5 Branding Mistakes To Avoid When Marketing Your Cannabis Company

With cannabis being legalized for medical and recreational use in many states, it's the perfect time to get in on the ground level and build your cannabis business! A big part of this process will be marketing, and a big part of your marketing will be defining and building your brand. If success if your goal, here are some branding mistakes to avoid in the process.

Mistake #1: Failing to plan.

You might be in such a rush to get your brand out there before others than you figure you'll just wing it -- and let your brand form as it may. This strategy rarely works in the long run. Customers will not identify with a brand that has been thrown together, and then you'll be lagging behind the other cannabis businesses that stepped back and took a second to plan before hitting the market. Sit down and come up with a clear vision of your brand before you start marketing yourself. Will you be the rustic cannabis dispensary that sells the most natural products? Will you be the one who always adopts new technology first? Define your identity from day one. 

Mistake #2: Not identifying your audience.

Take a look at who is buying cannabis in your area. Is it mostly middle-aged users with medical issues? Younger adults who use the product recreationally? You must create a brand that feels relevant to your audience. For example, if most of your customers will be middle-aged business people, using video games and skateboarding in your marketing materials would be misguided.

Mistake #3: Inconsistency.

One day, you use bright colors to highlight a sale. The next day, you use soothing tones to advertise a new strain of flowers. With so many cannabis businesses popping up, this kind of inconsistency won't support customer loyalty. You want to stick within a narrow definition of your brand. All of your marketing materials should have a distinct look so potential customers recognize them immediately.

Mistake #4: Doing it all on your own.

As a business owner, you are often required to be a jack of all trades. You might be decent at branding and marketing, but there's a good chance there is someone out there who is better than you. Hire a cannabis branding agency to do your branding for you, so you have more time to focus on the tasks you a excel at -- whether that's sourcing the best product or talking to customers.