Welcome to High On Marketing - A weekly newsletter where I show you how to strengthen your email marketing strategy for your cannabis brand. Learn how to nurture your audience, increase retention rates, and sell more weed.

⚡Quick Tip⚡

Today’s Email:

• Carving Out Your Own Lane in the Canna Industry

• USP vs. UVP

Let’s Roll 🛼

You know that expression - “Like finding a needle in a haystack”?

Imagine the hay is the other 15,000+ cannabis dispensaries in the U.S. Your goal is to be the needle…

You want to be unique, noticeable, and the thing that EVERYONE is looking for.

You don’t want to be indistinguishable from other weed brands. You don’t want to have the same exact products, deals, voice, values…

You want to stay in your own little lane, target consumers that share your values, and turn your brand into something more than just a weed shop.

So let’s dive in! Here’s how to make your dispo the shiny needle in a haystack full of dull, boring cannabis brands…

Carving Out Your Own Lane in Canna:

To be unique is to be remembered.

Businesses that understand this will continue to thrive. Being unique and memorable in a cutthroat industry like cannabis starts with a strong brand identity.

• What are your values?

• What are your goals?

• What are your aspirations?

• What’s your message?

Next, ensure that all elements of your business, from store layout, to your online presence align with your brand’s identity and core values. Consistency is key in establishing your brand’s voice and being recognizable and trusted by your audience.

Great! You’ve got your brand voice and identity…

Now, the way you REALLY standout is in the value you’re providing to your costumers.

A few things that you should definitely focus on:

1. Loyalty Programs: A hot topic in the canna industry; most brands don’t seem to realize the power of a unique, customer-focused loyalty program. Loyalty members are the foundation of your brand. Your most loyal customers deserve the best you have to offer so they keep coming back.

   Segment your rewards members based on purchase history and customer behavior, and reward them with relevant, irresistible offers.

   Regularly display their loyalty member status and tease the extra perks they get for moving up a loyalty tier.

   Your loyalty program should be a no-brainer for your audience. Make it an exclusive club they’re DYING to get into.

2. Community Involvement: A local business helping its community and fellow local businesses? It’s like a corporate Hallmark movie😍 

   Show your community that canna brands and brand owners are just trying to make a living and give back just like any other local business.

   Host and sponsor local events to build familiarity and trust with the public. Invite other local businesses (food trucks, pet adoptions, musicians) to take part in community days and other family-friendly events.

   Partner with local restaurants to offer gift cards for select purchases or purchase amounts.

3. Exceptional Customer Service: An educated staff can completely transform the customer experience. Invest in continuous training for your staff so they can provide the most accurate information to your customers and provide a positive, helpful experience.

   In addition to product knowledge, your budtenders should be aware of any deals you’re running, products that upsell/cross-sell nicely with other products, how to access customer profiles and loyalty points (a lot of people don’t know the status of their points).

When You’re Ready, Here’s How I Can Help You…

Click HERE to download the High On Marketing Evergreen Templates - 50 pre-written emails tailored for cannabis brands to educate, engage, and encourage action from your audience

Stay on top-of-mind while building a well-informed, loyal customer base.

Get your templates today and have the next 6 months of canna content covered!

⬇️Don’t forget to use your subscriber code for 50% off!⬇️

9VVS85T

USP vs. UVP:

Uniqueness is key to standing out in any industry, but especially canna.

There are over 15,000 dispos in the United States with more opening each day. The ones that stick around, not only have a unique SELLING point, they have a unique VALUE point as well.

So what’s the difference?

A unique selling point (USP) is often something your brand does better than the competition.

Examples include:

• Strain variety and exclusivity

• Higher testing on products

• Exceptional customer service

• Better discounts

These are qualities that will bring in more foot traffic; people want the best, safest, cheapest weed they can find. Having these qualities creates what I refer to as “Fair Weather Fans”. People that will stop by when you have the strain, bundle, or discount that they’re looking for.

Fair weather fans are an extremely important sect of your audience. But what we want is loyal, regular customers. That’s where your UVP comes in…

A unique value point (UVP) justifies your customer’s decision to buy from you. It usually involves showing your customer how they are actually benefitting themselves or their community by purchasing your products.

And in cannabis, there’s plenty of opportunity for this…

Sustainability is a huge buzzword in the industry; it’s one of the leading deciding factors for canna consumers when choosing a brand to shop from.

Carbon footprint reduction - show them how your company is following sustainable practices, and how they can help by supporting you.

Another powerful UVP is supporting the local community; donating proceeds of sales to a local charity or organization is a win-win-WIN for you!

• You’re helping your community

• You’re getting your customers INVOLVED in helping your community

• Your community starts to see canna brands in a more positive light!

Key Difference:

While the USP is more about what makes the product unique, the UVP is about why this uniqueness is valuable to the customer.

The USP can be a part of a UVP, but a UVP goes further by connecting this uniqueness to the customer’s needs and expectations.

Once you’ve established your

• Identity

• Voice

• Values

• USP

• UVP

You’ll have a better understanding of who you are, who your market is, and how to spread your message (and you’ll make more money!).

That’s all for this week!

As always, thanks for reading🫶🫶

-Steve

P.S. ⬇️⬇️