Marijuana Marketing: Difficulties and Additional Tips
Finally, many states are enjoying the benefits of legal weed. You can walk into a store and pick up your favorite kush and a new pipe with no problems. It seems like legal weed is working out well, but the story is not as sweet for the retailers and producers. Getting the word out about their stores and products are full of regulations and complications. Marketing weed isn’t as easy as your favorite budtender makes it seem.
Strict Marketing Rules
Many states might have legalized weed, but they don’t make it easy for retailers to get their weed into your pipe. There are many complicated rules related to the marketing of weed and accessories. Just like prescription drugs, booze, and cigarettes, States regulate how weed can be advertised. The rules are vastly different from state to state, but with weed still being illegal federally, there aren’t any nation-wide guidelines.
The rules differ so much from state to state that it is tough to keep track of what is legal where. Some states regulate where billboards or advertisements can be displayed while others don’t allow any billboards at all. Some states don’t allow indoor ads where kids are allowed, or any ads whatsoever near schools or playgrounds. California wins the award of complicated cannabis marketing laws. For example, in California, all forms of advertising weed, including radio, print, television, and digital ads, are not allowed if 71.6% of the audience is not predicted to be over 21 years old. These laws often change, making legit legal weed retailers chase the newest regulations just to get the word out about their stores and products while trying to avoid getting into trouble with the regulators.
Black Market
The black market is even more alive and well than you’d think. With weed remaining illegal federally, many storefronts in States with legalization are actually unlicensed and illegal. They do not have State certification and do not follow State marketing laws. They can undercut the legal competition because they don’t have to spend time and money on all the red tape. From street view, these Black Market weed shops look just like legit shops. The states have little power to force compliance because it is technically still illegal federally. It’s definitely a sticky situation for retailers who want to run legal shops.
Tips on selling weed
First off there are much easier and safer ways of making a buck than selling illegal drugs. however if you feel compelled to eventually get arrested and thrown in jail, but make money during that process then this might aid you in your endeavor. Here are some tips to gain profit while selling the plant.
- Once you find a source of cheap and abundant weed whether it’s homegrown or you’re getting it from a friend, make sure you do everything you can to hold on to it.
- Start selling weed at a cheaper than average price, but not so low to make you lose money. Pretty much just break even or smoke for free until you get your client base up and then bring the prices up to normal.
- Once you have your client base do everything you can to hold onto them.
- Get the money first and then hand the stuff out.
- If they ask you to weigh it out in front of them just do it. Never let them catch you intentionally trying to gyp them.
- Never hold more than you think you need to at any given time. This will save you in the long run from the police and people who want to beat you up and steal from you.
- Don’t let them know where you live if at all possible.
- Find a niche and fill it.
Online Advertising
These days, a huge amount of advertising and marketing happens online through social media, like Facebook, and search engines, like Google. These companies do not allow the advertising of illegal drugs. Again, the feds are at fault. Because weed is illegal federally, online advertising is nearly impossible to secure. Instagram even has closed the accounts of weed influencers.
Until it is legalized federally, American pot purveyors are going to have a hard time being stuck between the promise of a legit opportunity and all the restrictions that operating a federally illegal company brings with it. Marketing in the cannabis industry is going to have to keep on top of the current and changing regulations and be creative to keep one step ahead of the illegal establishments.
Cannabis Marketing Association
The Cannabis Marketing Association was founded in 2016 by cannabis marketing executive Lisa Buffo in response to the unprecedented challenges cannabis communications professionals were experiencing.
Industry marketers were unable to use traditional marketing tactics and technology such as paid advertising, social media, or digital outlets. This reality, coupled with unclear regulations across fragmented markets and a pervasive perception problem, left cannabis marketers with the task of rebranding cannabis as the then-nascent industry was rapidly growing.
Cannabis Marketing Association was established to bring the cannabis marketing community together so that best practices could be shared through collective knowledge.
More on Marijuana
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The Challenges and Opportunities of Starting a Cannabis Business