How To Market Your Dispensary on Instagram
Does your dispensary marketing plan include a proven process on how to market your dispensary on Instagram and drive sales?
By now it’s well-known that Instagram can help your cannabis business connect with prospective customers at each phase of the customer journey.
Instagram marketing for dispensaries is a no-brainer. This platform is arguably the number 1 discovery engine for cannabis brands, marijuana dispensaries, and CBD products.
But how well does Instagram convert your followers in to repeat customers of your dispensary?
Can cannabis companies expect a profitable return on investment when using Instagram to market dispensaries and ancillary businesses?
If you’re looking for justification that marketing your dispensary on Instagram will drive sales for your CBD oils and other marijuana products, Facebook’s new report will provide just that.
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The report found that cannabis users on Instagram may seek inspiration from dispensaries, people and brands in their feeds and direct message friends for opinions while shopping.
This week, Facebook published a report showing how Instagram drives the shopping behavior of it’s billion daily users.
I bet many 420-friendly Instagrammers make purchases through Shopping on Instagram and often post stories to show off what they buy.
Overall, the research revealed that Instagram is a platform that goes beyond awareness generation—it drives sales. In fact, 54% of people surveyed say they made a purchase either in the moment or after seeing a product or service on Instagram.
So, can you grow your cannabis business by using Instagram to promote your dispensary?
Keep reading to find out how you can drive action from your Instagram followers and increase revenues from your marijuana products.
Instagram Marketing Provides a Positive Brand Perception For Dispensaries
So let’s get into the details of this Facebook study showing how Instagram can drive action from your followers to shop at your dispensary.
It’s important to note that the data contained in the report is based on feedback from over 21,000 Instagram users in thirteen countries.
If you’re looking to use Instagram to market your dispensary, this is valuable information to consider in your dispensary marketing strategy.
Did you know that 78% of users say that they perceive brands on Instagram as popular and creative? Seventy-four percent find brands on Instagram to be relevant to their interests.
These numbers show that “simply by being on Instagram, brands can make a positive impression on potential shoppers.”
Now a “positive impression” for your dispensary may not sound like marketing that produces sales, but think it through a little further. The benefits of having an active and engaging Instagram presence are’t always direct.
Today’s brand and product discovery require many “touches” or impressions of your dispensary brand to potential cannabis customers. We rarely buy something like marijuana flower, edibles, or CBD oil from the first brand we see online.
By using instagram as part of your dispensary marketing plan, and posting relevant, high-quality content daily, you’re able to regularly “touch” the right people, at the right time, on a platform where they’re open to discovery.
You may not see these results in your dispensary’s monthly sales volume, but if you’re tracking the right key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll see huge spikes in your monthly engagement from Instagram.
One of the people surveyed for this report, Rinaldo, aged 35 fro Brazil said “I really think that if a brand is not on Instagram, it is bypassed. I think it’s the best platform right now to have a branding footprint, [to build] a real brand.”
The Takeaway: Ensure your cannabis brand or dispensary has a strong presence on Instagram so you can find that potential goodwill.
Post Informational Content About Your Dispensary on Instagram Stories
So gaining a positive online perception of your cannabis brand and increasing engagement and visibility for your dispensary on Instagram are both amazing for your business, but does Instagram help sell your marijuana products?
We’re getting there. We’ve just passed the first stage of “touches” to the potential consumer and have made them aware of your dispensary brand.
We need to continue to deliver more features and benefits of your dispensary or cannabis brand into their Instagram feeds (Stories and IGTV as well) to help move them through the sales funnel and eventually choose your brand and retail store.
Facebook’s report stated that Instagram plays a key role at every step of the purchase process. The introduction or awareness stage, to the evaluation stage, to finally the purchase/conversion stage.
People use the platform to discover what’s trending, research marijuana and CBD products before buying and decide whether or not to make a purchase from your dispensary or a competing cannabis retail store.
The important point to note here for your dispensary marketing strategy is that each of these moments, each of these stages, offer your dispensary valuable “touch” points on Instagram where you can drive action.
How To Help Your Potential Dispensary Customers
Since dispensary marketing on Instagram can influence potential cannabis customers at every stage of the purchase cycle, it’s important for your content marketing strategy to focus on education to help the customer understand the benefits of your CBD oils and other marijuana products.
The content you post on Instagram to promote your dispensary will have a super strong impact on your target market’s shopping journey.
When people were asked how brand content can help them make a purchase decision on Instagram, t
- 42% said high-quality brand content helps with discovering products and services.
- 44%
said relevant - 41% said a brand’s content helps them better research the product or service.
All of the above factors are super relevant to the cannabis industry and for customers of your dispensary. This is why your dispensary needs a social media marketing strategy.
The Takeaway: Post cannabis content that promotes discovery (like targeted ads or hashtags), aids in research (like testimonials, strain reviews or marijuana product details) or helps at decision time (like offering sales or limited-time offers).
Post Information About Your Marijuana Products to Drive Action
Ok, so now we’ve passed through at least 2-3 stages of the cannabis consumer’s journey and you’ve been able to “touch” potential dispensary customers several times with effective social media content marketing.
It’s time to get turn these curious cannabis consumers in to repeat customers, right!?
This is where you need to access the strategic content marketing area of your dispensary marketing plan. You need to produce and amplify content on Instagram containing relevant product information in order to drive action.
Of the 21,000+ people surveyed, 87% said that they took action after seeing product information on Instagram, such as following a brand, visiting their website or making a purchase online.
Instagram has made these actions easier for consumers with the addition of the Shopping on Instagram feature mentioned above, so people can click on specific products.
Using Instagram to market your dispensary will allow you to connect with customers in an immersive way, making shopping for marijuana or CBD oil actionable and facilitating communication with your dispensary throughout the consumer journey.
The Takeaway: Be strategic with your content marketing strategy including content on social media profiles, as well as your website, in order to drive action from Instagram marketing for your dispensary.
Start Marketing Your Dispensary!
I hope the above information helps you craft an effective social media marketing plan for your dispensary or ancillary cannabis business.
The basics of marketing your dispensary on Instagram lies within creating and publishing high-quality, relevant content and regularly engaging with your followers.
Before you get to Instagram advertising or investing in an influencer marketing campaign, be sure your cannabis content game is on point.
If you need help with your social media management or want to try digital advertising on social media or Google Ads to promote your dispensary, please reach out using the form below.
We’re ready to help you grow!
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