before launching a campaign to understand a benchmark and then determine whether your campaign may have boosted key metrics after.

When your audience changes the channel, your message should still reach them

Your audience is constantly channel surfing, and with the right planning your omnichannel marketing campaign can be an effective way to reach them in multiple places. Consider which channels are worth your time and effort, and then identify ways you can easily repurpose content for each marketing channel in your plan. When done right, omnichannel marketing enables you to consistently remind users about your brand and its value proposition, keeping you top of mind when they are ready to buy. It also offers more opportunities to generate CTA conversions, whether that’s driving more sales, qualifying leads, attracting new customers, or anything else.

Need help running your cannabis marketing campaigns? Contact CannaContent for an introductory call with an expert team of cannabis marketers or request a quote for a custom proposal today!

In cannabis, trust is paramount. Consumers need to understand that test results and labeling reflect what’s really in their cannabis products. For brands, building consumer trust is key to long-term success. Unfortunately, circumstances ranging from labs with inconsistent or unreliable testing procedures to intentional misrepresentation create situations where trust isn’t always a given.

Although favorable test results may provide a brand with a short-term boost to sales, they create the long-term risks of loss of customer trust, costly litigation, and potential regulatory consequences. As a result, it’s critical that cannabis brands do their due diligence to make sure their products’ test results and labeling are always as accurate as possible, creating a relationship with their customers that’s built on honesty and transparency.

Why are some consumers taking big-name brands to court?

Multiple cannabis companies have been named as defendants in class action lawsuits alleging they inaccurately portrayed the THC content of their products. While it’s important to note that being named in a lawsuit does not imply that any of the companies named in said lawsuits are guilty of the charges, it is an expensive prospect that should give all cannabis brands pause about what claims make it into their marketing materials.

The first of the recent lawsuits was filed in October 2022 against DreamField Brands, alleging that Jeeter pre-rolled joints were mislabeled, inflating THC content by as much as 23% in some cases. The brand denies the allegations, though plaintiffs claim independent testing found that joints labeled as containing 46% THC actually contained 23% to 27%.

By December 2022, other, similar lawsuits were filed against cannabis brands, including Stiiizy and Presidential Cannabis. In each lawsuit, plaintiffs alleged the brands labeled their cannabis products as containing more THC than independent lab test results revealed.

According to California state law, cannabis producers must label their products with accurate THC content within “plus or minus 10%” of actual levels. That’s a huge difference.

The lawsuits state that the alleged mislabeling constitutes false advertising that allowed companies to increase the price of the products. Whether the lawsuits are successful or not, they represent costly marketing missteps for the defendants, who will now need to enter litigation or settle with the defendants over their claims.

And it’s not just in California that lawsuits are cropping up. An Arkansas medical cannabis patient has filed suit against a testing lab and multiple growers. That lawsuit claims that the lab, Steep Hill, comes back with inflated THC percentages, thus incentivizing growers to work with the lab instead of other laboratories. That lawsuit, which is ongoing, was originally filed in Pulaski County Circuity Court, but was ultimately referred to federal court.

That’s the issue at the crux of these lawsuits: a phenomenon known as lab shopping, in which cultivators cherry pick those laboratories that provide them with favorable test results.

Lab shopping and THC inflation: How are they connected?

Lab shopping, or the practice of choosing a cannabis testing laboratory based on favorable results, has been a problem in legal cannabis markets from the beginning. In California, in particular, lab shopping has historically been commonplace, thanks to a lack of standardized regulations facing testing labs. 

Primarily, lab shopping involves finding the laboratory that produces the highest percentage THC results, since many consumers purchase products based on the THC potency (even though that metric is not the sole measure of cannabis quality.) In addition, though, it may even include submitting samples to different labs to pass tests like heavy metals tests or residual solvents tests, even when other samples may have failed elsewhere.

The state’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is working on eliminating this practice from the California market. The DCC recently established a set of regulations governing testing laboratories with the goal of ensuring certificates of analysis (CoA) are accurate, consistent, and reliable.

Among those regulations are requirements that laboratories report all test results to the DCC, upload CoAs to the state’s track and trace system, and that distributors either destroy batches of goods that fail testing or remediate them under a DCC approved remediation plan. Laboratories must also become ISO/IEC 17025 accredited, establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), implement a quality assurance program, and participate in a proficiency testing program.

These regulations are meant to reduce instances of lab shopping or inaccurate results, which are key considerations for building consumer trust in brands and the market at large.

It’s not all about THC: Marketing cannabis products responsibly

The root of the problem comes back to a misconception about what cannabis marketing should do: When focus is on the sale, education gets lost in the sauce (pun intended). Consumers in legal cannabis markets generally seek out products with high percentages of THC, and these high-THC products can fetch higher prices as a result. The market responds in kind, breeding flower and manufacturing products that meet this demand.

While it might seem counter-intuitive, this shortsighted approach has a few key drawbacks.

Bust the high THC myth

Most consumers, and particularly in adult use markets, seek out high THC products because they believe, since THC is the primary compound that causes intoxication, more THC will make them feel higher. As a result, brands have raced to produce higher THC products, encouraging mislabeling or overestimating of THC content, either inadvertently or deliberately. 

Consumer education, though, rejects chasing this market dynamic that’s based in popular misconception. Brands that educate consumers through thoughtful, omnichannel content marketing campaigns can help dispel the myth that, not only does more THC not equate to greater product quality, but it doesn’t even mean a product will make you feel higher. 

Cannabis contains more than 100 phytocannabinoids and 200 terpenes, many of which have the potential to alter the consumption experience through the entourage effect. These compounds can significantly alter how high a consumer feels, or what types of feelings they experience. 

For example, a cultivar (strain) that’s high in THC but also high in CBD may result in less intoxication than a cultivar that contains less THC but no CBD. Similarly, a cultivar that contains high levels of terpenes like myrcene and linalool may be more likely to result in feelings of drowsiness and couch-lock, while those with high levels of limonene and pinene may be more likely to prompt an uplifting and energizing experience.

By educating consumers about this reality, brands can help their customers choose products more wisely and build trust with their consumers. Even when consumers are after the most potent possible high, elevated THC percentage isn’t always their best bet — and a well-crafted content marketing campaign helps inform them of their best options. 

Avoid running afoul of regulations and social channel terms of service

In the lawsuits, it’s alleged that companies have violated a California law that THC percentage must be accurately labeled within 10%. Importantly, there’s natural variability between plants, and it’s possible that products from the same batch can have different THC percentage measurements. Of course, brands are required to include cannabinoid content on the labels of their products, but there is no such requirement that their broader marketing campaigns be focused on THC percentage.

Brands that rely on high THC driving most of their sales, claiming they offer the highest percentage of THC on the market, are opening themselves up to repercussions from regulators and legal action. Those who instead prioritize consumer education and establish themselves as trustworthy sources in the cannabis industry can secure loyalty and repeat purchases. Best of all, educational content generally doesn’t violate state regulations and, in many cases, can even be shared on social media channels without violating most platform’s terms of service.

Of course, basing a content marketing strategy on consumer education means a dedication to informing consumers before selling them. Always bear in mind that, while tactics like exaggerating THC percentages may be the fashion of the day, content marketing for consumer education is about long-term stability through building consumer trust and brand loyalty. 

Cannabis content marketing for consumer education

Putting education first in your cannabis content marketing strategy means sometimes prioritizing the reality of a product’s effects than leaning on hype. Rather than lab shopping to find the test results that provide the most favorable THC percentage, for example, a brand could create content educating consumers as to why there’s a lot more to cannabis quality than just how much THC a sample contains.

Content marketing means reaching your target audience on multiple channels as well. So, while you might host the bulk of your content on a blog on your website, think about how you can adapt each piece to other channels too. Content should be developed with social media and email marketing in mind, for example. Advertising in partnership with key retailers can help drive your message home. Or, if your audience frequently reads a particular publication, see if you can submit an article or sponsor content there. 

The purpose of educational content marketing is to establish your brand as a trusted source of information, forward thinking entity in the space, and purveyor of quality products and services. Where other brands might engage in questionable tactics like lab shopping, a well-crafted content marketing campaign instead dispels those smoke and mirrors to help consumers understand what’s actually important when choosing cannabis products. And, best of all, it’s an honest approach that, when done with regulatory compliance in mind, won’t later land a brand in hot water with consumers and officials.

Choose consumer education over deceptive advertising

Brands that make lofty claims may drive sales in the short term, but they’re likely to come crashing down if those claims are proven to be false. Instead of trying to deceive consumers or over-hype your products and services, choose instead to educate them about the realities of the space in which you operate. Help your target audience make the best possible choice for them, rather than pushing them to buy now through disingenuous marketing tactics. In the end, the result will be a loyal customer base, a wider reach, and insulation from lawsuits and fines that less scrupulous brands will inevitably suffer.

If you need support for your cannabis brand’s digital marketing efforts, contact CannaContent today for a specialized proposal tailor-made for your business’s needs.

Thanks to the federal prohibition against cannabis and strict state regulations, marketing cannabis often means getting creative. Cannabis marketing in the real world can be a challenge, with traditional avenues of advertisement like billboards, radio, and television unavailable in many markets. Even social media promotion can land brands in hot water and lead to account suspensions or deletion, depending on each platform’s terms and conditions. 

As a result of this challenging cannabis marketing environment, entrepreneurs are starting to leverage some highly creative options, including a foray into the new digital world known as “the Metaverse.” where they can set up shops, promote their products, and sell real-world merchandise and non-fungible tokens (NFT) to promote their brands. But is the Metaverse a worthwhile marketing investment or just a fad propped up by hype? 

Cannabis marketing in the metaverse

Since many rules of the Metaverse remain unwritten, cannabis businesses — both plant-touching and ancillary — might be able to talk up their products more freely in the digital space. From digital dispensaries to NFTs, cannabis companies are lighting up the Metaverse with new advertising and marketing tactics. While you cannot purchase cannabis items directly inside the virtual universe, customers can enter virtual dispensaries and access digital sales registers to visit the websites of the actual dispensaries. 

For example, Higher Life CBD Dispensary LLC became one of the first cannabis brands to open a Metaverse store in December, in the digital world known as Voxels. Higher Life CEO Brandon Howard says the store is visited by about 1,000 people daily. Though virtual visitors cannot purchase CBD products directly in the virtual store, they can buy them via a link to Higher Life’s website.

Another cannabis brand, Cannaland, has begun building a digital metaverse store where  customers can pick up objects and get a 360-degree view of them. Cannaland founder Matthew Morgan told The Drum that the store will aim to feel just like an existing dispensary – featuring digitized buds to “[give] the consumer confidence in what they’re getting [and] what’s going to be sent to their house.”

And it’s not just cannabis businesses flocking to the Metaverse to experiment with new marketing tactics. Other major companies like Miller Light and Wendy’s have already begun promoting themselves in these digital spaces as well. In June, Wendy’s announced that they would be opening an online virtual restaurant where users can “earn reward points and virtual currency which may be used to purchase food and beverages in the real or virtual world.”

Key considerations for cannabis marketing in the Metaverse

As envisioned, Web3 – shorthand for the third generation of internet services — will function as a decentralized online ecosystem based on blockchain, where platforms and apps are owned by users rather than a central gatekeeper. But that doesn’t mean there are no rules whatsoever. 

Before diving head first into the Metaverse, it is crucial to consider the individual regulations and restrictions for advertising and marketing cannabis in your state, as well as the terms of services listed by the digital platform itself. For example, Sandbox’s Terms of Use bans users from “promoting any illegal activity or advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act,” though it is unclear whether state-legal cannabis businesses would be violating this rule given the ongoing federal prohibition. There are, of course, other options; Decentraland and Voxels explicitly say they can work with cannabis companies.

For third-party cannabis companies operating in legal states, hosting a product menu in digital Web3 universes such as the Metaverse is likely no problem, just as maintaining a menu on a website is generally permitted. Difficulties may arise, however, for brands attempting to sell cannabis products directly or gather sensitive personal information from a customer in the Metaverse. Meta’s current advertising policies say that companies “must not promote the sale or use of illicit or recreational drugs,” which could further complicate the fine line brands must walk.

It’s too soon to know exactly what will fly and what won’t in the Metaverse. While the emerging world of Web3 opens up some doors for experimentation, marketing in the Metaverse is risky as there is no precedent on how the rules will be enforced. While the weather balloons these pioneering brands are floating up will help us determine what to expect, it is vital to acknowledge the risks associated with unchartered territory. 

“Like many other areas of cannabis marketing that were front-runners to compliance boards’ awareness and regulation, the best move is to be prudent about complying with the likely spirit of the eventual law,” noted Principle of alternative marketing group ALTER Strategies Wes McQuillen. “Anything owned by Meta is going to be operating within the Community Standards that already exist for Facebook and Instagram. Other platforms vary widely, so you need to do your homework and read.”

Aside from blurred lines regarding legal compliance and platforms’ terms of service, cannabis companies in the Metaverse may run into trouble reaching their target markets. While the metaverse is large and growing, it’s unclear exactly how many cannabis consumers are using the platforms and where. If most of your target audience isn’t engaged with the Metaverse, you could just be shouting into the void.

While the metaverse userbase is currently skewing young,  McQuillen said it’s important to note that 74% of internet users say they would “join or consider joining the metaverse.

“There are 400 million unique monthly users of the metaverse, on track to be around 2 billion within 10 years,” he said. “The metaverse is vast, green fields for building brand early, securing first-mover advantage which has always been the biggest factor in building huge audiences on new social platforms.” 

Although McQuillen does not recommend cannabis companies allocate a huge portion of their marketing budget to this, certain tactics can help. “Doing specific events in the metaverse on platforms that are equally accessible on laptops and phones as on virtual reality headsets and using it as an opportunity to co-brand or collab with partners. [That] has been the most effective thing I’ve seen done so far,” McQuillen explained.

What About NFTs?

The digital commodities known as non-fungible tokens (NFT) have been controversial, especially in the art world. But could they help cannabis companies spread brand awareness as more Metaverse users seek clothes and accessories for their avatars? 

NFTs represent digital art, skins in an online game, real estate in the virtual world, and physical objects in the real world. Clever use of these novel assets might offer new cannabis marketing opportunities, something certain brands are already experimenting with.

For example, Kandy Girl, a company that sells THC-infused gummies, has been selling and gifting virtual wearables in Decentraland, including cannabis-themed NFTs. So far, the brand’s NFT sales on Decentraland total around $30,000, opening up a new, albeit small, revenue stream for the company. Another company, Califari, recently sold cannabis-related NFT artwork to support the criminal justice nonprofit The Last Prisoner Project.

Other companies like The Crypto Cannabis Club and CampNova have partnered to integrate NFTs into the cannabis space. By merging the NFTs with cannabis, the brands will provide blockchain investors an opportunity to own digital cannabis art that represent real-life cannabis strains. According to Kevin Fitzpatrick, CEO of The Crypto Cannabis Club, attaching the physical products in the latest NFT partnership makes the NFTs “redeemable” outside of the Metaverse and allows the owner of the NFT to shop CCC’s brand through CampNovaonline.com. However, it is unclear whether this constitutes a direct sale of cannabis products; time will tell if redeemable NFTs constitute a violation of terms of service that ban direct sales. 

While wearable NFTs may be a safe bet as they are not tied to real-world cannabis sales, the varying terms and conditions between platforms make it difficult to pinpoint the exact penalties for violators. Cannabis companies who decide to market on any Metaverse platform should consider possible risks before diving in head first, including banishment from Metaverse platforms or even legal repercussions.  

You don’t need the Metaverse for effective cannabis marketing

While the Metaverse offers interesting and exciting opportunities for cannabis marketing, the uncertainty and risks are considerable and the lack of precedent means it’s hard to know exactly what the future holds. Luckily, you don’t need to resort to the Metaverse to conduct effective, compliant cannabis marketing. 

At CannaContent, our team of experienced marketers offers comprehensive cannabis marketing services that deliver a unified strategy that’s compliant with existing regulations across all your digital properties. By bringing web development, branding, content marketing, and social media marketing together under one roof, our team makes it easy for you to execute your vision, generate new leads, and drive sales the right way. 

If you’re looking for new cannabis marketing opportunities, don’t hesitate — contact CannaContent today.