If you’re a cannabis business owner, then you’re no stranger to dealing with regulations up the wazoo. Sometimes the challenge seems less invigorating and more a general pain in the ass.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t employ powerful cannabis marketing strategies.
One of the most powerful tactics is understanding how to boost cannabis brand awareness through SEO.
Because, yeah, establishing online presence is crucial. But you’re not going to be successful in driving quality traffic to your site if you don’t optimize that presence for organic search.
Simple as that.
How to Boost Cannabis Brand Awareness through SEO
Remember that what’s good for your brand is ultimately good for the industry-at-large.
Connecting with the right people – those who will eventually become your tried and true customer base – is more than just good for you cannabis brand. It’s vital.
And SEO is one of the most powerful tools for helping you connect with those folks.
1. Enlighten Your Audience
A good SEO strategy is nothing without its mighty king (or queen, if you prefer). And that would be content.
GOOD content.
Informative, engaging, positive and even – where appropriate – humorous content that has the ability to reframe cannabis as hugely beneficial versus its historical connection with disenchanted anti-establishmentarians.
With cannabis legalization happening all over the place, more people want to know more about it. What is this magical plant? EDUCATE them.
Because honestly, there’s still a load of misinformation weighing things down. So this is your chance to enlighten interested souls through articles, infographics, blog posts, video interviews and other relevant media.
The more people who dig what you’re preaching, the more exposure your brand will get.
2. Ditch the iFrame Menus
This one’s pretty straightforward.
Sure, those iframe menus allow your customers to fill their shopping carts before zipping over to the store. But in terms of SEO value, they’re as barren as a winter oak.
So what to do?
Consider using search-optimized product pages that combine product detail infused with some local flare. Then have those pages link back to your iframe.
You’ll drive a whole lot more traffic taking that route.
3. Include Powerful CTA in Meta Descriptions
Being in the cannabis biz, you obviously can’t conduct paid search results. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t searching Google for dispensaries.
Behold the power of the meta description.
In case you’re not familiar, these are the snippets that surface in a search engine beneath the hyperlinked headline. And they’re what searchers are going to read first.
So when you’re writing out the meta description for your website, blog (which you SHOULD have) and landing pages, be sure to include a strategic and compelling call-to-action (CTA) within the first 100 or so characters.
And by strategic and compelling, we don’t mean “find out more.” Give some serious thought to what your readers are going to find valuable.
4. Submit Your Site to Industry and Local Business Listings Aggregators
In these moderately antiquated times, Google, Bing and Facebook still refuse to carry cannabis ads. So how can you create a business account on these valuable platforms?
Like it says above, submit your site to industry and local business listings aggregators.
Because cannabis customers are no different than any others. At least in regards to expecting you to be visible to them through a search experience that’s trustworthy and up to snuff.
Submitting to aggregators is going to give you more clout when those searchers take to the internet to inquire about “dispensary near me.” Plus, it’s going to better ensure that your name and location pop up in that search.
And you want this.
Because Google conducted a study that found that 76% of people searching for a service nearby visit that service the same day. Of those, 28% actually make a purchase.
So yeah. It’s a good thing.
Strengthen Your SEO Game
Now that you know how to boost cannabis brand awareness through SEO, there’s no reason you can’t start getting more people to flock to your site.
But if using SEO alone isn’t doing the trick, it could be time to employ some other cannabis marketing strategies. Contact us. We specialize in marketing and public relations for cannabis businesses.
We understand the unique marketing challenges business owners face in the cannabis industry. And we rise to the occasion.