SMS Marketing for Cannabis

It’s safe to say that 2020 was a difficult year for all businesses, and cannabis brands were no exception. In an unpredictable year, those who survived should now plan to drive toward success as we begin to return to normal business conditions. But looking ahead also means planning ahead. What is your new plan? Whatever it is, SMS marketing for cannabis should be a part of it.

For most companies, the main aim is to secure new business and improve relationships with existing customers to improve customer loyalty. For some time now, cannabis brands have used SMS marketing to gain cbd customers and drive sales. SMS marketing for cannabis is much better than email marketing according to market research. Almost all SMS marketing messages are opened within 20 minutes of being received. But there is a down-side: using poor-quality marketers, usually those who are inexperienced, can result in a high opt-out rates and poor message deliverability. Some have even faced legal action.

Understanding the good and the bad of SMS marketing for cannabis before you start is important. There are three things you should be crystal clear about before you even think of going ahead.

SMS Marketing for Cannabis. Text Deliverability

As you plan ahead for 2023 and beyond, you will have a lot of things to think about. Pricing, product planning, design, branding campaigns, distribution – all these things are vital, and sometimes we miss the detail in other areas. You might have a spent a lot of time crafting your text messaging, but have you thought about deliverability? Your provider might say they will guarantee text delivery, but most of the big carriers have sophisticated algorithms to detect spam.

It is possible that you could spend a lot of money sending SMS and MMS that are not received. You must ensure you have a high delivery rate by structuring your messages and your platform to avoid the “spam” trap. For instance, if you continually send long lists in your SMS marketing messages, your deliverability may be negatively impacted.

Diversification

Often, sending great deals by SMS results in purchases almost immediately. Maybe you have just started your first SMS marketing for cannabis campaign and you think, “How easy is this?” The natural reaction is to send more messages. Don’t do it! Your customers might have loved the first offer, but it doesn’t take much for them to get annoyed – we all feel this way, right? This all sounds obvious, but it is amazing how many brands fall into this trap. It is hard to resist the temptation when you first see the money come in.

Number of Offers

Platform analytics suggests that if you send more than four special offers in a week, your opt-out will increase and your deliverability will plummet. The key with SMS marketing for cannabis is to diversify your messaging. For example, you could send an MMS about a special deal and follow it up with an SMS about an in-store event or promotion the next day. The negative effects of SMS marketing are often limited by doing this.

This is Not Just About Dispensaries

SMS marketing for cannabis is often used by deliverers and dispensaries. Experts usually only tailor their advice to these businesses. Most product manufacturers don’t text, and most SMS marketing for cannabis advice from experts doesn’t often target their businesses. This is beginning to change, and manufacturers are now starting to understand they, too, can benefit from SMS marketing for cannabis strategies.

It is true that retail marijuana stores can connect with customers using kiosks and POS strategies, but there are many other ways to get your fair share of the market – or more. Some businesses use website tools to “catch” leads and extract customer information while remaining legally compliant.

Don’t Just Sell

Many businesses think they do not have enough content to engage in SMS marketing for cannabis. THC and e-commerce brands often have only a limited number of products and are seemingly limited in their ability to add mountains of content like dispensaries who carry so many products. The key for e-commerce and THC businesses is to love their customers. They should go the extra mile with their customers by sending informative texts instead of continuous information about sales.

Links to reviews of their products, educational information, and videos sent after texts about great deals, for example, are a good way to develop relationships with your clients and maintain loyalty. There really is no limit to what can be done, and SMS marketing for cannabis is not going to go away any time soon, so you need to be aware.

Now it’s time for your plan

SMS marketing for cannabis has become an essential tool that most savvy cannabis brands are adding to their marketing strategies. It is powerful and has the versatility to be used in a variety of applications. You should check the guidelines for usage that are available online, and then you can use your creativity to try different techniques and find out what appeals most to your customers both old and new. Go for it!