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Influencer Marketing

The Top Must-Have Influencer Marketing Tools for Your CBD Business

By on

March 27, 2023

- Category : Influencer Marketing

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

Did you know that 87 percent of consumers say that they’ve made a purchase because an influencer has prompted them to?

In recent years, the CBD industry has experienced phenomenal growth as consumers around the world discover the numerous benefits of CBD products.

This booming market has created increased competition. This is why it is essential for businesses to embrace new strategies for standing out in a crowded space.

One proven way to enhance brand visibility is through influencer marketing. This powerful tool can drive brand awareness, customer engagement, and ultimately, sales.

To make things easier for you, we’ve written a guide that explains how to make use of CBD product influencers. Keep reading to find out more. 

What Does a CBD Influencer Do?

By creating engaging content, a CBD influencer educates their audience on the properties, usage, and potential health benefits of CBD.

By partnering with brands and businesses, CBD influencers review and showcase various products. They will also share their experiences and recommendations.

Some CBD influencers might address misconceptions, create awareness about legalities, and advocate for the responsible and safe use of CBD in daily life.

It can be difficult to find a CBD influencer who is aligned with your brand’s values. This is why so important to know how to find the right CBD influencers. 

The Best Influencer Marketing Tools

There are several tools that can help streamline the process of identifying, managing, and collaborating with CBD influencers. Here are some of the most helpful tools that you should consider using. 

Traackr

Traackr is a comprehensive influencer marketing platform. You can use it to find and manage influencers. The platform also helps users to track their performance and measure campaign results.

With its advanced search capabilities, you can easily discover CBD influencers who align with your brand values. Traackr also offers tools for managing influencer relationships.

The platform’s robust analytics provide valuable insights. You can use these features to optimize your influencer marketing strategy.

Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool. It uses boards, lists, and cards to help you organize tasks. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. You can use this interface to manage projects and track progress.

You can also collaborate with team members. This might involve assigning tasks and setting deadlines. 

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a powerful content analysis and influencer research tool. You should consider using it if you want to discover the most influential content creators in your niche.

You can enter relevant keywords to quickly find CBD influencers who create engaging content. The platform also offers content analysis features. This makes it easy to improve SEO for your business.

Asana

Asana is a powerful project management app. You can use it to create, assign, and track tasks. It even has customizable workflows.

With its robust features, Asana helps you streamline communications and monitor project timelines. The app offers various views. This includes lists, boards, and calendars.

Klear

With Klear’s extensive database, you can easily discover CBD influencers who align with your brand’s target audience. 

The platform’s CRM features facilitate seamless communication. This will allow you to nurture long-term partnerships with influencers.

Upfluence

Upfluence is an all-in-one influencer marketing platform. It streamlines the process of discovering and managing influencer campaigns.

Upfluence can help you find the right CBD influencers. Additionally, Upfluence’s real-time analytics provide valuable insights. This will empower you to optimize your influencer marketing strategy.

Time Doctor

Time Doctor is a comprehensive time management app. It tracks your work hours, breaks, and productivity.

You can use its advanced features to monitor the time spent on various tasks. You can even set goals and generate reports.

Time Doctor also offers integrations with popular project management tools. You can use these integrations to streamline your workflows.

Brand24

Brand24 is a social media monitoring and analytics tool. Businesses use it to track mentions. It is also possible to identify influencers.

You can use Brand24’s sentiment analysis feature to gauge public perception of your brand. You can also measure the impact of your influencer collaborations.

Don’t Chase Bright and Shiny Objects

When crafting a digital marketing strategy for your CBD business, it’s crucial not to chase bright and shiny objects, such as focusing solely on influencers with the most followers or the latest trending platforms.

While it might be tempting to go after these high-profile opportunities, it can lead to less effective influencer ads and an overall weaker digital marketing campaign.

Authenticity in influencer ads resonates better with consumers and drives higher engagement, ultimately leading to better results for your digital marketing efforts.

You should also understand that a high follower count doesn’t guarantee that an influencer’s audience will engage with your content or be interested in your CBD products.

Lastly, understand that chasing trends can result in short-lived partnerships that may not yield the desired results.

Instead, focus on building long-term relationships with influencers who are genuinely passionate about your brand and products.

These partnerships tend to be more fruitful and foster a sense of loyalty, making your digital marketing efforts more impactful. 

The Top CBD Influencer Marketing Tools

It can be difficult to know what CBD influencer marketing tools to use. 

If you want to find CBD influencers, consider using Klear or Upfluence. It is also a good idea to use project management software. Before choosing an influencer, make sure that they align with your brand values. 

Do you need help improving your digital marketing efforts? If so, we can help you. Don’t hesitate to contact us to get started today! 

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eCommerce, Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Social Media

How to Sell Kratom Online

By on

August 29, 2022

- Category : eCommerce, Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Social Media

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

While you’ve been shopping online for years, you’ve never decided to sell anything on the Internet until now. Perhaps you’ve realized it’s time to invest in your own side hustle or full-fledged business. That’s why you’re interested in what it takes to sell kratom online. Kratom is used by so many Americans who’ve become grateful for this naturally occurring medicine. Kratom is consumed to relieve pain, boost your energy, or simply stay more focused. With all of these potential health benefits, it’s understandable that there’s now an online market for selling kratom. If you’re ready to start selling kratom online, you’ve come to the right article. Below is a complete guide to help you start your online business and maintain profits long-term. From inventory management to budgeting, you need to be prepared for this business endeavor. Keep reading to see how you can ensure that selling kratom online will be a successful endeavor.

The Basics of Selling Kratom Online

People seek kratom for all kinds of reasons, which means it can be a great product to market online. In many cases, kratom is used as a way to help people recovering from opioid addiction. Others use kratom as a stimulant, such as coffee, giving them an energy boost and higher focus levels. While the United States Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved any official kratom health benefits, many consumers still believe in it. Plus, it’s not a scheduled drug, meaning selling it online and even in some stores throughout the country is completely legal. You might want to start by researching where you’d source your kratom inventory. Be wise enough to do background research on any kratom provider. You don’t want to work with a company that sells low-quality products because then your customers wouldn’t be satisfied. Once you’ve found the kratom provider you trust, it’s time to build your online store. Optimizing this website is going to be crucial for your long-term profitability in selling kratom online. Your website, after all, will also be the foundation for all other digital marketing. Here are the marketing tactics we at Forge will use for marketing Kratom and botanical herbs online: 1. Search Engine Optimization Use SEO to establish inbound organic traffic that can be retargeted by Programmatic Ads at a later date. 2. Email Marketing and Email Automation Flows Use an offer pop up to begin collecting emails from the new organic traffic going to your website. Then set up the following flows to automate your customers getting to know your kratom business: Welcome/Nurture Sequence, Abandoned Cart, Browse Abandonment, Post Purchase and Customer Winback. Once these are established, also begin to send regular emails to your new list to offer helpful tips and tricks as well as timely promotions for holidays and social media holidays. 3. Programmatic Display Advertising Forge offers a unique opportunity for kratom companies to advertise their products digitally and legally through our large display network of whitelisted publishers who will run your ads on their website. We can prospect new top of funnel customers with interest based targeting as well as retarget those who have visited your website once or more, in attempts to get them back and convert with an offer or deal. This is one of the only advertising solutions for kratom companies to advertise online today. 4. Social Media Organic Growth & Influencer Marketing Social Media can be challenging for kratom brands so you need to make sure you’re not making medical claims about your products or even suggesting they are for sale intended for human consumption of any sort. This is against FDA regulations and can get your brand in trouble, let alone your pages shut down for Community Guidelines Violations. It’s best to stick with the seasoned pros to run top of funnel organic social media content for your kratom brand. Influencers can promote your products as well but the same rules apply: no medical claims, no showing consumption of the products and as always, you must have them prominently state that their posts are #ad or #sponsored for FTC rules and regulations. Let’s talk about some more ways to set up your kratom company for success marketing online.

Make Sure Your Website is Optimized for the Best User Experience

When online users visit the website where you sell kratom, you want to turn those visits into sales. For that reason, it’s critical that you optimize that website specifically for sales conversions. That means, for one thing, you need a strong visual appeal throughout the website. Content needs to be readily accessible and arranged in a way that is easy to navigate. Everything from the color scheme to the tone of voice you use in the messages should be cohesive and unique to your brand. In addition, don’t underestimate the power of search engine optimization (SEO). SEO content makes use of keywords and phrases throughout the website. These words and phrases are what online users might look for on search engines such as Google or Yahoo! While proper SEO strategies can be in-depth, these efforts will be worthwhile for your kratom business in the long run. It’s your best chance of getting found online when people are looking to buy kratom. For more specific digital design guidance, take a look at this article outlining tips for website optimization.

Learn as Much as You Can About Running a Successful eCommerce Business

With so many competing eCommerce websites these days, it can be hard to stand out ahead of your market competition. Nonetheless, investing in your marketing and business will give you the best chance of financial success when selling kratom. After all, the eCommerce industry continues to grow and expand. Studies show that the market size will be worth over $6 trillion by the year 2024. That’s why you should spend as much time as you can learning about what it takes to optimize an eCommerce platform. For instance, have you researched what ways you can market your kratom products? Do you know what consumers are looking for when it comes to buying kratom online? In addition, don’t be afraid to work with experts on this matter. Hiring third-party marketing agencies might be just the ticket to skyrocketing your online kratom business.

You Can Use Social Media for Promotion, But Be Cautious

Another way to help your kratom online store succeed is by using social media marketing. Be careful, though. Selling kratom directly through some social media platforms can get your profile taken down. It’s essential that you research the posting guidelines of each social media platform you plan to market your kratom on. Some platforms, such as Instagram or Facebook, might be stricter than others. The wisest way to get around some of these guidelines on the stricter platforms is by not advertising that you’re selling kratom directly. Sure, you can include your eCommerce link in the profile of your Instagram, for example. When you post content about kratom, though, make it educational instead of sales-y. You can create an entire social media campaign about what a kratom supplement is and how it might be used. Again, be careful not to make any direct medical claims about its benefits without having reliable studies to cite. Overall, social media can be a great way for consumers to know that you’re all about kratom – as long as you don’t get yourself banned in the process.

Remember That Any Marketing Plan Should Be Ongoing

The last important thing to remember when it comes to selling kratom online is that the more work you put in, the more likely you are to succeed. It’s going to be up to you whether you want your kratom eCommerce store to be just a side hustle or your full-time income. Again, that’s why it can be so wise to work with third-party professionals. They can guide you on this eCommerce journey and help you sustain those profit margins.

Start Selling Kratom Online in No Time

If you think you need expert marketing guidance to make the most of your new eCommerce kratom business, look no further. We prioritize helping people establish their brand and succeed at selling their online products or services. For that reason, we hope you reach out to our team of expert marketing professionals. We can help you sell kratom online in an efficient, organized, and profitable way. Start by learning more about how an eCommerce-specific marketing agency could be just what you’re looking for.
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Influencer Marketing

5 Influencer Marketing Mistakes Brands Are Making

By on

July 25, 2022

- Category : Influencer Marketing

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

In just six years the global influencer marketing industry has grown from $1.7 billion to $16.4 billion. It is one of the most popular and effective ways to grow a business. Influencer marketing also fosters long-term relationships within industries.

A well-thought-out influencer marketing strategy can help you build brand awareness, increases impressions, and skyrocket sales. But if you ignore the common marketing mistakes made in this guide, then it’s unlikely you’ll breed any results. 

Like with any marketing campaign, influencer marketing requires strategy, planning, and analysis. Keep reading below to learn what not to do in your upcoming influencer marketing campaign! 

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing involves leveraging the influential (quite fitting) power of social media content creators to build brand awareness. 

The word influencer wasn’t officially deemed a vocabulary term until 2016, about six years after the boom of influencer marketing. With the free real estate of social media being ever more saturated and challenging to grow, influencer marketing provides brands with a more controlled space to grow rapidly.

Nothing is free anymore in social media. Either you pay ads, or you spend hours studying algorithms, or you pay influencers with free products and/or a contract and watch your brand bloom.

However, maybe you’ve tried influencer marketing in the past and not seen results. This is not a result of influencer marketing as a whole, but usually the outcome of marking one of the influencer marketing mistakes below.

Influencer Marketing Is Analytical

Influencer marketing is a science and while sometimes the investment is high, the returns can be even higher. When we worked with social influencer Jake Paul, our client gained 78,000 new followers, 141,868 impressions, and 5,000 new email subscribers. 

This is because we worked with the right influencer for that brand, at the right moment, and had their backend prepared to handle the substantial influx in traffic. 

Top Five Influencer Marketing Mistakes 

Influencer marketing expenditure is expected to reach $4.6 billion annually in the United States alone. More companies are recognizing the impact of running a successful influencer marketing campaign.

Yet some companies fall flat with common influencer marketing mistakes like working with the wrong influencer, not staying in touch with an influencer after a campaign, or even sending an influencer the wrong product choice. 

There are so many mistakes that come with influencer marketing. Luckily by reading this guide you can avoid making them and spend your dollars wisely.

1. Picking the Wrong Influencer

Sometimes brands approach influencer marketing as if it’s a high school popularity contest. Influencer marketing is not about who is the most attractive, most followed person on social media. 

It is about who has an audience similar to your target customers. These are the influencers you have to go for. The most subtle trap happens when brands choose influencers that would be their potential customers. 

Just because a person fits your niche as a potential customer it doesn’t mean that is why their audience follows them. For example, a male who buys cleaning supplies has a successful food blog. Sure, other people who clean might follow him, but they are most likely following his opinions on food, not cleaning products.

In this case, a snack company would be better suited for this collaboration. Consider everything about an influencer’s audience from their demographic, to their location, income, and more.

2. Solely Focusing on Vanity Metrics

Follower counts and views are a part of the picture, but not the whole picture.

When collaborating with an influencer, make sure to not only pay attention to their following but also their engagement. Engagement rates are measured by activity within each post. How many impressions, likes, comments, shares, and saves do their posts get on average?

Ask influencers upfront before making a deal. You can also do some research and identify their engagement and study their past partnerships. The greater follower count usually means more impressions and conversions, but these mega influencers usually come with a much higher cost.

3. Poor Timing

Sometimes the timing of an influencer campaign is just off. Are you running a swim campaign in November? Or maybe a hot chocolate campaign in May.

Influencer campaigns require a lot of back-and-forths negotiating and brainstorming. This can cause major delays in actually finishing the project. It is important to set your timing and proposal deadlines in advance to make sure your campaign launches at a time that makes sense for your market and season.

4. Missing Backend Preparation

The goal of any influencer campaign is traction and growth. That can be in the form of subscribers, donations, or purchases. And sometimes influencer campaigns wildly outperform your expectations.

But if your backend is not prepared you might run out of product or your website might crash. This is the worst thing as these people will not return to try and checkout or sign up for your newsletter. 

You do only have one shot, and there’s no time to blow it. Make sure your prices are right, discounts functioning, links are in bio, and more before launching a campaign. 

5. Forgetting Contracts

Some influencers are very professional and others work more like spontaneous freelancers. Regardless it’s your responsibility to draw up a contract. 

This sets clear expectations for work and deadlines. It also protects your business in the case that an influencer breaks a contract or doesn’t complete all agreed-upon tasks. 

Unfortunately, this happens sometimes, especially with inexperienced influencers, and you need to protect yourself.

Consider Onboarding a Digital Marketing Agency 

Influencer marketing is a powerful tool, but not all influencers are created equal. Working with the wrong influencers is one of the most common marketing mistakes. It can be more costly than the small cost, and high ROI of outsourcing a digital marketing agency.

An influencer marketing agency picks the right influencers for your brand goals and budget. They help you create a cohesive marketing strategy.

This means organic social content, influencer marketing, SEO, and even your web design. For help with your digital marketing, schedule a get in touch today!

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Influencer Marketing

The Top Influencer Marketing Strategies to Drive Results

By on

June 23, 2022

- Category : Influencer Marketing

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

In 2020 it was reported that digital ad spending grew by roughly 12.2 percent even during the pandemic. This goes to show that marketing is still as strong as ever, but what is influencer marketing and how can it help you?

If you are looking to help your business grow then influencer marketing strategies are a great way to do it. The key to influencer marketing is to use an influencer marketing platform and get influencers to promote your brand. 

While there are a lot of different types of influencer marketing, not everybody knows what it is. Luckily, we have created a list of some of the best influencer marketing agency advice for using these strategies.

So if you would like to learn about the best influencer marketing strategies and how they can benefit you, keep reading.

What Is Influencer Marketing? 

We know that not everyone is familiar with these strategies. So before we jump into what all of the different strategies are, let’s cover what an influencer marketing strategy is.

An influencer marketing strategy is a strategy used to get influencers to promote, recommend or endorse your brand’s product or service.

There are multiple different strategies to choose from and the great thing is that you can start using them almost immediately. 

You can also try different strategies and find out which ones are more effective for your business. Sometimes all your business may need is to try an influencer marketing strategy to get more customers, clients, and interest.

Create Long-Term Partnerships With Influencers

One of the best ways to make your brand more successful is by including partnering with influencers. While there are lots of influencers out there, some brands still fail to do this.

It not only costs them potential customers but also prevents them from getting some extra revenue for their business. The best way to use this strategy is to consider what influencers would be good for your brand.

This means that you should make a list of influencers and start finding ways to reach out to them. A great way to do this is via social media. However, this can take up a lot of time as some influencers get hundreds or even thousands of messages every day.

Instead, you can use influencer marketing agencies to help you find big influencers to promote your brand. Agencies can even advise you on the best ways to get your influences to market your product or service. 

Use Photographs & Videos of Influencers Promoting Your Brand

This strategy is one of the most effective ones out there right now. Especially with recent applications like Tik Tok, more people are using photos and videos. 

One of the biggest benefits of using photos and videos is the flexibility it provides. You can take almost anything and create a picture or video that includes influencers promoting it.

The key is to find out what your audience likes most and then create content around that. You can add this content to social media or even use it on your website to promote your brand. 

If people see that a big influencer is interested in your brand from photographs or videos then they are much more likely to become curious about it. 

You can even set up video interviews or create short compilations of multiple influencers promoting your brand. 

Choose Your Influencer Marketing Platform 

Another effective way to use influencer marketing is by choosing a platform that will help you to promote your product or service. The great news is that there are lots of platforms out there so you won’t be stuck for choice.

One of the most popular platforms for influencer marketing is Instagram. You can use Instagram to get influencers to promote your product or service to their audience.

When it’s done properly you should find that you have lots of new customers that come from your influencer’s Instagram followers.  You can do so much more on the platform and you can use a mixture of photos, videos, and ads. 

Use Influencers for Testimonials 

Aside from choosing the perfect platform, you can also get influencers to use testimonials for your brand. This is a great way to help your brand stand out from the competition, and give it more credibility. 

If you have an influencer that’s talking highly of your brand then potential customers will pay more attention to it.

The great thing about this strategy is that it doesn’t take long for an influencer to create a testimonial. Plus, you can even get them to create multiple testimonials and compare them to see which one works best.

Include Influencers in Your Launches 

One other way to use influencer marketing is by including them in your launch. This means that you can get them to go on their social media and talk about your upcoming launch.  

The great thing about using influencers is that they can create a lot more excitement for your launch. Plus they can make a lot more people aware of who your brand is and how it can help them.

When this is done properly you should get a lot more engagement and interest in your launch. This can lead to more sales and more revenue for your business. 

Get Help With Your Influencer Marketing Today 

While influencer marketing can seem confusing but it doesn’t have to be. At Forge Digital Marketing, we make marketing simple and take care of your influencer marketing needs for you.

So if you would like to get started with influencer marketing, then contact us today.

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eCommerce, Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing

5 Best Ways to Market Your CBD Brand

By on

June 21, 2022

- Category : eCommerce, Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

CBD is big business, growing by an annual rate of over 21% in the United States. With so many players popping up in the industry, it can be tough to stand out from the crowd.

With a saturated market and strict restrictions on advertising online, it’s important to sort through your options when it comes to CBD marketing. You need to be strategic to ensure you’re getting in front of the right people with the right message.

Here are five of the best ways to market your CBD brand and ensure that you’re getting noticed by consumers.

1. Work with Affiliates and Influencers

Affiliates and influencers are a great way to get your brand in front of new people. When working with affiliates, provide them with high-quality images and content that they can use to promote your products. You’ll also want to consider offering them high commissions on sales or leads generated, so they have an incentive to sell your products over your competitors.

When working with influencers, be sure to choose those who align with your brand values. You’ll want to send them product samples and give them plenty of information about your products so they can create accurate posts. Be sure to monitor their posts closely to ensure they are representing your brand well.

For both parties, you want to guide them on any regulations with regards to posting CBD content to protect both your brand and their accounts.

2. Use Organic Social Media Content

Social media is an effective marketing tool that may help you reach a large number of people in a short time period. The guidelines for advertising CBD on social media are strict, so check the platform’s rules before you start posting. As of right now, most platforms will allow you to advertise topical CBD products, but any ingestible is strictly prohibited.

Make sure to post engaging content that will capture people’s attention and use hashtags to get discovered by new users. Each post should have a strong call-to-action (CTA) so that the audience is encouraged to visit your website, join your email list or take some other worthwhile action.

3. Write Informative Blog Posts

One of the best ways to educate people about your products is to write informative blog posts. Cover topics like how to use CBD, the benefits of CBD, or interesting case studies. This will help build trust with potential customers and show that you’re an expert in your field.

Make sure to do keyword research and implement other cannabis SEO tactics to get your content ranking well in the search engines. CBD SEO involves optimizing your website and content for relevant keywords so that people can find you when they’re searching online. Use these keywords in your title tags, meta description, and throughout your content.

4. Invest in PPC Advertising

PPC, or pay-per-click, advertising, is a great way to get your brand in front of potential customers who are already interested in CBD products. You can target specific keywords and demographics with your ads to ensure that you’re reaching the right people.

As of right now, all CBD advertising is strictly restricted by Google. There are other advertising networks that will work with CBD businesses, so do your research. You should still be able to participate in display advertising and other PPC advertising once you stay within the network guidelines.

5. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to keep in touch with your customers and build relationships over time. You can send out updates about new products, special offers, or helpful blog posts. You can also segment your list so that you’re only sending relevant information to those who are interested.

Make sure to get people’s permission before adding them to your list, and always give them the option to unsubscribe. Be sure to comply with all anti-spam laws in your country or region.

How to Advertise CBD Online

Knowing the regulations in your region will be critical for advertising CBD online. The laws are constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up-to-date. You should also have a clear understanding of your target market and what platforms they’re using.

When advertising your CBD brand, make sure to promote the health benefits of CBD without selling it as a cure-all. Don’t make any medical claims that can be held up to scrutiny. Instead, use customer testimonials and other user-generated content to promote your brand.

Once you know the rules, you can start creating engaging content that will help you reach a larger audience. Be sure to use strong calls-to-action and track your results so that you can continue to improve your campaign over time.

Can a CBD Marketing Agency Help?

If you don’t have the time or resources to handle your CBD marketing in-house, consider working with a CBD marketing agency. A good agency will have experience with the ever-changing regulations and be up-to-date on the latest trends. They can also help create content, manage paid advertising campaigns, and track results.

CBD Marketing Services from Forge Digital Marketing

At Forge Digital Marketing, we offer a wide range of CBD marketing services to help you reach your target audience. Our team has years of experience in the industry and knows how to compliantly promote your brand. We can help with everything from SEO to email marketing to social media management.

We know what it takes to market your CBD business in this ever-evolving climate as we already rank for a large number of CBD keywords and can help you to do the same.

Check out our services here and get in touch with us today to craft your CBD SEO strategy online.

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Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, SEO, Website Design & Development

Weed 101: 5 Dispensary Advertising Techniques

By on

November 1, 2021

- Category : Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, SEO, Website Design & Development

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

Did you know that the global cannabis market is prepared to hit $166 billion by the year 2025?

The industry is fast growing and public opinion on cannabis products is shifting towards acceptance. Dispensary advertising is difficult, but by no means impossible. 

Since cannabis finds itself in a unique situation when it comes to marketing, we have to get creative. Finding the right channels to advertise your dispensary through is a challenge that needs facing.

With the right marketing strategies, you can reach a wide audience inside your geo-targeted area and beyond. 

Keep reading to find out several dispensary advertising techniques that you can start using right now! 

1. Social Media

Social media is tricky when trying to advertise your dispensary. Most social media websites will not permit you to advertise anything cannabis-related, even legal CBD. 

Yet, it is still advised that you create a social media presence for your brand. When speaking about digital marketing, social media is one of the best ways to connect with your audience. 

You may not be able to advertise your products, but there are many ways to get around social media’s advertising restrictions. 

On Instagram, many dispensaries post user-generated content, quality photos of their products, team member profiles, and details about upcoming events. 

LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have other similar opportunities. You can build a community without advertising. 

2. Digital Ads

Almost no digital advertising platforms allow advertisements related to cannabis. Because of this, dispensary advertising often has to be done by reaching out to publications and websites directly. 

Publications within the cannabis industry are your best bet for securing a deal and reaching your intended audience. Most companies will allow negotiations concerning advertising rates on a CPC or CPM basis. 

Sometimes, advertising with cannabis-friendly platforms or individual publishers is a more successful alternative to large networks.

3. Cannabis SEO

Digital presence is the best way to get recognition for your brand.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all have restricted the promotion of products related to cannabis. You have to be sure your brand is at the top of google for a search like “cannabis near me”. 

What you can do is create a website for your business. Then, drive people to your website. Create web pages with helpful content that answers questions you know your customers have.

Finding relevant SEO keywords for your website and its content can be difficult. They are marked as prohibited content by Google and other search engines. 

These search engines choose not to display data on keywords like cannabis. Likely, because the product is federally illegal. 

You can improve your search and online presence by investing in your website. Make it mobile-friendly, include your menu, and add your store’s hours. 

Additionally, you can get your business listed in directories. There are both local directories like Yelp or cannabis-related directories like Weedmaps. 

Don’t forget to ask for customer reviews. Customer reviews are often the difference between choosing you or someone else a mile down the road. A good review can go a long way to bring in more customers.

4. Brand Ambassadors 

Many dispensaries rely on brand ambassadors and word of mouth to promote their brand. This has been a very successful approach to bridging the gap that is limited advertising options. 

Cannabis retailers benefit from reaching out to their most influential customers. They have social media accounts with followers that match their customer profile. 

By identifying influencers who match your brand you can reach a larger audience. An audience that is already interested in the product you are selling.

You can collaborate with brand ambassadors or social media influencers to increase your sales. It also helps you build a trusted brand that brings in long-term profits. 

Consider encouraging new customers brought in by brand ambassadors to stay. This can be done with influencer-specific discount codes and/or a loyalty program. 

5. Billboards

Billboards are a popular way to advertise dispensaries. In most legal states, billboards are the best way to direct customers in your area to your store with little effort. 

Live in or visit a legal state that allows billboards for cannabis-related products. You’ll see dispensary billboards all over. That’s because they work! 

Still, billboard advertising for marijuana is illegal in many states or it is highly restricted. Before designing or buying a billboard for your dispensary, be sure you know the regulations in your state. 

Why Marketing Cannabis Is Difficult 

Marketing cannabis is difficult for the reason that it is not legal federally.

Many platforms do not allow marijuana-related advertisements on their pages. And, some states have strict advertisement restrictions for cannabis products. 

It’s especially tricky because most dispensaries are only looking for customers locally. Unlike chains, many companies that sell cannabis only need to appeal to locals within their state.

State regulations on advertising are different from one state to the next. In Maryland, a state with legalized medical usage, cannabis ads of any kind are not allowed. Yet in Washington, you may advertise on billboards. 

Knowing your state’s regulations on advertising for cannabis is highly recommended. Fines can be expensive for those who go too far.

This relatively new industry finds itself in a unique situation when it comes to marketing. That’s why we have to get creative. Finding the right channels to advertise your dispensary through is a challenge that needs facing.

Dispensary Advertising for You 

There’s no doubt that cannabis marketing is difficult. With a little bit of creativity and finesse, though, your dispensary can stand out in a state that is competitive with cannabis products.

Reaching target audience with dispensary advertising. Use hyper-local tactics and hire a great digital marketing and advertising agency. 

Contact us at Forge Digital Marketing today. Start discussing how we can help you advertise your dispensary successfully. 

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Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Marketing, SEO

Dispensary Discussions: How Do You Market a Dispensary?

By on

November 1, 2021

- Category : Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Marketing, SEO

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

The world is finally turning an eye toward the amazing physical, mental, and emotional health benefits of cannabis. The majority of US states have opened the door to CBD, and even THC cannabis products. Of course, some states are freer than others to sell, buy, and consume these products. 

It’s only natural for dispensaries to be popping up all over, particularly in places where there are fewer regulations regarding cannabis products. While this is ultimately a good thing, it can also make it more difficult for people like you to grow your dispensary. You have more competition now than ever. 

The question is how to market your dispensary for maximum lead generation and sales. How can you ensure you’re continuously bringing customers to your store (online or in-person)?

We want to help you answer these important questions. Keep reading for a complete guide on how to market your dispensary. 

Website Desing and Development

First, let’s focus on your website. The vast majority of Americans have taken to online shopping. Even if consumers prefer to buy cannabis products in person, you can bet they’ll be researching “dispensary near me” online first. 

Therefore, you need to develop an easy-to-use website to establish your online visibility. Not only does your website need to be intuitive and visually stimulating, but it also needs to be highly functional. Consumers shouldn’t have any problems finding contact pages, products, or blog content. 

Furthermore, your website needs to be optimized for mobile devices. Over 85% of Americans have smartphones, which they will use to access your site. If your site isn’t optimized for these types of devices, it will load slowly, be improperly formatted, and be more difficult to navigate. 

Search Engine Optimization

Having an excellent website is key. Yet, this is only half of the equation. You also need to implement an SEO strategy to drive traffic to it. 

Search engine optimization is the “behind the scenes” coding embedded in your site via keywords, meta descriptions, link-building, etc. It’s the coding used by searching engines (Google) to find the most relevant content for users. 

The better your SEO rankings are for local and industry-specific keywords, the more qualified leads you’ll generate through organic search engine searches. For example, someone looking for a “recreational dispensary near me” is more likely to click on your site if it comes up in the first few results. 

You can increase your SEO visibility by registering your site with Google My Business, developing a blog on your site full of relevant content, using link-building strategies, and more.

We recommend working with a professional SEO agency to ensure you’re ranking high on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines. Otherwise, consumers are likely to choose your competitors, rather than shopping at your dispensary. 

Social Media Marketing 

Few people would challenge the importance of social media, both in our personal and professional lives. Sure, some people avoid it in their personal lives, but your dispensary needs a strong social media presence.

We recommend starting with Facebook, Instagram, and Linked In. However, YouTube and Tik Tok are also incredibly popular apps.

Through these platforms, you can post organically to showcase your products, talk about the science behind the medicine, communicate with consumers, and more. This way, you can slowly build a following of devoted customers. 

However, you should also look into paid advertising, like Facebook Ads. These ads have the ability to expand past your organic influence into a specific group of consumers (your target market). Facebook ads will also show you exactly how well they performed based on viewer engagement. 

Influencer Marketing 

As long as we’re talking about social media marketing, we need to talk about influencer marketing. In the beginning, your social media profiles won’t have thousands of followers. It takes time and concentrated dedication to get to an elevated status or have a large following. 

In the interim, consider working with social media influencers who have already developed a large following of people. They can promote your products for you, which gives you access to their audiences. In some cases, this means hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. 

In return, you can pay them for each post or provide them with free products. Influencers charge differently based on their standards, the number of their followers, their engagement rates, etc.  

Product Marketing 

When it comes to selling products online, imagery is a fundamental aspect of making a sale. Customers want to see what they’re buying. 

Of course, it’s not like trying to list a house online where you need to showcase every room at various angles. However, if you’re selling gummies, having professional photos taken of them to make them will make them more appealing to consumers. 

This includes investing in high-quality graphic designs for your packaging and labels. In the world of product sales, it’s all about appearances. 

Email Marketing

Email marketing is vital in today’s business world. This is for several reasons. 

First, people are always connected to their phones, tablets, and computers. If someone has subscribed to your email, you have direct access to them at all times to market your dispensary. 

Secondly, most consumers need to be reminded of a product or service several times before they decide to purchase it. By sending emails once a week, you can constantly remind people of what you have to offer. This is also a great way of promoting new products, special discounts, and more. 

Finally, email campaigns provide another way to share your content with your target audience. It isn’t always about making a sale. 

You can use your email platform to provide valuable content to your subscribers. This includes health information about CBD and THC, product guides, tips on how to ingest cannabis, and more. Ultimately, this content will serve to present you as an authority and build more credibility among your audience. 

Looking to Maximize the Potential of Your Dispensary Marketing?

There is no shortage of ways in which you can grow your dispensary. Some are better than others. But ultimately, it depends on your target market, your marketing message, and your products. 

We hope our marketing guide helps you establish a strong online presence to increase your leads and make more sales. And if you need help, that’s okay. 

That’s exactly what we’re here for. Contact us today to learn more about our services. We would love to help you put your dispensary on the map. 

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Influencer Marketing, Social Media

5 Social Marketing Strategies You Should be Using in 2021

By on

June 1, 2021

- Category : Influencer Marketing, Social Media

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

2021 has been showing itself to be very different from 2020, generally speaking as well as from an ecommerce, marketing perspective. With more individuals pursuing their own small businesses and relying heavily on digital strategies to market online companies, the social media space is becoming more saturated. Here are 5 ways you can stand out from the digital marketing crowd with marketing your company on social media.

Understand Who’s Seeing Your Content

Whether your company is brand new, or you’ve been established for a few years, knowing your audience inside and out is crucial in navigating the social media marketing space. Creating a specific buyer persona, asking your audience questions (like using Instagram Story’s ‘Poll’ or ‘Question’ functions), pulling analytical data from your posts or Google ads, and researching the audience of similar companies are all strong ways to ensure that the content you are producing is going to resonate with your target and actual audience. Additionally, understand that your audience is more than just an Instagram handle commenting on your post. Your audience are people living in a global pandemic, in a time of increased racial and social unrest, and navigating the world in their gender/racial/disability intersections. Creating non-ad content, being genuine in your engagements into social topics, making your content accessible, and finding ways to understand things outside the scope of your own identity will allow your content room to reach many more individuals.

Know the Ins and Outs of Where You’re Posting

Social platforms have been changing as well. Instagram’s algorithm has been adjusted, as well as the setup of the app’s navigation–placing the shop features on the bottom toolbar, expressing the importance of ecommerce businesses. Tiktok remains a powerhouse of a social app, doing wonders for quick product promotion and musical artists’ visibility, and is launching a more accessible Tiktok Ads function. Outside of the app features, the cultures of these apps differ greatly. For example, while traditional ad-type posts might do well on Facebook, keeping that post format for a platform like Twitter could cause it to not do as well. Conversely, utilizing the ‘thread’ function on Twitter, you’d be able to keep the original tweet light, while adding ad information to the first reply so it is still seen. Understanding these platform differences can boost your marketing return in these places.

Skip the Hiatus

Your audience is on their social app of choice everyday–so why aren’t you posting everyday? Posting everyday, even if just on Twitter fleets or Instagram stories, will keep your company’s name in your audience’s eye constantly. This, in turn, will make your community engagement higher (i.e. responding to direct messages, comments, liking content within your niche), and will give your content a fighting chance.

Keep Your Finger on the Pulse

While you’re on social media posting everyday, you’ll in turn be tuned-in to very current social trends. In 2021, most trending challenges and topics have origins in either Twitter or Tiktok. Then, within 1-2 weeks, if it really has traction, it will make its way to Instagram, then Facebook. Being on social media platforms consistently keeps you in the loop of what’s happening in the social world and how your company’s social marketing strategy can fit into it.

Tap into Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is one of the best social media marketing tools you can have in your arsenal, especially in 2021. Influencer marketing can help your company by:
  • Widening your actual audience
  • Establishing and legitimizing your brand
  • Providing genuine, natural-looking content
  • Driving consumers directly to your site 
Since the very first lockdown, more and more influencer moguls have been on the rise and growing their audience to work with brands of all sizes. Now more than ever is there a plethora of micro and macro influencers to partner with in promoting your company.

Moving Forward on Social Media in 2021

With the fast-changing world that the global pandemic and other crises brought upon us, social media is also changing often and quickly. Using these strategies are your best resource toward staying ahead of the social media marketing curve. Looking for some more assistance with marketing your company on social media? Contact us here and ask us about our consultations. 
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Influencer Marketing, Marketing

What Are the Benefits of Influencer Marketing?

By on

December 28, 2020

- Category : Influencer Marketing, Marketing

- Tags : 2022, affiliate, agency, automation

Before we get into all of the benefits of influencer marketing, check your phone. Go to Instagram and look at how many people you are following. How many of those are friends, and how many of those are influencers?

Chances are you likely follow a lot of social media celebrities and have been persuaded by them to buy something or check out a website before. It’s one of the most effective types of marketing online today. Now, keeping reading to learn how you can use this strategy yourself.

Word of Mouth Advertising

It’s said that word of mouth is the best form of marketing. Influencers are the ultimate way to advertise this way as they have established reputations across multiple different social media platforms. Influencers can do something as small as to drop the name of a product or service they like and prompt viewers to look into them.

Influencers know they have a reputation to uphold, so they chose every word they say carefully and don’t name favorite products or brands lightly (especially if they aren’t sponsored). This builds their credibility.

You Gain the Loyalty of The Influencer’s Community

Influencers are useful because they create a type of community on their different social media platforms. Their content is crafted for their followers, so you should partner with an influencer within the same niche. Beauty bloggers regularly test, review, and discuss products on camera.

The honest reviews and demonstrations encourage followers to flock to your brand. Additionally, they want to live a similar life as social media celebrities. Link up and offer promo codes or different discounts specific through their blog or site.

Join and Start New Trends at the Start

New trends are popping up left and right, seemingly out of nowhere. They do come from somewhere, and they are often carefully planned. Do you want to hop on the bandwagon?

Getting in contact with a social media influencer will help you stay up to date on trends and even start new ones. Sometimes it only takes posting one picture or video for a product or brand to go viral. You don’t have to go with big names or launch the next worldwide campaign.

Think about Microtrends. Microtrends are marketing strategies that cause a brief but impressive boom in popularity. Some hot microtrends from 2020 were whipped coffee, vegetable gardens, bread baking, Tik Tok, and happy hours via Zoom.

Boost Your SEO

Social media celebrities usually have multiple sites or blogs they use and link their content across all of them. You can promote what your business has to offer by providing links to your site. As your URL will be on multiple platforms, this will increase visibility and your site ranking.

Instagram has a feature that allows people to scroll through their feeds to click on pictures to learn more about retail items advertised in them. They can follow links to sites where those products can be bought. No captions needed.

It’s Cost-Effective

You may be worried that hiring an influencer will break your bank. However, you don’t have to shell out thousands per day for big names. Micro-influencers, those with between 1,000 and 100,000 followers, are great at promoting content as well.

As they have a smaller audience, they likely have a stronger bond with their fans. A micro-influencer in your niche can reach thousands and get new eyes using hashtags, getting reposted, and more.

The Benefits of Influencer Marketing and How to Utilize It

As you can see, the benefits of influencer marketing are plentiful. Social media influencers have the ability to sway followers toward trends and to buy products. If you’re not using this invaluable marketing strategy, start now.

You can contact us here to learn more about how to forge a relationship with an influencer and see your brand go viral.

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