8 Text Marketing Do’s and Don’ts for Cannabis Dispensaries

The 4 Do’s of Text Marketing for Dispensaries

Grab Their Attention

Text messages are short—make the most out of the 160 characters. Start with something that will engage your customers and grab their attention. Come up with a killer hook to lead the message, and if you can make it witty, you’ll get a better response rate.

Make It Brief

Once you have your customer’s attention, you want to apply the KISS principle: Keep it Short and Simple. You only have 160 characters to work with, so your message must be focused and to-the-point.

Make Them Feel Important

Your customers gave you permission to contact them, so they expect your messages to be valuable. Let them know you appreciate their business by rewarding their loyalty. Entice your everyday customers to become part of your dispensary loyalty program, or send them exclusive discounts or special offers they can’t find anywhere else.

Timing Is Everything

Receiving a text message feels very personal—it’s a message that’s delivered directly into your customer's hands without any warning. Avoid bombarding your customers when they might be sleeping or during their morning rush. A good rule of thumb is to send texts between 9 AM and 9 PM. Avoid rush hour traffic windows and try to send messages when your shop is open so your customers can stop by to take advantage of your specials!

The 4 Don'ts of Text Marketing for Dispensaries

Don’t Send Too Many Messages

Timing is essential, but the right frequency can be just as important. Don’t send messages if you don’t have an exciting update, announcement, or an enticing offer. Your texts need to provide value and benefits. Otherwise, you could annoy your customers and cause them to unsubscribe.

Don’t Oversell It

People are exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day, and it can be overwhelming. Don’t irritate your customers by making every word in your text a hard sales pitch. Taking a personal approach with your communication—you’re messaging real people, after all. Your customers will appreciate that you treat them like human beings rather than purchasing machines.

Don’t Forget a Call-To-Action

Without a call-to-action, your message doesn’t really have a point and might even be confusing. Never send a message that leaves your customers needing to figure out anything on their own. Tell them what to do, clearly and directly.

Don’t Forget to Say Who You Are

Sending a message without explicitly stating who you are is a guaranteed way to have it treated like SPAM. Identifying yourself will help your subscribers quickly become familiar with your brand, and when they do, your messages become more relevant and engaging. Always introduce yourself over text, just like you would in person.