New Trending Topics in Cannabis: Summer 2017

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Cannabis culture is always in flux. With a community that spans nearly every possible consumer demographic, it can be hard to nail down trends, but a glut of new products on the west coast has shed some light on the cannabis industry’s not-so-distant future.  

Read on for our favorite new trends – ones we believe will continue growing well into next year. 

Microdosing

We have talked before about the trend of super tiny doses that is picking up steam all across America. The euphoric high of THC doesn’t appeal to everyone, after all, so it’s only natural that low-dosage mints, candies, baked goods and beverages are beginning to fly off the shelves in every market. 

No matter who your brand appeals to, it’s possible for you to embrace the microdosing trend in some way. Offering a more diverse product line will only strengthen your longevity as a cannabis company, as you’ll be accessible to a new demographic. 

Customization

Modern cannabis consumers don’t want to be sold to. They want to create their own routine with useful cannabis infused products. That being said, a high dosage of THC won’t always be enough to woo patients and recreational users, who are continuing to learn more about minor cannabinoids. Custom ratios of cannabinoids, for example, a 1:1 THC:CBD strain or tincture, are appealing more and more to discerning buyers with healthy and active lifestyles.

If your company isn’t all over the latest cannabinoid science, and coming up with ways to utilize this new knowledge, you’re going to miss out. 

Discretion

As the rest of the world is finally beginning to recognize slick vape pens and edibles for what they are, the most discreet cannabis consumers are looking to go incognito. However, they also want their products to work just as well as if they had smoked a big joint.

Some of the most popular up-and-coming medical marijuana product types are water bottles, mints and transdermal patches worn under the clothes. These are branded to look like everyday objects we use all the time, making them ideal for travel or workplace use.

Set your product up for success in the evolving marketplace – contact our team to schedule a cannabis industry marketing consultation. 

The Most Useful Social Media Automation Functions

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Did you know that you can put your brand’s social media activity on auto-pilot? It takes some strategy, just like anything else. But there are tools out there that can definitely make you feel like a one-person social media department. 

These tools have many different functions, and not all of them are going to be useful or economical for your brand. In fact, everyday social media users have grown savvy to some of the automated tools out there and can spot automated activity a mile away. 

You don’t have to go “full robot” – here are the most useful automation functions you can start using right away to politely grow your social media accounts.

Scheduling

For those of us (most of us) who are simply not around to post on their channels all day, managing social media can seem like a daunting task. Signing on and posting takes precious minutes that we could be spending on another task. 

Scheduling tools can be found through software services like Hootsuite or Buffer, or, you can schedule future posts to a brand’s Facebook Page for free, right inside the Facebook platform. That way, you can schedule posts out for the week (or the month) in one sitting. 

Engaging

There are apps and tools out there to make it seem like you are liking, commenting and engaging with others’ posts on Twitter and Instagram. Typically it requires you to target the type of user, or a hashtag in order for the “robot” to find people to interact with. 

Unfortunately, there aren’t yet automation tools for engaging with Facebook posts. You will have to engage authentically there by liking and commenting on existing posts. 

Following

On Instagram and Twitter, the amount of followers you get is proportional to the amount of time you spend following other similar accounts. Easy to do for those of us who live on our phones – but for a busy entrepreneur? Not so much. 

Auto-follow, and more importantly, auto-unfollow tools are some of the most valuable in the social media world. Nobody in their right mind could sit and follow 400 new users per day with their thumbs, but with automation, it’s more than possible. 

We’re getting started on InstaZood after another of our favorite tools got shut down. Give it a try and see how powerful your account can really be!  

Need a team to help you delve into the world of social media marketing? Our experts are here to help, and located all around the west coast. Reach out to Social Media Unicorn to get started.

How to Elevate the Cannabis Buying Experience

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When we talk about an “elevated experience” in the cannabis industry, we’re not just talking about getting high. It’s a phrase that embodies the community’s mission to eliminate negative stereotypes through responsible consumption and education.

Think of it as brand strategy with the consumer in mind; you always want patients to feel comfortable, confident and informed when they’re considering buying your product to take home. Start giving back today with these tips.

Provide Facts

A full ingredient list and laboratory test are just the bare minimum of what should be included on your product’s packaging and your website, too. This would be a good start, but the truth is that patients typically want to know a lot more than simply what’s inside.

They want to know, as much as possible, what the onset time will be and how they will feel after using the product. Should it be used morning, night or all day long? How long should they wait before re-dosing? Think of an answer to every possible question a new cannabis consumer might have, and make it an integral part of your branding. 

Care About Details

High-end aesthetics and practicality are extremely important. This is true with both product and packaging design! Cannabis consumers really do care about the little things. They want to feel confident when they leave a dispensary that the product in their bag will work as advertised and provide a pleasant experience. If the consumer can’t gain that confidence simply by picking up the package, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board. 

Some specific small details that matter to connoisseurs and newer consumers alike:

  • Beautiful packaging which provides a clear product description, and a sense of the intended mood or effect. 
  • Clearly marked dosage meters or perforations on edible and drinkable products. 
  • Air-tight sealed packaging for cannabis flower, with appropriate humidity control. 
  • Proper labeling and lids on topical containers so they can be handled.
  • Current lab test labels on the outside of every package.

Promote Responsibility

Always do your best to inform the consumer – directly on the package – of everything they’ll need to know. After all, you or your sales reps will not be in the store with them when they are checking out your product. Don’t rely on dispensary staff to educate patients about safe and effective ways to use your particular product. The burden is on manufacturers to make that information part of their packaging, labeling and overall branding process. 

Elevate your brand to the next level with consulting, integrated campaigns and real, proven results with Social Media Unicorn, based in the thriving legal cannabis market of Las Vegas. 

An Introduction to Common Cannabis Advertising Regulations

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One cannot enter this space without being bombarded with information about laws, policies and cannabis advertising regulations. It’s undoubtedly the world’s most strictly regulated industry as it emerges from nearly a century of social and political banishment.

That being said, advertising and marketing cannabis stores and products is still an issue. Sometimes because advertising outlets still take a stigmatizing approach to working with cannabis businesses. Take Facebook, for example, which considers cannabis ads as promoting drug use and blocks paid campaigns on the platform. Other times, it’s due to local laws and limitations. Fortunately, it’s easy to adapt to new regulations as they’re released by state and municipality.

Advertising and marketing regulations will vary in each market. But, you can expect some variations of the following basic types of policies to apply in every legal state: 

Dispensaries

Most states or cities that allow medical or adult use cannabis dispensaries will set rules on how the outside of the shop can look. Regulations will dictate the zone of town your store can be in, and the signage on the outside. Dispensaries are also limited in where they can advertise their services – making it easy for the big dispensary listing websites to charge a pretty penny. 

Product

As the industry becomes more mainstream, it’s commonplace for regulators to control the inner and outer appearance of the cannabis infused products on your dispensary’s shelves. Legal cannabis markets do not allow edibles that look like any commercially marketed candy or food, to avoid confusion and copyright infringement that seems to run rampant in the space. There are other labeling requirements in place, and the dosage of edibles is almost always controlled. Companies will adapt to rules like these, or fade into irrelevancy. 

Airwaves

For now, cannabis advertising regulations affect the radio and TV due to federal regulations, though local networks have been known to run tasteful ads in several legal states. If you want to get your spot on the air, you have to do it with subtlety and professionalism. Don’t use degrading or stereotypical, cliche’d language in your ad – you’ll only ruin it for the rest of us who want to be taken seriously.

Want to work with serious pros who are up to speed on all the latest in digital marketing tactics and cannabis advertising regulations? Hire your own Social Media Unicorn today.

7 Points of Research & Evaluation for Cannabis Infused Product Brands

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Selling cannabis infused products in the modern era is a big business game. Infused edible and topical brands must remain extremely current on the state of the industry in order to keep providing a viable product. Below are our key points to note when researching and re-evaluating your cannabis brand.

Your Competitor’s Branding

Looking at your competitors is how you figure out what you do and don’t want your brand to become. Pick apart their colors, branding, messaging, product design and packaging and decide how you will improve upon them. There’s absolutely no point in putting out a new product if it’s not going to be head and shoulders above its predecessor! 

Quality Sourcing

No matter what type of infused product you want to make, in this economy, ingredients are king. Cannabis consumers are among the world’s most health-conscious emerging demographics. That means they expect everything to be healthy, natural and on-point as possible – from the cannabis you extracted from, to the base and inactive ingredients that provide the ancillary user experience. In other words, few will want to buy a high fructose corn syrup-based cannabis beverage made with “trim run” concentrate, so source smart. 

Consumer Taste Trends

Think everyone likes sweets? Think again. Infused product brands that do well in the cannabis world are those that think outside the box and cater to eccentric or trendy tastes. Salty and savory brands are popping up with great success to counter the sugary cookies and brownies of old. Canna-butter is going by the wayside in favor of healthier cold-pressed infused coconut or olive oils. Time for you to find your product’s true niche in this market, rather than continue in the old way of thinking.

Dosage Demographics

Not every cannabis consumer wants a 100mg THC brownie – and realizing that is the first step to success on your infused product branding journey. When developing and new product or re-evaluating an existing one, it’s ideal to land your dosage somewhere in between your competitors. For example, if there are only a few cookies on the market and they are 25mg, 100mg, and 250mg respectively, then you should set out to create a 40mg version to offer consumers a unique and different option.

Product & Package Design

How many of your products can fit on a shelf? What does your packaging look like next to your competitor, or in a magazine spread? Does your labeling material or pigment scratch off easily? Would you rather be known as the eco-friendly tight packager, or provide luxurious box-and-padding to house your product? All of these are questions you should ask yourself as retail models and consumer desires in the cannabis industry change. 

Retailer Choice

One big part of infused product branding that many entrepreneurs neglect, is where the products are sold. If you have a luxury or high-end cannabis product, do you really want it on the shelves at a “mom and pop” shop in the industrial part of town? Rather, find dispensaries and delivery services who ascribe to the same values that you do. Developing these retailer relationships early on will bring long-term success, much better than short-term sales, and will keep you exposed to the same general customer demographics for years to come. 

Brand & Voice

You can bet that your product will attract fans as soon as it hits dispensary shelves. Part of developing an infused product brand is to form a distinct personality and voice for the company. That means deciding which age groups and lifestyles you’re going after. Once you’ve decided, you’ll be able to respond to comments and feedback in a professional manner, while building trust with your social media audience. Plus, you can naturally evolve this personality over the years as your target customers and products change. 

3 Lessons Learned as a New Unicorn

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3 Lessons Learned as a New Unicorn

A new job always comes with a learning curve, and being a Unicorn is no exception. Within my first month, I’ve learned three very important lessons that will always stay with me.

 

Find What Works For You

Over the years, the adult-skill that I have struggled with the most has been time management. Having ADD can make managing my time particularly difficult, but since I joined the Unicorns right before 4/20, it was crucial that I had my schedule under control. I’ve combed the internet for any and every “hack” involving time management – and what I learned from it is something we all already know, that everyone is different.

For me, it’s lists – I’ve found that I respond best to visual reminders and cues. “Out of sight, out of mind” is practically my accidental life motto. How do I use this to my advantage? Write. Down. Everything. If it’s something I need to do, I write it down. It doesn’t matter if I need to do it immediately, or in a few weeks – if I don’t write it down I’ll forget it. Every morning, I write (and prioritize!) a new list of tasks that need to be completed. When something inevitably comes up, I add it to the end, and reprioritize if needed. While this might seem like a lot of unnecessary and repetitive work to some people, it allows me to function ten times more efficiently, ultimately making me better at what I do.

Be Honest With Yourself

New people and new environments can be truly intimidating – pair that with a need to prove yourself, and before you know it you’re enthusiastically saying “yes!” to everything that is asked of you. This is when you need to be honest with yourself, in order to be honest with your co-workers. The amount of work that you initially agree to will set the precedent for the workload that you are able to handle – but I’m not saying that’s a bad thing!

Being honest with yourself also means challenging yourself. Just because you’re not particularly excited about the new project doesn’t mean that you can’t absolutely crush it. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, don’t turn down projects simply because you’re afraid to fail either. Failure is simply an opportunity to learn and grow.

Never Settle

Super cliché, I know, but hear me out. Now, before you go out and quit your stable office job in order to pursue your dream of being a nomadic juggler, that’s not quite what I’m suggesting. “Following your dream” sounds great in theory, but the reality is that “following your dream” doesn’t always pay the bills.

What I *am* saying is don’t lose sight of your end goal. Figure out what you’re best at – what you undeniably excel at doing – and pair that with your biggest passion. That is your end goal. It’ll probably take time, hard work, and patience to get there, but persevere. Being content isn’t good enough. You deserve to be truly happy.

Are Expensive Listing Sites Worth It For Dispensaries?

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If you’re a marijuana retailer, odds are you have been eyeing investments in some of the major dispensary listing sites for the industry. These websites allow dispensaries to literally put themselves on the map, establishing a “home base” online with detailed menus that can be browsed by consumers in the area – even on mobile devices.

It’s true that these listing databases get feet in the door of your dispensary. But at what cost? 

We’re diving into the world of high-priced listing services for dispensaries to help you determine what the ROI will be for your particular business. 

Worth the Hassle

If you’re wondering whether or not you should even spend time on these listing sites, the answer is yes. At the bare minimum you must have a basic-level listing on at least one of the major databases (Weedmaps or Leafly). This listing may cost you upwards of a few hundred dollars per month, which is a small price to pay for being exposed to thousands of locals per week. Otherwise, there are many smaller and more local listing sites, frequented by different demographics, that you might be able to try out for a cheaper price.

The real question, in this case, is how much business owners should invest in promotion on these channels based on the customer demographics they want to reach. 

Featured Listings

Want to be the top dispensary on your block? You’ll likely have to fork over some cash to the listing databases. The highest price for a featured listing is in the several thousand dollars.

How do you decide if it’s worth it to pay up? Ask your customers or patients how they heard about you on their member intake form. If you don’t seem to get a lot of referrals from your listings, and you need more foot traffic, it might be time to try it out. Or, if you notice that a certain competitor in your area is running promotions, it may be wise to try and outbid them for the popular spot on the local map. 

Other Perks

When choosing a listing service, make sure to consider all the benefits that the site has to offer, apart from the listing. Think of it this way – Leafly is home to one of the biggest educational cannabis blogs on the web. Some of their featured listing promotional packages may include some branded editorial content on the blog. That makes it a better buy than just a featured listing, because you are getting more long-term concrete value from the transaction. The blog post can be viewed and shared many times over on social media, even after your promotional campaign has ended. 

Looking to grow your dispensary’s marketing strategy past the confines of a map or listing? Social Media Unicorn can help. We’ll guide your budget and your social media marketing to optimize how your listings work for you.

Entrepreneurs – Avoid These Pitfalls of DIY Marketing

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Doing the marketing for your brand in-house has a small benefit but can come with big problems. Why? Because if you and your team aren’t specialists in the digital world, and dedicated to a content strategy, your campaigns will eventually 

Below are the top three pitfalls that first-time marketers make when developing their “DIY marketing” strategy. Take them as a lesson or a warning – it’s your choice! 

No Content Strategy

Everyone loves pictures of cute dogs and cats, but that doesn’t mean those types of posts will do well on your brand’s social media accounts. Without a central theme and set of values that you know your audience will appreciate, how can be sure that your content is really sticking? Get content planned weeks or even months in advance – only then will you have your social marketing “handled.”

No Graphic Support

Photography and graphic design might seem easy at first, but start comparing your creations to a pro’s, and you’ll quickly realize that it’s hard work that you can’t handle by yourself. You might be able to swing a couple of good brand photos with your iPhone, but is that really how you want your company to be represented to the world’s savviest consumers? Professional help in this area is not hard to find, so support your local graphic designers and photographers by letting them make your product or service shine a little brighter. 

No Budget

One of the biggest reasons that new businesses fail in the cannabis industry is failure to invest in the right channels at the right time. Business owners who can’t afford a small Facebook Ads budget, or a booth at a local event, unfortunately cannot afford the cost of doing business in the modern era. Luckily there are clever solutions out there if you know who to talk to! 

Luckily, there’s hope for failed Do-It-Yourself marketers. It’s called hiring an agency. 

You probably wouldn’t let a football coach perform your open-heart surgery. Don’t leave your marketing in the hands of an amateur – even if it is yourself. Talk to our Unicorns today to see how we can level up your digital marketing strategy.

The 5-Point Social Media Strategy Anyone Can Master

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Doing social media strategy yourself is a learning process. There are new rules, trends and influencers to follow any given week. You’ve got to understand algorithms (as best you can, anyway) and principles of copywriting, photography and public relations. It can certainly be a lot to remember! 

Whether you manage your brand’s entire social presence, or just have a say in the process, you should know these five guiding principles of social media.

Be Authentic

The first rule of social media is to be authentic! Whether that means embracing your goofy side once in awhile, or telling the truth when your brand has a crisis, the idea is the same.

Engage Regularly

You might think that posting on Facebook about once a week, when you feel like it, is an adequate strategy. While this is the bare minimum to keep a page active on the platform, it won’t help your account gain any users. For the most part, you’ve still got to actively engage with other humans on Facebook in order to see success. That means:

  • posting daily or multiple times daily;
  • inviting your personal contacts to Like your page and asking others to do the same;
  • engaging and adding value in Groups; and, likely,
  • running Ads to generate traffic. 

Plan Ahead

So you wrote a month’s worth of blogs, tweets, and Instagram posts, but now your 30 days is up and you’re out of material. The content planning process is literally never ending for social media managers. Remember, you’re playing the long game, and regular (even daily) authentic engagement is a must to stay relevant in a sea of trendy new accounts. 

Use Spell Check

Typos? Grammar slips? Plain poor phrasing? None of these things make a pretty social media share. Yet, so many are too trigger happy and hit “post” before their content is on point. Run post copy, graphics and spelling past a colleague or friend that you trust. Sometimes all you really need is a second set of eyes on your work. 

Be Cohesive

Our last piece of advice is to stay consistently on-brand with all your social media postings. Use the same colors, symbolism, voice and phrasing in ever post. By doing this, you’ll avoid confusing your audience like many brands do trying to capitalize on the latest memes and trends. Instead your fans will recognize your posts seconds before they even see the brand name. 

Maybe you know all this already, but for some reason your social strategies just haven’t been sticking lately. Your content may just need a nudge in the right direction, or a second creative opinion. 

Brands and individuals making their mark in the cannabis industry, we’ve got your back. Call a Social Media Unicorn to help give your project some much-needed direction. 

The Best Types of Posts For Each Social Media Platform

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When it comes to social media, far too many brands make the mistake of posting the same exact content on every single platform. This is ill-advised because there are so many diverse groups on social media, and they all hang out in different social environments – and respond to different stimuli as well.

We put together a guide for DIY marketers to help you plan your approach to each top platform. 

Facebook

From humble beginnings, Facebook has become extremely diverse and dynamic. Not only is every demographic present on the platform, it’s also now been segmented into Groups. People and brands providing quality content to their audiences are holding on to their organic growth and influence on the platform, even as Facebook continues to try and monetize almost every interaction. 

One thing is for certain about the Facebook algorithm – it favors video posts. Heavily. A strong video content strategy will help you acquire more fans organically. Otherwise, set aside a small budget and learn to optimize Facebook Ads with amazing photography and graphics and some clever copy. 

Instagram

It’s changed a lot over the past year, but Instagram is still the place to be for the hippest and most social-savvy people in the world. It’s where trends are made, and visual content is king. You can repurpose some of your Facebook content here, but really make the captions pop. Professional photography is almost a must these days as outstanding “pinch-to-zoom” resolution photo posts are becoming the norm (especially delectable close-up photos of  cannabis products).

There are lots of “tricks” and theories out there for how to hack this platform, but really, Instagram runs on a few key principles. If you engage genuinely, post regularly, and utilize the proper hashtags. How you get there is up to you – as long as you make it absolutely beautiful.

Twitter

The original microblogging platform is far from dead – in fact, Twitter remains one of the most active platforms for breaking news and commentary on current events, as well as conversations amongst journalists and influencers.

That being said, all your content on Twitter should be newsworthy and put on display the unique voice and vision of your brand. Image and video posts, polls, memes and hashtags are essential parts of the Twitterverse you should know about. Research hashtags being used by your target niches, incorporate them into your tweets, and remember to always engage authentically.

Snapchat

On Snapchat, anything goes. The people following you are doing so for one reason: to catch a glimpse into what you’re doing all day. Again, authenticity is key. Using Snapchat gives you the opportunity to build your brand its very own personality from scratch – or, start building your personal brand as a living, breathing embodiment of the company.

So, in short, you should always share the awesome adventure that is your business with the world. Having partners in the industry who know the rules and trends on each platform will strengthen your influence even more. 

Hire us today and learn to finally rock social.