How to Build a Marijuana Brand

Identify A Unique Brand Mission Statement

Before you start spending your money on marketing and promotion, it’s important to know exactly what your brand stands for. If you don’t know what your business offers that others don’t, then it’ll be hard to convince anyone else to take an interest. As such, there are a few important things to identify for successful branding.

For one, you should have a clear brand mission statement. Think about what direction you want to take your company in. It also helps to tie this in with a unique selling point that will get consumers invested. 

For instance, you might want to focus on lower prices or luxury cannabis products. You might want to offer products that other companies don’t or focus on perks like customer rewards and convenient service.

Naturally, many companies will want to offer affordable prices, high-quality products, a wide product range, and satisfying service all at once. However, focusing on one particular aspect where you beat your competitors can instantly make you more interesting to potential consumers. Think long and hard about what you want your brand to revolve around and how you want to promote it.

Identify A Target Market

Another decision that can shape your brand and its success is identifying your target market or audience. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with targeting your products and services to people of all ages and backgrounds. However, focusing on a specific target market and making your brand the most attractive to them can help you stand out in a competitive sector.

For example, you could focus your efforts on young adults, targeting your marketing towards them by using modern promotional methods such as using apps and social media. Alternatively, if you want to reach older users, you might want a more professional and formal brand image. Consider who you want to reach and how you can reach them.

Thinking about the age or background of your desired consumers isn’t the only way to go about this. You could also consider the type of users you’re aiming to sell to. For instance, the branding for medical marijuana dispensaries is naturally very different from recreational stores. The focus would be more on health and recovery rather than enjoyment and fun.

Of course, there’s also a growing demand for B2B services in the marijuana industry. You might want to focus your efforts on currently existing marijuana retailers rather than competing with them. You could offer something unique such as a legal, accounting or marketing service for other marijuana businesses. In this case, your branding would be focused on how you can help other businesses succeed.

Create A Quality Name And Logo

No matter what kind of brand identity and market you’re going for, having high-quality branding materials is crucial. Having an eye-catching logo to represent your business can dictate how fast your brand identity goes. Just imagine the feelings seeing the McDonald’s arches or the Nike tick conjures up each time you see them.

When it comes to creating your logo, it’s important to have it professionally-designed. Whipping together a simple logo in Photoshop isn’t enough- you need to have a premium brand image that can last you for a lifetime. Your logo is one small thing that can have an enormous impact on the success of your brand, so it’s worth splashing out on.

Your name also matters. Make sure you pick something catchy that represents your brand. Take inspiration from current marijuana brands such as Aurora or MediCann. It’s safe to say their catchy names help them stand out more than if they picked a long-winded, generic brand name. Brainstorm until you think of something that clicks.

Having a solid name and logo helps immensely with branding success. As your company becomes more successful, your logo and name will become more recognizable, especially as you can use these materials for all kinds of marketing and branding tactics. Make sure you craft these branding materials carefully.

Build A Solid Business Website

A high-quality website is a must-have asset for every business in today’s digital age. Long gone are the days when people would discover companies by looking around the area or in their phonebook. Recent statistics suggest that 97% of consumers find businesses online first, even if they’re local businesses.

Your business website is another important brand asset that you should invest in. Find a professional website designer to make a standout website that represents your brand. Your website is a fantastic place to promote your brand identity and advertise what you can offer to customers. Make sure your website is easily accessible on both computer browsers and smartphones.

Once your website is up and running, there are many ways you can promote it. Most businesses nowadays implement a blog. That way, they can post content targeted at their desired audience and improve their visibility on Google.

You should also get your business listed on directories such as Google My Business. Making it easy for potential consumers to find your business will help get your brand recognized fast. You may even want to list it on online cannabis business directories.

Make Use Of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is an incredibly strong way to promote your brand that should not be estimated. A consumer survey found that 76% of consumers admit to purchasing a product they found on social media. Social networks are a fantastic platform to push your brand and, if done right, your customers will even promote your brand for you.

There are various ways to utilize social media marketing. To get started, you should open social media channels on multiple networks to help connect with potential customers. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are particularly useful for this, but the networks you should use depends on your target market and brand identity.

You can use social media to promote blog posts, post product pictures, and advertise your products or services. Using targeted hashtags can help your posts be seen. For even more impact, you can reach out to cannabis influencers on social media and discuss a deal for them to promote your brand. This can instantly get you recognized by tons of cannabis consumers.

Another impactful way to promote your brand on social media is by giving your customers incentives to share your content. For instance, many online stores nowadays allow users to share their purchases on social media. You could also offer customer reward points or rewards for referring new customers via a social media link. This way, your customers do the promotional work for you.

Use Custom-Branded Products And Packaging

One of the most effective branding strategies is to start making your logo visible in as many places as possible. You should imprint your logo on everything from your website to the packaging your products come in. You can even start selling merchandise and accessories with your logo.

Creating custom-branded products is one of the most effective ways to improve brand recognition. Think about it this way- every time a customer uses a branded product and their friends see, they’ll become aware of your brand. The more people see it, the more people will become curious to check you out.

It’s especially useful for cannabis businesses as there are tons of essential accessories that you can plant your logo on. For instance, you can offer custom Grinders, Rolling Papers, Lighters, Rolling Trays, Stash Bags, and even One-Hitters. These are all products that cannabis consumers are likely to add to a purchase. Branding them can improve brand loyalty and recognition in one fell swoop.

Custom-branded packaging is also important. Even putting your brand on bags can help your logo and name be seen by many potentially interested people. The more people see your logo, the better. It’ll create a positive connotation that your brand is successful and worth buying from.

Attend Trade Shows And Events

Although digital marketing is becoming increasingly stronger, face-to-face promotion is still important if you want to get your brand name out there. One of the best ways to promote any kind of cannabis business is by attending cannabis expos, trade shows, and events.

Cannabis trade shows and expos are events geared specifically at people interested in the marijuana and hemp industries. As such, these are amazing places to promote your brand. Many allow you to open a stall, giving you a place to promote your products and services and even sell or give away custom branded cannabis products.

Some expos are targeted solely at businesses. These are fantastic places for B2B services to pitch directly to potential clients. There are also many cannabis events open to the public, making for a great way to bring your brand to the attention of tons of interested consumers. Offering branded merchandise is a great strategy to promote your brand at these events.

You don’t have to stick exclusively to cannabis-based events, either. Many cannabis brands also promote themselves at events such as festivals or markets. Attend as many events as you can to get your brand name out there- it’s a simple way to swiftly get your brand noticed by a huge number of people.

Keep Your Customers Satisfied

Building a brand is one thing, but it’s just as important to maintain a positive brand image. If you want to ensure your brand is seen positively, start with your customers. Customer satisfaction is essential for a successful business. If your brand starts to get a negative image, it can be hard to shake.

Make sure you deal with customer complaints quickly and effectively. Most businesses nowadays allow customers to contact them directly via live chat features or even via social media. Dealing with any problems fast will keep your customers loyal whereas making them wait might make them choose another brand.

You should also pay attention to customer feedback. It can help you identify weak aspects of your business and work on them to keep your customers satisfied. What’s more, showing your loyal customers that you listen to them will show that you’re a reliable and trustworthy brand. You may want to collect feedback using email surveys.

Repeat customers are even more valuable than new customers when it comes to your success and profits. Plus, if your brand develops a reputation for consistent high-quality customer service, your customers are much more likely to recommend you to friends and associates.

Conclusion

Building a strong marijuana brand won’t happen overnight, but if you follow these steps, you’ll notice more and more people start to pay attention to your business. It’ll help you gain new customers, keep existing customers coming back, and improve your overall brand reputation and visibility in time.

Make sure you develop a strong brand identity and put work into maintaining it. Having a good business website, active social media channels, and customer incentives can all help. You should also do what you can to get your brand name and logo out there. If you’re looking for quality custom branded products, check out CannabisPromotions.com.