Many cannabis delivery services are popping up all over the country, but many of them lack a marketing and promotion strategy. Cannabis is now legal in more than half of the United States, so there is a massive opportunity for cannabis brands to take advantage.
Dispensaries can deliver directly from the store or use a third-party delivery company to communicate and fulfill delivery orders. We’re going to dive into how to promote and market your cannabis delivery services.
What Is a Cannabis Delivery Service?
A cannabis delivery service is a business or service that delivers medical or recreational marijuana to consumers. The deliveries can be made by the dispensary directly, but it’s more likely for dispensaries to partner with outside businesses like Eaze.
Deliveries Help Dispensaries Grow Their Business
Every year since 2014, legal weed sales have grown by over 30% and continue to climb. More and more states are legalizing medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, which means there will continue to be an increase in demand for these services moving forward.
Dispensaries that implemented delivery services saw an average revenue increase of 22% in 2019 and a whopping 47% increase in 2020 due to Covid-19 restricting their customer’s mobility and access to cannabis.
Direct Delivery From a Dispensary vs. Third-Party Services
Many dispensaries opt for the convenience of delivering directly from the store, but other companies partner with a third party or full-service delivery provider in their area.
A dispensary can either opt for an independent business model where they run everything themselves–from marketing and promotion strategies all the way down to processing transactions on-site –or use a company like Eaze, which specializes in this kind of thing (and does it well). This option is beneficial if you’re starting without much capital because investing in your own system will have a hefty price tag.
Listing Your Delivery Services on WeedMaps, Leafly, and Dutchie
Weedmaps, Leafly, and Dutchie are the most popular online directories for cannabis dispensaries. These sites help consumers find you when they’re searching for a dispensary in your area that delivers to them.
If you provide delivery services, then it’s imperative that your business is listed on these applications because this will be one of the main ways people discover who you are–and if they can’t easily see how to access what you offer, they’ll go elsewhere.
If you’re already listed on these applications, then be sure to go in and update your dispensary profile to include “delivery”. This way, when customers are filtering through results on the app, your dispensary will be sure to show up as an available option.
Also, make sure plenty of user reviews are available so customers know exactly what to expect from your brand when ordering from you. Reviews also build trust with potential customers, which helps secure future sales by showing both current and past clients have had a positive experience with your company.
Text Message Marketing For Cannabis Deliveries
Text message marketing (SMS) is a great way to communicate with your customers and keep them updated on new deals, promotions, or other information that might be relevant for them.
Suppose you already deploy an SMS strategy and are actively collecting customers’ information to send messages to. In that case, you’ll want to put together a solid campaign to announce the introduction of your brand new delivery service.
It’s important not to send too many texts as this can quickly lead to spam complaints from users, which will ruin your chances of future sales if you’re constantly pestering people who don’t want it. This doesn’t mean you should never text again because there are ways around adhering to the rules–as long as you do so in compliance with CAN-SPAM guidelines.
For example, an effective strategy would be sending out promotional codes via SMS to all current customers offering a 10% discount if they order through your delivery service. Customers love getting exclusive access and discounts when they purchase marijuana goods from dispensaries and other brands.
Updating Your Google My Business Listing for Cannabis Delivery
Not only is it essential to have your business listed on Google Maps, but you also need to make sure this information is up-to-date and correct.
Go into your Google My Business profile, and you will be able to update the services you offer to now include deliveries. This will automatically update your listing and include your business in the maps section when local customers search for marijuana deliveries in your region.
Some dispensaries choose not to list their delivery services because they don’t want the extra work involved in keeping everything updated across directories–which can be a huge mistake considering how many people use Google when searching for local dispensaries like yours.
If your dispensary isn’t already visible online, then you’re missing out on valuable traffic that comes through these searches. Not only will listing yourself here help get more customers into the door (and hopefully repeat purchasers), but it’s great for SEO purposes and driving foot traffic.
Updating Your Website for Cannabis Deliveries
If you don’t already have a “delivery” or “menu” page on your site, then this is something that you need to address immediately.
Having an easily accessible way for customers to order cannabis products through your online dispensary is crucial if you want them coming back again and again, especially since many people will visit one or two dispensaries before making up their mind who they’ll continue to purchase from in the future.
When creating this new section, be sure to list information like delivery prices (if any), how long it takes for deliveries to arrive based on distance, the areas you service, and estimated timeframes based on the payment method selected, etc.
If you already have an online menu, then it may be easier for you to add a “delivery” option into your existing shopping cart on the backend of your website. Then make a banner promotion on your homepage announcing the launch of your cannabis delivery service.
Promoting Your Marijuana Delivery Service on Social Media
While some dispensaries choose not to promote their delivery services on social media, others have found a ton of success in doing so.
For example, if you’re already using Instagram and Facebook, it’s vital that your new cannabis deliveries are promoted here too–but you also should consider other platforms like Snapchat or even Pinterest, which can help get more people ordering through your website.
One way promotion might look is creating an ad with images showing off precisely what types of products customers will be getting when they order from your dispensary (as well as how fast the product ships), along with pricing information for each item.
The idea would be to create something eye-catching where users visiting these platforms click through to learn more about your delivery service.
If you already have a loyal following on your social media platforms (which you should by now), make a post letting them know you now deliver. Also, offer a promotional discount code to give them a certain percentage or money off their next delivery order.
Increasing Online Deliveries by Cross-selling and up-selling
One of the best ways to increase your cannabis deliveries is by encouraging customers to add additional items from your dispensary when they place their orders.
This could mean anything from offering a free gram with every eighth ordered or even including edibles when people buy flower–it really depends on what products you have available and which ones are most in demand.
Just make sure that whatever up-sells or cross-sells you’re promoting isn’t going to cannibalize sales elsewhere (especially if there’s a particular strain someone has been buying regularly).
It’s also worth noting that these kinds of offers should be made in addition to any other promotions running at the time, not instead of them! There needs to be a good reason for users to use your delivery option and continue to do so.
Go Dominate Your Delivery Market
Now that we’ve covered some intuitive ways to promote and market your cannabis delivery service, it’s time to put it all into action. Start by updating your existing directories and profiles online to include delivery services, and then start actively promoting it across all your current marketing channels.
As more dispensaries are moving to delivery and pick-up only business models, be sure you interact with their customers and increase your online visibility across all platforms. This will help you gain new customers and retain more market share from your competitors!
For more in-depth strategies around how to increase your dispensary and cannabis sales, you can take a look at our comprehensive guide on how to get more customers into your dispensary by clicking here.
If you’d like to talk to someone about getting help with marketing you dispensary be sure to visit us at our Cannabis Marketing Agency page!
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