The impact of the coronavirus was tenfold on every level. We saw endless challenges as a society in public health, education, inclusivity, parenting, and more. But we also discovered smaller joys like baking bread, investing in mental health, and finding new hobbies.
These silver linings kept us together as individuals, communities, and even as companies. During an otherwise difficult time,we even saw stigmatized industries, like cannabis, become ‘essential’.
Unlike any other experience, the pandemic solidified two things: our need for human connection and our love of the Internet. (As it happens, digital marketing is the intersection of these two things.)
The result? Community has become more important than ever – and cannabis brands are running with it.
Building a Cannabis Business vs Building a Cannabis Brand
The shift towards community during the pandemic translated across all areas of our lives. Efforts like virtual happy hours to larger company investments in areas like social media marketing, community came above all.
Creating relationships with customers online is no longer a competitive advantage for businesses.It’s an expectation set by consumers.
Buyers are leaning into brands and engaging with them on social media in a way that is transforming the landscape of digital marketing. TikTok and Clubhouse are also enabling businesses to get right in front of their customers with a newfound sense of transparency – and the people are here for it.
For businesses, this looks like:
- High-value content marketing efforts: blogs, email, social media
- Curated, on-brand user experiences: customer service, product offerings, storytelling, creativity, community management
- Transparent information sharing with customers: updated Google My Business information, menus, and website
As digital marketing professionals, we’re seeing a big distinction between businesses and brands. Businesses are sales-focused, brands are community-focused.
For a cannabis marketing agency like ours, this not only means more industry players look to cash in on the power of social media and digital marketing. It also means more fulfilling business that aligns with our values and allows us to push the envelope with passion.
Growing a successful cannabis brand requires a constant focus on that human-connection side of business. Rather than the number of products you sell or leads you generate, you have to put equal – if not, more – focus on community engagement, value, and impact.
How to build a cannabis brand during COVID-19 and beyond
No matter the sector, there is clear importance being placed on the intent of truly serving customers as opposed to making a profit. Community building, therefore, rests in the hands of brands, not businesses.
To build – or strengthen – your cannabis brand during COVID-19 and beyond, company culture, values, and people have to be uplifted.
Culture
Company culture informs business success. If you have a skilled workforce that feels disconnected from one another, you won’t be able to work collaboratively – in-person or remotely.
At Cannabis Creative, one of the best silver linings to come out of the pandemic has been our investment into the company culture. As we grow our teams quickly, we’ve prioritized a thoughtful onboarding process. New hires get intentional one-on-one time with every single one of our employees.
It allows us to build meaningful relationships with one another and empowers us to be both productive and playful in our work. All these things help us stay at the top of our game.
Values
Through forced pandemic lockdowns, we’ve seen massive increases in the success of small businesses. Shoppers are growing more aware of who they are buying from and the values they stand for. From sustainability to diversity and inclusion, conscious consumerism is on the rise.
For us, this meant creating a new Diversity & Inclusion content vertical. We’ve been able to speak about our values more explicitly and openly than we have before. Our commitment to an equitable and inclusive cannabis industry is not only strengthening our brand. It’s building a community around an important cause, both internally and externally.
People
The driving force behind it all, people want to be valued. Whether it is the employees on your team or those to whom you’re selling, people want to be heard and validated.
As a cannabis marketing agency, this means serving our clients beyond simple marketing campaigns. We stay on top of new software, legislative changes, and pain points to better assist with other areas of operation. These include online ordering, delivery, curbside pick-up, and more. It also means we advise them on how to be better brands themselves and create a community that will fulfill them as much as it brings in profit.
The silver lining of the coronavirus
Though this global pandemic has set in motion changes that may never be reversed, there is a silver lining that gives us hope for a post-COVID future. (And then again, that’s life, isn’t it?)
From increased importance of community to a push for conscious consumerism, we are seeing trends that remind us of our need for human connection, aided by our love of all things the internet.
In 2022 and beyond,, we are confident that we’ll see new and established cannabis brands alike market better, be better, and do better. All thanks to the coronavirus.
