As a cannabis brand, you must stay aligned with changing regulations and evolving consumer preferences to achieve long-term success — but we understand this can be a huge undertaking for your team. That’s where cannabis testing can support your marketing strategy!
Effective cannabis testing can be used as a tool to not only help you maintain compliance, but align with the needs of modern cannabis consumers and stand out on crowded dispensary shelves. Here’s how.
What is cannabis testing?
Cannabis testing is the process of collecting and analyzing samples of cannabis flower or manufactured products, such as edibles, concentrates, or tinctures, to determine cannabinoid and terpene content, and whether any contaminants are present.
Why is cannabis testing important?
The main purpose of cannabis testing is to ensure customer safety. With more states continuing to legalize for both medical and recreational usage, there are more cannabis consumers than ever before. This has created a higher demand for cannabis products, flooding the market with an influx of options from both regulated and unregulated sources.
As a shopper, how can you be sure that the eighth you’re buying truly contains 25% THC or know that the edibles you’re bringing home from the dispensary are free of contaminants? As a licensed brand, how can you establish and build trust with consumers to differentiate from all the other options available and ensure a safe experience? The answer lies in cannabis testing — which confirms that the contents on the label match the product inside and are safe for consumers.
According to A Clinical Framework for Evaluating Cannabis Product Quality and Safety, “Third-party testing is a crucial step in quality control and product safety.” Licensed cannabis brands should always use third-party testing with results that are verified by certificates of analysis, or CoAs. Licensed dispensaries should only carry products with these detailed test results, which any customer could view upon request. Some brands will now even put QR codes on their packaging that can be scanned to bring consumers to that product’s CoA.
If a product contained unsafe levels of contaminants such as additives, heavy metals, or mold, it would fail the CoA and never make it onto dispensary shelves. Unlicensed cannabis sellers often won’t test their products and would not be able to furnish these documents at all. This means consumers can gain peace of mind by only purchasing products from licensed dispensaries and brands that conduct state-specific regulatory testing and provide the results with transparency.
But what does it mean for cannabis brands?
How to use cannabis testing as a marketing tool
Cannabis testing can be used to drive additional impact from a marketing perspective. While cannabis testing is crucial for compliance and customer safety, it can also be used in your marketing toolkit to build consumer trust, engagement, and loyalty over time.
As more states legalize and the overall cannabis market matures, consumers are more educated than ever before. They know about the different cannabinoids and their benefits, and the different terpenes, and what they taste like. This has caused a shift in preferences and shopping behaviors. Instead of the outdated indica, sativa, and hybrid categories, consumers are increasingly shopping by effects — i.e. buying an edible labeled as “calm” to eat before bed or a strain categorized as “energetic” to smoke before a hike.
In response, cannabis brands are running additional tests on cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes, and more at their testing labs and building that information into their branding, marketing, packaging, and more. Sharing these test results is a requirement for any regulated state, but taking it a step further by incorporating it into your marketing and brand strategies can cement your legitimacy in the industry. Moreover, third-party lab test results empower consumers to quickly and easily identify the right strain or product for their desired effects, which in turn creates a positive experience that will lead them back to your brand again and again.
In addition to effects-based shopping, pesticide-free, and organic cannabis products have also seen an increase in popularity. A Canivate Cannabis Consumer Survey found modern cannabis consumers increasingly want eco-friendly, chemical and pesticide-free, and organic certification in the products they buy — and they’re willing to pay more for it.
As each state releases different pesticide testing baselines, you can set your brand apart by testing for more than what is required by your state. To do so, partner with a third-party lab that has multi-state experience to back up your claims. Ensure your partnered lab uses advanced testing methods, offers comprehensive analyte profiles, and goes beyond the minimum compliance requirements.
Elevate your marketing strategy with effective cannabis testing!
Seeing success in the ultra-competitive cannabis industry is easier when you have partners in your corner that provide additional value. In search of those trustworthy partners as we prepare to enter 2025?
If you’re looking to take your marketing strategy to the next level with the help of an all-hands-on-deck marketing agency, reach out to our team today! If you’re in need of a new testing partner, head over to check out our client with cutting-edge capabilities in the cannabis testing space, ACT LAB.