Focus on SEO and Website Design
If your website is cluttered, slow to load, or just not optimized, visitors won’t stick around. For example, if your mobile site takes longer than 3 seconds to load, 53% of site visitors will bounce.
When a potential customer is looking for a dispensary, they start online. This is the ZMOT—the zero moment of truth. Essentially, the ZMOT is when a consumer decides to research a company or product. And it’s crucial that when that moment hits, you’re prepared.
Consumers looking for a dispensary may run a search, like “dispensary near me” or “dispensary in Portland.” What comes up during that search will have a major impact on whether they ever step through your doors.
If you’re running a quality SEO campaign, your dispensary should come up in local and brand searches. If you haven’t optimized your site, however, you may miss the mark—and the sales.
Search engines are tasked with providing results that are helpful and relevant. Optimizing your site helps show Google, Bing, and other search engines that your dispensary website is one of the best results for particular searches. If you aren’t showing up when people search for dispensaries in your area, you have an SEO problem. (Don’t worry, we can help!)
Let’s assume you’ve got SEO covered and you show up on the first page of search results. When a potential customer is doing that initial search, they’ll likely check out your reviews and your website. If your website is difficult to navigate, slow, or disorganized, they’ll move on to the next dispensary website. (And if your reviews are poor, they’ll look elsewhere, too.)
Make sure your website passes the test.
MediaJel offers WordPress themes designed specifically for dispensaries.
Our themes feature SEO-focused content, prominent CTAs, user-friendly design, and mobile optimization to help you stand out from the beginning. When combined with ongoing SEO and SEM support and content marketing, you can climb up the Google rankings and hopefully earn a spot in the much-coveted local pack.
Website Best Practices
When it comes to your site, don’t just cobble something together. Your website is your digital storefront and deserves a professional touch.
Schedule a strategy session now to discuss your website needs and learn more about how MediaJel can help you increase your site conversions.
Keep It Simple
Make sure that potential visitors can easily find everything they need. You should have clear calls-to-action, and your address and phone number should be easy to find. There should never be any confusion as to where to find something on your site.
If you offer delivery or in-store pickup, make it obvious and share info regarding your services in an easy to find spot. For example, your delivery page should cover minimum orders, your delivery area, expected delivery times, payment methods, how they should identify themselves to the delivery person, and delivery tracking availability.
For in-store pickup, make it clear how your process works (will the customer receive an email or text when their order is ready) and what they may need to bring with them to your dispensary.
Optimize for Speed
No one likes to wait for a website to load—and most people won’t. Check your load times and then make changes as necessary to make sure you aren’t hogging bandwidth. Image size is often a culprit, so make sure your images are properly sized and optimized.
Look Good on Mobile
You need a mobile responsive design. More and more people are using their smartphones for search—and for ordering their cannabis. Make sure your site looks good wherever it’s viewed. Test the feel of your site on different devices and make changes as necessary.
Have Clear CTAs
Make it easy for your web visitors: have a clear call to action above the fold pointing directly to your online menu.
Calls-to-action help you share your desired actions with your web visitors. For dispensaries, there are generally two to keep in mind: stop by and order now. Seems simple, right?
But where you place these CTAs can impact their effectiveness. If customers can’t find your CTAs, if they have to hunt around your website in order to locate your menu or your address, they’ll go to another site that makes it easier to shop.
Potential customers are going to your site because they want to see what you’re selling. This is the best time to show off your great online dispensary menu and to entice them with hard-to-pass-up deals.
CTA Best Practices
Be Clear
Don’t make site visitors guess about what you want them to do. Make it obvious:
- Order now
- Sign up to receive text offers
- Join our email list
- Stop by today
- Get a special offer by ______
Make Them Visible
Your CTA doesn’t belong at the bottom of the page. Make sure it’s above the fold and big enough to see. There should be no doubt as to what is it. Buttons are great for this. Check out these:
Above the fold (the point at which you have to start scrolling), there are 5 clear and visible CTAs that address a web visitor’s needs.
Utilizing one of our dispensary website themes, this dispensary makes it easy for both new patients and returning patients to quickly access the info they want. There’s no guessing or hunting around for a menu link, directions, a phone number, or resources for new patients.
Use SMS Marketing
If you’ve followed our recommendations, then you’ve chosen a menu that you can integrate with your SMS marketing platform. If not, look into it! SMS marketing is a vital tool that can help you increase your online orders.
SMS marketing allows you to easily share your menu link with individuals who are signed up. If you’re running a special on a certain vendor or product type, you can share the link to make online ordering a snap. Rather than having to search for your dispensary or type in your URL on their browser, users can simply click the link to be directed to your easy-to-use menu.
SMS Marketing Best Practices
Be Honest
Be clear during the signup process. To reduce the number of unsubscribes, share what kind of info you’ll be texting and how frequently.
Mind the Time
Send texts when you’re open and between the hours of 9 am and 9 pm. If you want to drive traffic at specific times, send a text 30 or so minutes beforehand. For example, if you’re catering to an after-work/happy hour crowd, send a text around 4:30 pm.
Keep it Simple
Keep your messages short and to the point. No one likes long, rambling texts.
Don’t Be a Pest
Don’t text too often. You don’t want your messages to be seen as spammy. If you send too many texts or too many texts that aren’t relevant, you’ll have more unsubscribes.
Automate
Use automation when possible to send special deals. Has a loyalty member not stopped in more than thirty days? Make sure your system is set up to send them a special deal so they’ll happily walk back through your doors. Automation will help save you time while helping you recapture sales. That’s a win-win.
One tactic that we’ve found exceedingly useful for our clients is using SMS marketing to encourage recent visitors to leave a review.
To make it simple, use automated texts triggered by a particular action (5 visits, perhaps, or a certain spend). This way, you can be sure you’re targeting people you liked your dispensary enough to visit it several times or to spend a certain amount.
Personalize
If you have your analytics dialed in just right, you know who’s buying what and how often. Send personalized texts to further cement your customer relationships and offer frequent buyers deals customized to them.
Ensure Loyalty Integration
Your loyalty program is a great way to reward your best customers while also gathering useful info that can help you better tailor your offerings.
When your menu is integrated with your loyalty program, you provide your customers with a seamless experience, allowing them to earn points online and in-store. This better serves the needs of your customers and will help you retain them. This can be especially crucial in markets where delivery is allowed.
Your menu and online ordering benefit everyone—consumers save time, regardless of whether they have to pick up the order or can get it delivered. Dispensaries can better focus on in-store consumers who may need more help making a decision. By making sure your loyalty and dispensary menu are integrated, you help encourage more customers to use your menu and to shop at your dispensary in a way that’s convenient for them.
Loyalty Best Practices
If you want your menu and loyalty program to be used, you need to make it easy to do so.
Be Clear
If rewards can’t be redeemed online, make that clear. No one wants to find out after they’ve filled their cart that they can’t get their discount.
Check for Optimal Integration
Make sure that online orders are being tracked. If not, your customers may get frustrated.
Personalize
Make your customers feel special. Offer birthday benefits, savings on their favorite products from your dispensary menu, and more. Using the analytics derived from your menu and loyalty integration, you can help curate their experience in a way that benefits both you and your customer.
In Summary
Your dispensary menu is a valuable tool—get the most of it. Utilize integrations in a way that will benefit both your business and your customers. By offering more to your customers, you’re ensuring they’ll stay customers.
Not sure how to get started? We can help! Sign up for a strategy session to learn more about setting up your website for success, choosing a menu company, and finding the right SMS and loyalty platform.
