Boost Your Cannabis Marketing Efforts With a Strong Brand Voice
Establishing a brand voice for cannabis companies will lead your marketing efforts in the right direction.
When I first started freelancing behind the scenes for cannabis and CBD companies, I didn’t understand the importance of having a consistent brand voice.
Art by Jarita Hui
I wrote blogs for a terpene company who, admittedly, didn’t know what they were doing when I reached out to them. I guided the process and at the beginning stages of my freelance career, I didn’t do an amazing job tailoring the content for this company. I wrote blogs for them and they published four before deciding they didn’t want to continue.
That was not enough time to see real results, but more importantly, there was no direction for the content, nor was there a brand voice establishing who this company was and why people should care.
After writing hundreds of blogs for various cannabis clients in Seattle and around the world, and reviewing countless client briefs, I know there is a crucial element when it comes to cannabis marketing: BRAND VOICE!
Establishing a brand voice for cannabis companies
There are simply too many cannabis companies out there to count. Some do a really great job of marketing themselves, establishing exactly what it is they’re about and why others should use their brand, while others are straight-up bad at it.
I see companies who don’t know their own brand voice, every day. Accounts pop up on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social networks advertising a new CBD or cannabis company someone is launching, and there is nothing telling me what the heck these people do.
Are they making wellness products for health-oriented cannabis users or are they making specialty ashtrays for mega stoners? I have no idea because they’re throwing out the word wellness in one post while talking about stoner hacks in the other. That can work if you’re a cannabis publication, but it’s not going to get you far if you’re trying to target an audience that is potentially going to put money in your pocket because they trust you.
How to define your cannabis brand voice
It may be overwhelming to think about establishing your brand voice if you’re just getting started. But you have to do it. Your marketing efforts will go so much further if you can narrow down who you are, what you do, and most importantly, how you can help.
One of the first things I go over with new clients when beginning to write for them is the kind of content they’re looking to produce. I like to know what words they don’t use, as well as words they’d like to use often. Don’t know the answer? It’s time to get thinking.
If I’m not presented with a client brief when I begin writing cannabis blogs, I try to come up with one for my own reference. A document with words to use and words to avoid will do the trick, as well as a list of the type of audience they’re looking to target.
If you’re feeling lost trying to establish a brand voice, let me help. Here are some questions to ask:
How do you want others to describe your brand?
This is a great question to get started. If you don’t know the answer, it may be time to do a little soul searching before launching the business.
Many clients in the CBD space will say things along the line of health-conscious or wellness-oriented, which is great to know. Not all brands are focused on those things, so it’s important to establish this at the beginning. You wouldn’t want your freelance cannabis writer throwing out “wellness” and “health” in your blogs for a glass supply, since most of the people are not buying glass for their health.
Which brings us to:
Who is your target audience?
Stoners? Retired moms with achy joints? Young working professionals?
The more you know, the more you can target.
If you had to describe your brand with just a few keywords, what would they be?
Much like the first point, it’s important to know what you’re about. If I’m working with a client who makes cannabis sleep tinctures, I’d expect words like wellness and health to be floating around.
Who are you competing with in this space?
Know your competitors so you can make yourself stand out further from them. It’s important to think about how your competitors would describe your brand, as well.
What is your company NOT? What audience would not benefit from your brand?
A lot of wellness-oriented companies make it clear they are NOT targeting those who want to recreationally use cannabis. They’re targeting people who would benefit from their products.
This is where a list of blacklisted words comes in handy. Words like smoke, weed, pot, and other sometimes stigmatized terms do not sit well with companies that are selling wellness products. In fact, using terms like “weed” or “pot” may drive away some of the population who still feel uncomfortable with the associations.
Final thoughts on brand voice for cannabis companies
Make sure your whole team is on-board with the brand voice decisions. Most importantly, make sure they know exactly what words to use and not use. Share your brand voice document with your whole team.
This is especially important if you have a freelance cannabis writer making things happen for you. They’ll need the brand voice documents for obvious reasons, but it’s crucial to make sure everyone on your team is clear. If someone decides to post a tweet or market the brand using the wrong terms, you’re just another cannabis company without clear direction in the sea of cannabis companies without clear direction.
Get that list going!
And if you need help, don’t be afraid to hire outside help. I’m a Seattle freelance cannabis writer, but I write for companies all across the U.S. and in Canada. I’ve got your back for standing out and remaining consistent as you grow your brand!
Shoot me an email today!