Full Funnel Marketing: How to Marry your Cannabis Events with Your Digital Marketing Strategy

with Tara Falk, Founder of Aim & Fire

Are you headed into the trade show season without a cannabis event marketing plan that engages your target audiences before, during and after each event?

Cannabis events are a must in our regulated industry. They allow you to showcase your brand to new customers, make industry connections and provide endless inspiration for brand expansion. It can be easy to fly high and pass out product samples on a convention floor, but are you setting up a winning cannabis event marketing plan to continue the relationship once your events are over?

After the trade shows wrap up and in-store samples all handed out, how are you planning on nurturing your target audience? This week, we are joined by Tara Falk, Founder at Aim & Fire whose experience as an Event Producer and Experiential Marketing Consultant will provide structure and guidance for cannabis brands and retailers to take charge of their events and future relationships so customers feel valued before, during and after an event.

During this webinar you will learn:

How to set up your in-person event to capture and leverage first party data for a full funnel marketing approach
Customer appreciation tactics that keep consumers loyal
How to create long lasting relationships with the budtenders that sell your products
Guerrilla marketing tactics your brand should implement today

This is one webinar you won’t want to miss! Watch the OnDemand video today.

Webinar Highlights

How Do Cannabis Events Strategically Connect With Their Customers?

16:31 – 21:00: MediaJel and Tara Falk, Founder of Aim & Fire, discuss the successful branding strategies of certain cannabis-related brands, particularly highlighting Jones Soda Co. Jones has taken the market by storm with its cannabis-infused soda, Mary Jones, becoming the most successful launch in Tara’s experience. The brand built its success on authenticity and engagement, supported by community and user-generated content.

Jones Beverages involves its community in building the brand image by featuring user photos on its bottles. Tara also mentions a new project called the Mary Zine, a full-size magazine featuring works created by individuals in the cannabis industry, such as writers, filmmakers, musicians, and graphic designers. The magazine showcases and celebrates talented people working in the cannabis community.

Then, the discussion extends to the broader cannabis industry, citing examples like Jungle Boys, Cookies, and other brands that have successfully built a cult following through effective branding. Another branding success story includes Liquid Death, which recently raised a substantial amount of money with a valuation of seven hundred million. Such a high valuation further demonstrates the power of branding, even in commodities like water.

MediaJel highlights the role of branding as a promise to the audience, a unique story, and an identity that resonates with the community, ultimately contributing to the success of brands in the cannabis industry.

Capturing Cannabis First-Party Data at a Event

33:07 – 37:02: MediaJel and Tara Falk discuss the various methods for capturing first-party consumer data during cannabis events. Tara suggested using a Google form, a quick and painless information capture tool. This method is more efficient when the individuals at your booth are proficient at data input, making the process more conversational and non-intrusive for prospects.

Tara believes personal interaction is important when collecting data, suggesting that directly asking consumers for information is more effective than relying on digital devices like iPads. She mentions asking for information in exchange for something relevant to the person. The idea is to make the process more engaging and less intrusive. She prioritizes hospitable service that shows a willingness to do the work for the consumers, facilitating a smoother data collection experience.

While acknowledging the availability of other methods, such as using or creating apps, Tara prefers the simplicity and effectiveness of Google Forms because the collected data is easily transferable to a spreadsheet for further analysis.

Tara also suggests data collection through social media followers, offering small rewards for following the brand. MediaJel continues with the importance of having a clear marketing opt-in message during this process to ensure compliance with privacy laws as the potential legal consequences for non-compliance include substantial fines.

MediaJel mentions companies like Spring Big, Alpine IQ, and Happy Cabbage as an alternative to Google Forms. These companies provide embedded web forms, streamlining data capture through integrations with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Staying Connected With Your Audience After a Cannabis Event

37:44 – 41:11: MediaJel initiates the discussion by asking how Tara maintains connections and communicates with individuals after events. She provides insights on the importance of personalizing communication and following up with practical suggestions.

Tara advises MediaJel to send personal emails directly from the team member who interacted with the prospect on-site. Avoid generic or copy-paste emails. She recommends handwritten notes expressing gratitude and mentioning specific details from the conversation for a more personalized approach. Tara also suggests involving brand ambassadors and providing detailed discussion reports to enhance follow-up communications.

Pre-event strategies should focus on engaging through social media platforms. Engagement includes liking, sharing, and commenting on posts from other event attendees. This approach aims to keep the brand top of mind for potential clients.

MediaJel introduces QR codes for quick information sharing, streamlining the process of obtaining contact details during in-person meetings. Text messaging is an effective communication method because of its direct and personal nature. Texting also bypasses the challenges of reaching individuals through other means like email or social media due to potential distractions.