Is there a low cost way to market your cannabis business?
Getting connected with cannabis marketing specialists to build awareness of your brand is going to help your business go far.
There are numerous tactics they use to grow your business, however. Some are more expensive than others. And some are more effective than others.
Piggyback marketing checks both the affordable and efficient boxes.
So What Is Piggyback Marketing?
By now, you’ve heard of influencer marketing. Piggyback marketing is similar.
Yet rather than paying some superstar with oodles of connections to promote you, piggyback marketing relies on your shared work and vision with a partner brand or organization. It’s taking advantage of the commonality of your audiences and interests, but swapping out popularity for solidarity.
Coming together to collaborate on a project such as a promotion, event, or new product, for example, leverages the power of your shared audiences. And in the long run, it results in a more creative, authentic, and community-driven experience.
This is especially important in an industry that relies heavily on trust, while being simultaneously prohibited from traditional marketing avenues.
Given these two factors, cannabis marketing and public relations experts know well the power of piggyback marketing.
How Piggyback Marketing Works for Cannabis
It all starts with an interesting idea.
You need to come up with either an event, promotion, or some sort of other finished product that will appeal to your customers, as well as those of your partner’s brand. Whatever the case, it should have value to all of them.
One of the biggest mistakes rookies make is buying into the notion that the collaborative project must be complex. Forget that noise.
You want people to understand your project so they can talk it up. Otherwise, they won’t be on board. And they certainly won’t talk about it with others.
Know What Makes a Good Partner
You want to ensure first and foremost that the company with which you choose to collaborate should not be in direct competition with you. Duh.
Nor should they be your polar opposite. Your customer demographics should be compatible with those of their business.
For instance, if your company is on the cool and edgy side, you may not fare well at a clinical corporate type event. In fact, the two different demographics could become horrifyingly antagonistic factions. Then again, probably not.
But you get the point.
Finding a complementary business doesn’t necessarily mean success though. You have to consider the people involved as well.
If your partner is not as passionate or invested in the idea as you are, that can lead to failure. Or if you pair up with someone who has similar strengths and weaknesses, there won’t be much room for growth. So take the time to suss all of these out.
Bottom line?
If you have a sound idea and you’re respected in the industry (i.e. have played by the rules and haven’t burnt a bunch of bridges) then you’ll likely find someone in the cannabis space who’s ready to partner with you on that idea.
The Pitch
Once you’ve found the ideal partner, it’s time to execute the product. Rule number one – don’t skimp on development. Also, have some idea of how you wish to measure the success of your launch by setting up some objectives. Then be prepared to track that success.
For example, perhaps you’re hoping for more followers on your social channels to show that you’re a respected company. Or maybe you’re looking for more signups for your mailing list. You may have a goal to get media coverage.
Whatever the case, you want your proposed project/final deliverable to be polished and professional. That’s the only way people are going to get excited about it.
Copy and photos must be relevant and the organization of the process should flow seamlessly.
In other words, you want your final deliverable to be something of which both you and your partner can be proud. Because even if the launch doesn’t end up being as huge as you hope, the process of creating a polished final product will help out both brands in the long run.
Hopefully your project will be a huge success. But even if it falls flat, you can analyze where things went south so you can tweak your approach for the next time.
In the end, you can view it as an important learning experience.
Could Piggyback Marketing Work for You?
If you’re trying to grow your cannabis business, it’s a good idea to take advantage of piggyback marketing.
Not sure you want to tackle it yourself? Then contact us today.
We have the expertise to put your brand in front of audiences who are already proven to be interested in products or services similar to yours, while helping you partner with brands that your audience already respects.
All of this will boost authenticity for your cannabis business. And that’s priceless.