The cannabis and medical cannabis industry in Denver continues to grow with rising sale trends. The gross retail sales in Denver equated to a 2 billion dollar business with medical gross sales at $1.8 billion, that’s a lot of money. 

However, there is no denying that the last few years have seen more restrictions on the industry, which doesn’t just include Denver, but all over the country. 

As more dispensaries pop-up and the industry changes so quickly, for those start-ups and companies, it can be a difficult challenge to market your products. 

Cannabis marketing comes with its challenges because of its regulations regarding advertising and organic marketing strategies. This means companies have to get a bit more creative if they want to thrive on the digital landscape. 

These are different ways that companies, start-ups and small businesses can break through this competitive cannabis marketing industry. 

Social media marketing (with caution) 

We put “with caution” because there are strict regulations when it comes to cannabis and dispensary social media marketing. With the continuous changes in their harsh policies, it is important to first dive into the regulations.  

A number of dispensaries turn to Instagram due to its ability to use the platform in a variety of ways from IGTV to Reels, but there are some major tips to take into consideration to keep the page from being flagged.

SpringBig states the following notions to NEVER do:

• Put anything about cannabis in your bio

• Make sure your bio states all content is for 21+ years old

• Don’t post any prices or SELL

• Do not post direct pictures of your products

• Be careful of any CBD products

• Never mention anything with the following words: Cannabis, marijuana or any variants

Programming advertising 

Advertising for cannabis and dispensaries is a difficult space. With each state having different regulations such as Florida needing state approval to run ads, it can be difficult to consider advertising. 

However, the Cannabis Industry Journal states that there is another way to advertise with programmatic advertising. This type of advertising allows consumers to purchase products with instant purchases and set up age restrictions. It is kind of like having a robot shop for you on eBay. 

It is basically purchasing digital advertising space by using data that decides how to buy the ads and how much to pay for them. 

This allows for the dispensary to get their metrics, sales and ROI out of the advertising methodology. 

As of recently, cannabis advertising does not have to run on cannabis specific websites and apps. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 

The number of online searches for cannabis has increased online sales for these businesses in the industry. This means creating a website that has an online site that is optimized for search engines.  This can be done with the right SEO research in place and understanding of the legal sides of everything. 

Along with this, there are blogging strategies that are implemented alongside on-page and off-page SEO strategies to continue to provide weekly, bi-weekly and monthly content. 

This is a way to inform consumers about the industry trends, FAQs, research and so many other trending topics. 

Podcasts 

There are over 500,000 active podcasts on the Apple store alone, and with their continued rise in popularity, this could be a great marketing asset to any company, especially this industry. This is because your podcast can be marketed on social media, but doesn’t have to provide major descriptors! (This helps with getting flagged.) 

On the other hand, there are thousands of different types of podcasts out there, and this is how you can leverage guests, use app store optimization and repurpose videos on YouTube! 

The options are endless with a podcast because it can be cross utilized throughout several other marketing platforms. 

For dispensary marketing and cannabis marketing strategies that help your company grow, follow these marketing steps to help! 

If you are not comfortable with doing this on your own, give us a call today!