Our 2025 guide to cannabis marketing will teach you how to grow your business using SEO, advertising, social media, and more while staying compliant with strict cannabis advertising regulations.
Cannabis marketing is the strategic promotion of cannabis, CBD, and hemp-derived products, dispensaries, and ancillary businesses while adhering to complex state cannabis advertising laws.
Success in cannabis marketing hinges on compliance, creativity, and authentic consumer connection. Since traditional platforms like Google and Meta impose heavy restrictions on promoting cannabis products, success requires a mix of:
Despite advertising restrictions, cannabis programmatic advertising allows cannabis businesses to run compliant ads on mainstream inventory like ESPN, New York Times, Barstool Sports, and across devices like:
By combining compliant, data-driven digital strategies with engaging consumer content, cannabis businesses can expand their reach, increase sales, and grow market share.
Before investing money in advertising, you need a solid business cannabis marketing framework in place.
Marketing cannabis products requires more than creativity—it demands compliance. Every state has its own rules, and every platform has its own restrictions. To advertise effectively and legally, you need to understand both.
We’ve broken down the safest, most effective digital strategies and which platforms allow cannabis ads, based on your state’s regulations and product category.
🔗 Explore our guide to cannabis advertising laws by state →
In that guide, you’ll learn:
Whether you're a cannabis dispensary, delivery service, CBD brand, or agency, understanding where you can advertise is just as important as how. Start there, then come back here to build a winning cannabis marketing strategy.
Once your business plan and compliance framework are set, focus on building a strong cannabis brand identity and digital marketing presence.
A strong cannabis brand identity consists of:
💡 Pro Tip: Your brand is more than a logo—it's the emotional connection consumers have with your business.
This is a make or break moment for your business. learn everything you can about developing your Cannabis Branding in our Cannabis Academy.
The code has been cracked—cannabis tech is the growth engine. Each piece works together to integrate customer data, enabling precise audience targeting and personalized messaging across multiple channels. It empowers agile campaign management with real-time analytics, fostering continuous optimization and measurable ROI to track the impact of your cannabis marketing strategy.
A successful cannabis business requires a robust tech stack to manage marketing, sales, and compliance. The essential technology tools include:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System: Tracks customer interactions, automates follow-ups, and helps personalize marketing.
Website: Content Management System (CMS) – Manage your website content and SEO performance using cannabis-friendly CMS platforms that allow for fast updates, landing pages, and blog publishing. Popular options include, Wordpress, Webflow, and Shopify.
Point of Sale (POS) System: Facilitates transactions while tracking inventory, customer history, and loyalty programs. Top dispensary POS systems include Dutchie and Flowhub.
Online Menu Integration: Platforms like Dutchie allow customers to browse products and place orders online.
Google Suite & Analytics: Essential for tracking website performance, SEO, and conversion data using Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Search Console.
Loyalty & Rewards Programs: Retain customers with integrated rewards systems like SpringBig and High Rewards.
Inventory & Compliance Software: Track inventory while ensuring compliance with tools like Metrc, BioTrack, and LeafLogix.
Social Media & Content Scheduling Tools: Plan and automate posts using Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social.
Customer Support: This platform provides tools for addressing customer inquiries and issues promptly, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty. In some cases, a CRM will include customer support features.
Marketing Automation Platform: Enables email campaigns, SMS marketing, and automated workflows. Look for dispensary-friendly platforms.
Programmatic Advertising Tools: Platforms such as MediaJel help run compliant digital ad campaigns.
HR Platform: Streamlines employee management, from hiring to payroll, ensuring compliance with labor laws and industry regulations.
Budtender Training Platform: Educates dispensary staff on product knowledge, customer service, and compliance, ensuring they provide informed recommendations to customers.
💡 Pro Tip: Always choose dispensary software that can scale with your business. As you expand, you’ll need deeper customer insights and more robust engagement strategies.
One of the most important considerations is compliance. Since cannabis is highly regulated, any CRM or marketing platform must support opt-in messaging, age-gated content, and geo-targeting to avoid marketing to underage users.
👉 Top 10 Cannatech Companies To Watch this year
A high-performing cannabis website does more than display products—it drives traffic, engages visitors, and converts them into loyal customers. To succeed, your site must be visually appealing, easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, optimized for search engines, and fully compliant with industry regulations.
Whether you're a dispensary or cannabis brand, your website should reflect your unique selling proposition (USP) while providing a seamless user experience from first click to checkout.
💡 Pro Tip: A cluttered website kills conversions. Keep your design clean, highlight best-selling products, and always test different layouts to see what converts best.
From daily users to wellness-first microdosers, not all cannabis consumers behave—or buy—the same. Successful brands tailor their messaging, creative, and offers to meet each segment’s unique needs and motivations.
To truly connect, you need to go beyond broad demographics and tap into behavioral insights, preferences, and purchase patterns. That’s where segmentation, personalization, and first-party data come in.
💡 Pro Tip: Not everyone who uses cannabis is your target customer. Learn how to find, build, and activate the segments that align best with your brand goals in our Cannabis Target Audience Academy.
To grow your cannabis business, you need a strategic mix of paid and organic marketing. Paid channels drive quick visibility, while organic strategies build long-term authority and customer loyalty. A winning strategy blends both—aligned with business goals, audience behavior, and strict compliance guidelines.
For cannabis eCommerce, it’s especially important to think full-funnel marketing—from awareness and consideration to purchase and retention—so every touchpoint moves the customer closer to conversion and repeat business.
💡 Marketing Gold: How to build a full funnel cannabis ecommerce marketing strategy.
💡 Pro Tip: The most effective dispensaries use paid to amplify performance and organic to sustain growth and trust. Check this out for a comprehensive guide on cannabis marketing strategies to create a full funnel digital marketing strategy.
Balancing paid and organic marketing in the cannabis industry requires a strategic allocation of resources. Paid ads provide immediate traffic, while organic marketing builds long-term brand authority and trust.
Since cannabis businesses can’t rely on traditional ad platforms like Google and Meta, they must get creative with compliant paid advertising while also investing in organic methods like SEO, content marketing, and social media engagement.
50-60% Organic Marketing (Long-Term Growth)
40-50% Paid Advertising (Short-Term Traffic & Sales)
💡 Pro Tip: Paid marketing gets people in the door, but organic marketing keeps them coming back. The best dispensaries invest in both!
Cannabis dispensary SEO is the backbone of any long-term cannabis marketing strategy. With ad restrictions across major platforms, ranking in search results is one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to reach new customers and drive eCommerce revenue. While often a higher upfront investment, the value of SEO grows over time—unlike paid ads, which stop delivering results the moment they're turned off.
💡 Pro Tip: SEO is not a one-and-done task. Monitor rankings, update content regularly, and refine based on Google Analytics and Search Console data.
📈 Did you know? At many dispensaries, 30%+ of revenue comes from eCommerce sales—making SEO and local search visibility essential to success.
For detailed guidance, check out the following resources:
Cannabis text message marketing (SMS) and email remain two of the most effective channels for driving repeat purchases and building customer loyalty—especially in the cannabis industry, where paid ads are limited.
💡 Pro Tip: SMS open rates can exceed 90%—but only if you're compliant. Make sure your list is opt-in and your messaging adds real value. Check out more about cannabis SMS marketing here.
Investing in paid advertising such as cannabis Google Ads and Bing Ads is a key strategy for driving traffic and increasing sales for your cannabis business..
Yes, cannabis and CBD businesses can run Google Ads —with the right setup! Search ads help capture high-intent traffic from users actively looking for cannabis products or dispensaries near them. Use Responsive Search Ads with keywords like "dispensary near me" to appear in local search results.
Want broader reach? Performance Max campaigns run across YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and the Google Display Network (GDN), while Bing Ads and DuckDuckGo offer less competitive, lower-cost search ad options.
For comprehensive tips and strategies, explore our related content:
Programmatic advertising is a game-changing way to showcase your cannabis brand directly to your target audience! By automating the buying and selling of digital ad space, you can display your cannabis products on mainstream sites—think mainstream websites and apps ESPN, New York Times, and - dating apps, gaming platforms, news outlets, and meme sites.
You can target your audiences where they spend time online, by specific demographics, behaviors, and even geo-locations, ensuring your ads reach the right people at the right time.
You can advertise compliantly across all of these channels.
💡 Pro Tip: Unlock the full potential of cannabis ads with our Cannabis Programmatic Advertising Guide packed with strategies and tips to supercharge your digital marketing!
Want to know which marketing channels are actually driving sales? Revenue attribution helps you connect the dots between your campaigns and customer actions—across ads, SEO, email, and more.
Before changing your strategy, make sure your tracking is set up correctly. With tools like the MediaJel Marketing Attribution Dashboard, you can see exactly what’s working and optimize for better results.
Key Attribution Models:
By leveraging marketing attribution tools and models, cannabis brands can better optimize campaigns, allocate budgets effectively, and drive more efficient marketing strategies that align with customer behaviors.
Learn more about revenue attribution here:
Once you’re driving new traffic, the next step is turning one-time buyers into loyal advocates. Strategic loyalty and referral programs boost customer lifetime value (LTV) by rewarding repeat purchases, while review campaigns and referral incentives amplify word-of-mouth marketing. From points-based systems to VIP tiers and automated review requests, these tools build trust and drive long-term growth.
👉 Learn how to structure high-impact programs in our Customer Loyalty Academy and boost advocacy with our Word-of-Mouth Marketing Guide.
Guerrilla marketing uses bold, unexpected tactics to capture attention and leave a lasting impression—often without a big budget. It relies on creativity over spend, aiming to spark curiosity, drive engagement, and make your brand unforgettable through unique, on-the-ground experiences.
Here are 5 Guerrilla Tactics Your Cannabis Dispensary Can Launch On A Budget.
Not all business growth happens at the cash register. Attending cannabis events provides a valuable opportunity to make connections that could pay off down the road. At industry events, the focus shifts from immediate sales to building a network of trusted contacts and partners.
Customer-focused events, where you can provide samples and make sales, allow you to directly engage with potential customers, offering them firsthand experience with your products, which can foster brand loyalty and drive immediate sales.
Learn more about cannabis events here:
Cannabis public relations (PR) is a powerful tool for building credibility, shaping your brand narrative, and fostering positive relationships with your target audience. Unlike traditional advertising, PR helps position your cannabis business as an industry leader through earned media, thought leadership, and authentic storytelling.
Want to learn more about Cannabis Public Relations, check out these resources:
Before you invest more time or budget, take a step back and assess what’s really moving the needle. Use this 10-point checklist to identify gaps, uncover opportunities, and ensure your cannabis marketing efforts are driving results across every channel.
If you said “no” to any of these, your Cannabis Marketing Strategy has room to grow.
Growth in the cannabis industry—whether you're a dispensary, brand, MSO, or national player—is built on a reliable process, not just luck. As a leading cannabis marketing agency, MediaJel combines years of industry research and marijuana marketing expertise with proven execution to help you scale. MediaJel has developed the blueprint to guide your success.
We custom-built our proprietary cannabis digital marketing and programmatic advertising platform to help you reach more targets, engage more customers, and grow your sales.
See how our solutions can deliver for your business.
Schedule a call or personalized demo today!
Due to differing laws and regulations, Cannabis marketing legality varies significantly depending on the jurisdiction (country, state, or region). In many places where cannabis is legal, either for medical or recreational use, there are strict regulations governing how cannabis products can be marketed and advertised. Common restrictions include:
Impactful marketing strategies depend on several factors for cannabis businesses including legality, target audience, and market dynamics. Here are some proven marketing strategies:
Compliance challenges in cannabis marketing stem from the unique regulatory landscape governing the industry. Here are some key challenges:
Building customer trust in the cannabis industry requires strategic marketing approaches that prioritize transparency, education, and customer-centric communication. Here are several effective strategies:
Creative offline marketing tactics can be highly effective for cannabis businesses to connect with their target audience in a personal and memorable way. Here are some creative ideas:
If you need help marketing cannabis, our door is always open.
Social Media for Cannabis Brands
Social media goes beyond likes—it helps build trust, grow your community, and establish brand authority. Even if you’re not ready to post on every platform, it's smart to reserve handles on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. These platforms support community engagement, influencer partnerships, and, in some cases, compliant cannabis or CBD advertising.
Which platforms allow cannabis advertising?
What are the best cannabis social media strategies to increase engagement?
Learn everything you need to know about Cannabis Social Media Marketing here.
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