Do's And Don'ts Of Cannabis Marketing

Effective advertising and marketing are critical to the growth and success of all businesses, especially new ones. However, with the status of cannabis in flux still, many marijuana startups are discovering that it is hard to navigate through the maze of advertising restrictions that have been placed on business owners by state legislators. It is even more difficult to build any national awareness with all of the various federal and state law limitations. What steps can you take for your marijuana business in order to build and reach an audience of cannabis customers that you are trying to attract to your brand?  
 
Although the industry is seriously limited in terms of the types of advertising and marketing it can use, there are still a variety of techniques that can be implemented by cannabis businesses to legally increase awareness for their brand. As part of our new series on Cannabis Business Marketing, we will be exploring these. But first of all, let start out by keeping the following general do's and don'ts in mind when getting your marketing strategy developed:
 
Don't Market Your Cannabis Company To Minors Or Near Minors
 
You need to be smart about your branding and the places you decide to advertise in, and always be aware of age restrictions. The industry is growing rapidly but is still within the early stages. That means many people are raising concerns and questions about the impact that cannabis legalization will have on minors. Marijuana companies need to do their part in helping to ease these types of fears. A top priority should be appropriate marketing. Cartoon mascots such as Joe Camel as well as other similar messages that are appealing to minors will hurt the image of your business and also harm the overall perception that people have of the overall cannabis industry.
 
Don't Infringe On The Copyrights Of Any Existing Brands, No Matter What Industry They Are In
 
Established mainstream bands will probably not be very keen on cannabis companies mimicking their trademarks and brands. You don't have to look any further than last spring when a dispensary was sued by Hershey's for trademark infringement when the dispensary started to carry edibles called "Mr. Dankbar" and "Reefer's Cups."  Major brands have plenty of money to go after newly established, small cannabis companies, and they definitely will in order to disassociate their brands from marijuana.
 
Do Consider What You Would Like Your Cannabis Brand To Actually Stand For
 
Think about how your business can help to smash the stigmas that have been placed on the industry by all of the years of propaganda and prohibition. Avoiding derogatory and sexist messaging and following fair labor practices can go along way towards building a successful and respected cannabis brand. These types of efforts will help to attract a diverse demographic and broader audience who will feel more comfortable with supporting your brand instead of a company that perpetuates stereotypes and doesn't do anything to improve the wary of negative perception that people have of the marijuana industry.