Marijuana business marketing is an art form mastered by few and misunderstood by many. There many reasons why you should hire a professional, and responsive, digital marketing agency. There are challenges in every aspect of online marketing, but when it comes to marijuana marketing it takes more than posting social media content. Federal law limits many of the advertising platforms that other industries rely on, which means that your cannabis marketing campaign has to be powerful enough to overcome these limitations. 

Do: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the bloodline of the Internet.  Hidden behind the content and graphics on your website, social media, and blogs, are metal titles, meta descriptions, and other SEO elements that Google uses to find your web pages, and blog articles. The idea that SEO does not matter anymore is bogus. The cannabis industry has an insane amount of customer searches. Unfortunately almost no marijuana businesses have optimized their websites. Consumers are going to typically choose a website that comes up within the first page of any Google search. Make sure they find you. In addition ONLY work with an Internet marketing agency that follows ALL of Google’s best practices for SEO. SEO is hard work, involving keyword research, competitive analysis, and writing outstanding SEO tags. Most marketing agencies do not follow Google’s recommendations. Choose an agency that can show you their SEO work, and explain why they are doing it.

Tip #1 Just for fun, type in your Denver dispensary (or your town) in Google to see where you land on the page. If WeedMaps comes up first, and your competition is there, and you are not… you need better SEO.

Don’t: Pay-per-click ads are great for most industries but not the marijuana industry. Google currently does not allow marijuana businesses to use their Pay-per-click advertising platform. If you see a marijuana business doing PPC they are doing it illegally. Google is all-knowing, and once you get on their bad side, the Google spiders could black list your company and ban your domain permanently.

Do: We live in the digital age. Online consumers have higher expectations than in the past. Make sure your website is responsive, clean, modern, and VISUALLY appealing. Good photography and video is also super important. People want to see what your marijuana business looks like before they visit. Make sure you hire a photographer that specializes in dispensary photography and video. Having one photo shoot isn’t enough. You should be updating galleries consistently to show how your company is growing and meeting demands. Most dispensaries feature macro shots of their cannabis strains, but you want to stand out from the others. You should have professional photos and videos of your store, staff, and product.

Tip #2 Showcasing your storefront will help new customers find your location more easily.

Don’t: Television ads are strictly illegal within the cannabis industry. The recent debacle with the Neos Vape Pens commercial should serve as a lesson to marijuana businesses. After spending thousands on the making of the ad, it was pulled from the lineup last minute due to federal regulations. Avoid these issues by focusing on your SEO, and rank higher on Google. A growing number of people don’t have cable and opt to use Netflix or Hulu instead. You can reach a bigger audience through online portals, without having to worry about a lawsuit.

Do: Blog! The more content you have the better, and the best way to get it out there is with blogs. You should be posting a blog at least twice a month. Write about your store and products. Write about the changing marijuana laws. Write about anything you think your customers are interested in reading, and keep the content coming. Content writing is CRUCIAL to Google rankings these days. Don’t just promote your specials. Educate, inspire, and write topics that are interesting to marijuana customers. Make sure you share your blog posts on Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter.

Tip #3 Pay attention to the amount of social media “likes,” and “shares” on each blog post, and adjust your content and writing style accordingly.

Don’t: Don’t spread yourself too thin across social media. Focus on your website first, then Facebook, then Twitter and Google Plus. Google Plus may not seem important to you, but it’s another way to rank higher in any search regarding Denver dispensaries.  

Tips #4 Make your website ADA accessible to avoid a lawsuit, and to draw in more medical marijuana patients.

Marijuana marketing requires a bit of a learning curve, it’s unlike any other form of campaigning because there are more regulations to follow. Dispensaries in Denver are getting more and more competitive as shops open. It’s vital that marijuana businesses adhere to Social Media Laws, to keep their profiles and accounts live. Make your cannabis company stand out with a clear marketing plan that follows the law.

Digital 303 is a full service digital marketing agency that specializes in Marijuana marketing for businesses of all sizes. We specialize in expert search engine optimization, marijuana website design, social media marketing, and local marketing.

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