How to Build High-Impact Cannabis Marketing Campaigns

Cannabis marketing campaigns aren’t just for the big cannabis brands of the world—small brands need them even more to survive. And don’t go throwing out a few social media posts and calling it a campaign, either!  The best cannabis marketing campaigns are a coordinated effort designed to achieve a specific goal, such as launching a new product, educating consumers, or increasing brand visibility.

Core Elements of a Cannabis Marketing Campaign

1. Clear Goal: Define what success looks like—brand awareness, dispensary foot traffic, online sales, or consumer education.
2. Target Audience: Understand who you’re speaking to—medical patients, wellness consumers, recreational users, or cannabis-curious individuals.
3. Core Message: What do you want your audience to take away? Your campaign should have a single, compelling message that resonates.
4. Creative Assets: Develop high-quality content—landing pages, videos, blog posts, ads, social media graphics, or event activations.
5. Marketing Channels: Choose the best platforms for your audience—organic search, social media, email, paid ads, or in-store promotions.
6. Compliance Strategy: Stay within the legal advertising restrictions for cannabis in your region to avoid penalties.
7. Tracking & Optimization: Measure campaign performance and adjust based on what’s working.

This guide outlines the steps we use to execute a successful cannabis marketing campaign, how the different marketing platforms work together, and how to track performance to maximize results.

Step 1: Define the Cannabis Marketing Campaign Goal 

Every campaign must begin with a clear objective. The goal dictates the marketing approach and determines which strategies will be most effective.

Common cannabis marketing goals include:

• Brand Awareness: Create recognition, Introduce a new product, expand into a new market, or differentiate from competitors.
• Customer Acquisition: Attracting new customers and expanding the customer base.
• Customer Retention: Build long-term relationships and increase repeat purchases.
• Short Term Sales Growth: Driving revenue through strategic marketing and promotions.
• Education: Informing consumers about cannabis products, benefits, and usage.
• Market Penetration: Expanding into new geographic areas or market segments.

Step 2: Segment Your Target Audiences

Understanding your target audience is key to crafting effective marketing activations. Learn more about Defining Your Target Audience here so you can create strategic activations that align with each segment's unique preferences, needs, and behaviors. For example: 

• Audience Segment: Millennials
• Age Range: 25-40
• Demographics: Tech-savvy, health-conscious, often looking for alternatives to traditional alcohol.
• Psychographics: They seek wellness, sustainability, and innovation in their consumer choices.
• Product: Cannabis Beverage
• Type: Low-dose THC beverage (e.g., sparkling waters, teas, or functional drinks)
• Campaign Focus: Brand Awareness / Product Drop
• For a low-dose THC beverage brand targeting Millennials, the campaign could focus on:
• Social Alternatives to Alcohol: Position the beverage as a socially acceptable alternative to alcohol. Showcase how it fits into various social settings, like casual gatherings, dinner parties, or fitness-oriented meetups.‍

Step 3: Develop the Core Message and Brand Story

A successful campaign delivers a consistent, compelling message across all platforms. 

The best cannabis marketing campaign messages are:

• Clear and concise: Simple enough to be remembered and repeated.
• Relevant to the audience: Addresses consumer pain points or desires.
• Consistent across all marketing materials: Reinforces the brand’s positioning.

Remember our low-dose THC beverage, their campaign tagline could be:
"A Buzz Without the Baggage – Say Goodbye to Hangovers."

This positions the product as a social alternative to alcohol while reinforcing its benefit of no hangovers. This campaign message should remain central across all campaign content, from social media to emails and in-store promotions.

If you need to circle back to a great branding exercise to get clear on your brand story and unique value proposition, take a minute to go through our Cannabis Branding Academy here.

Step 4: Build a High Converting Landing Page

When it comes to building effective cannabis marketing campaigns, a high-converting landing page is essential. Your landing page is often the first place potential customers will visit, and it should provide a seamless, engaging experience that drives conversions. Here's a quick page layout to maximize results for your cannabis campaign:

• Clear and Compelling Headline
• Focus on a Single Call to Action (CTA)
• Use Concise and Persuasive Copy
• Visually Appealing Design
• Use Social Proof
• Easy-to-Fill Form or Easy To Purchase
• Trust Signals and Compliance

For our top tips to create high converting landing pages, you will want to read this blog Mastering Cannabis Landing Pages.

Step 5: Designing Your Creatives

Effective creative assets are crucial to a successful cannabis marketing campaign. The key is delivering one clear, compelling message across all platforms. Here’s how to keep your creative on track:

Visually Engaging

Use high-quality images or videos that connect your product to your audience’s lifestyle. For instance, if you’re promoting a cannabis beverage, show it being enjoyed in social settings or for wellness. Visuals should reflect the product’s key benefits while staying aligned with your overall branding and message.

Compliance

Cannabis marketing must comply with legal restrictions. Ensure your creative avoids misleading claims and targets the appropriate audience (e.g., age restrictions, not targeting minors). Check your state cannabis advertising regulations to ensure you are maintaining compliance.  

Step 6: Build an Omni-Channel Marketing Plan

A cannabis marketing campaign should be seamlessly integrated across all of your marketing channels to ensure a consistent customer experience. Each channel plays a key role in guiding potential customers through the buying journey and eCommerce funnel.

In an omnichannel approach, all touchpoints are interconnected, allowing customers to move smoothly between them. This can include:

• Online: Website, social media, email marketing, paid ads, apps, and online customer service.
• Offline: Physical stores, call centers, and in-person events.

Remember our low dose cannabis beverage? 

"A Buzz Without the Baggage – Say Goodbye to Hangovers."

For example, a customer might see an ad on CNN, then click through to a landing page to learn more, and then complete the purchase in-store using a discount they received via email or text. At every touchpoint, the creative, messaging, branding, and customer journey are synchronized, which enhances the overall customer experience.

Now, let’s break look at what the industry has been cooking up for cannabis marketing campaigns!

Campaign in Action: Brand Awareness

Brand awareness campaigns aim to introduce your product to new audiences and distinguish it in a competitive market.

Awareness Strategies:

• SEO & Content Marketing: Develop blog posts and videos that explain your product benefits, building tust and enhancing online visibility.
• Social Media Engagement: Utilize platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok to share engaging content, and encourage user-generated posts to broaden reach.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with lifestyle influencers who resonate with your target audience to authentically promote your brand.
• Educational Campaigns: Offer infographics, or interactive quizzes to inform and engage potential customers.

Example in Action:

Kiva Confections' "Edibles, For the Curious" campaign effectively used educational content and influencer collaborations to introduce new consumers to cannabis edibles, successfully increasing brand awareness and product interest.

They have just launched a brand new Match the Moment campaign for the new Camino product line. What do you think?!

Campaign in Action: Customer Retention

Customer retention campaigns focus on building brand loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases, thereby increasing customer lifetime value.

Retention Strategies:

• Email & SMS Loyalty Programs: Send exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or personalized recommendations based on past purchases.
• Subscription Services: Offer monthly product boxes or auto-replenishment options for frequently used items.
• Community Engagement: Create a private online community for loyal customers, providing special perks and sneak peeks.
• Re-engagement Ads: Implement retargeting campaigns to reconnect with past customers and encourage additional purchases.

Example in Action:

Flow Kana, a cannabis company focused on sustainable, organic farming, launched the "Farm to Vape" campaign to promote its commitment to eco-friendly farming and high-quality products. This approach helped increase consumer trust and loyalty, with a 10% increase in market share among eco-conscious consumers.

Campaign In Action: Short Term Sales Growth

Limited-time campaigns drive quick spikes in sales by leveraging scarcity, exclusivity, and seasonal promotions.

LTO Strategies:

• Seasonal Promotions: Offer holiday-themed bundles, 4/20 specials, or Black Friday deals to capitalize on peak shopping periods.
• Flash Sales & Exclusive Releases: Organize short-term sales events promoted through email, SMS, and social media to create urgency.
• Influencer-Led Discounts: Provide influencers with unique discount codes to share with their followers, encouraging immediate purchases.
• Retailer & Dispensary Collaborations: Offer geo-targeted promotions for customers to redeem at specific locations, driving foot traffic.

Example in Action:

In 2024, several brands launched innovative 4/20 campaigns. For instance, Wingstop introduced a limited-time flavor called "Blazed & Glazed," aiming to connect with the cannabis community on this significant day.

Step 7: Track and Optimize Campaign Performance

Brands must track campaign key performance indicators (KPIs) and optimize based on the results to determine whether the campaign is impacting your campaign objective. 

53 Cannabis Dispensary KPIs | Track Your Campaign on Our Attribution Dashboard

Key Metrics to Measure:

• Website Traffic & SEO Performance: Track blog visits, keyword rankings, and conversion rates.
• Ads: Track impressions, clicks, CTR, transactions, revenue, and ROAS.
• Social Media Engagement: Monitor shares, comments, and brand mentions.
• Email & SMS Click-Through Rates: Identify what messaging drives conversions.
• Dispensary Sales & Foot Traffic: Measure the impact of in-store promotions.

Cannabis Marketing Campaign Support: Talk to the Experts

The best cannabis marketing campaigns are never random social media posts or ads—they’re always a strategic integration of multiple marketing channels that guide consumers from awareness to purchase. With the right goal, messaging, and execution strategy, cannabis businesses can build high-impact marketing campaigns that educate, engage, and convert consumers effectively.

Need help launching a cannabis marketing campaign. Let’s Talk!