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Native Advertising Tactics for Your Cannabis Brand

Native Advertising Tactics for Your Cannabis Brand

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Native Advertising Tactics in the Cannabis Industry

Until marijuana is legalized at the federal level, cannabis and marijuana-based brands will continue to struggle with advertising restrictions that are set in place. Despite this, there are several ways to strategically market your cannabis brand, such as native advertising, to fit the cannabis industry’s regulations.

What is Native Advertising?

In simple terms, native advertising is paid content. This includes blogs, infographics, videos, etc., that can be promoted on different platforms. But let’s be honest, no one loves having obnoxious ads pop up on their browser consistently. That’s why native advertisements are carefully created to mimic traditional content that is placed on a site to make it challenging to distinguish ads from existing content. With native ads, customers are less likely to opt-out, paying more attention to what’s being promoted.

What Form of Native Advertising is Best for Your Cannabis Brand?

Paid Social Ads

While paid in-feed social posts are a favorite form of native advertising, CBD and cannabis brands must be wary when implementing paid social media ads. Due to critical platforms such as Facebook and Instagram’s highly regulated advertising rules, many cannabis brands cannot advertise without removing all images, pricing, copy, etc., related to cannabis. As a result, this may not be the ideal choice of native advertising for most cannabis-related brands.

Content Recommended Ads

These types of ads are typically found on the side or bottom of a piece of content, usually a blog post. These ads are tabs that link to other pieces of content and are most commonly used to promote press coverage, news stories, blog updates, and more.

Paid Search Ads

Paid search ads are also considered a form of native advertising. These paid ads show up on Google’s search engine results page (SERPs) and mimic the appearance of organic rankings. While Google does regulate cannabis content on their platforms, they accept hemp-related keywords in search advertising. Therefore, many cannabis brands that utilize this approach typically swap cannabis/marijuana to hemp in order to advertise on the platform.

Why You Should Implement Native Advertising into Your Marketing Strategy

Native ads are a significant driver of engagement. They garner 53%1 more views than display advertising and create an 18% increase in purchase intent. If this doesn’t have you convinced, cannabis brands can benefit even more from native advertising due to its potential of reducing stigma and preconceived feelings towards the cannabis industry. When cannabis ads are placed on high-quality sites and surrounded by non-cannabis-related ads, users feel more comfortable interacting with them because it lowers the historical stigma of cannabis products by associating it with other high-quality products and sites.

How Herban Creative Can Help

While the regulation of cannabis and CBD remains a consistent issue for marketers, native advertising offers unique benefits and capabilities that can still drive engagement to your brand’s site. If you’re looking to implement native advertising into your cannabis brand’s marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to Herban Creative. Our expert team can help market your brand strategically to fit the cannabis industry’s restrictions. Contact Herban Creative today.

Distillery Marketing Tactics to Attract Millennials

Distillery Marketing Tactics to Attract Millennials

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Millennials and Distillery Marketing

Distilleries, breweries, wineries, and the like typically have an audience that transcends generations. After all, who doesn’t like to enjoy a well-crafted drink in a comforting space? So, why should the adult beverage industry focus more on millennials?

Millennials are actually the largest living generation and the largest alcohol-consuming segment in the U.S. They also respond differently to marketing than boomers, meaning there’s more work to do than simply lowering the age range of your Facebook ads.

Millennials value an experience more than a product. Your distillery could have the best-made brew in the area, but if your location is lacking a certain allure, chances are you’re not reaching most millennials. Here’s how you can up the game of your distillery marketing.

Create a Brand That Resonates

If a millennial is going to spend their money on something, you can bet it’s from a brand that they relate to or enjoy more than just the product. This is where creating a brand is different than just creating a business. Your branding goes beyond your logo, colors, and fonts—although they’re important too! It should also hold a consistent feel, voice, tone, message, and overall look.

Encourage Two-Way Communication

To be relatable to millennials, encourage two-way communication. Especially on social media, be sure to like and respond to comments. Also, if a customer ever tags your distillery in a post or story, always repost it! This creates a fun way to communicate with your customers, gives a human touch to your brand, and provides an incentive for users to interact with your account.

Be Consistent

Being consistent is KEY to gaining the trust of millennials. For example, if one of your social media accounts is active but the other hasn’t been updated in months or years, this inconsistency can raise a red flag to a millennial. Another major player in trust for millennials is your website; does it provide accurate information and have a modern look? Having a user-friendly site could be the determining factor if a millennial chooses to visit your distillery.

Beyond your digital footprint, your physical location should be branded as well. We’re talking about employee uniforms, napkins, shot glasses, murals, and more.

Work with Herban Creative

We know, distillery marketing sounds like quite the undertaking. That’s why we make it as easy as possible for our clients at Herban Creative to launch a brand, website, and digital campaign. We’ll take care of the details so you can stick to distilling fine liquors. Get in touch with our team today!

Marijuana Legalization in New York: What’s New?

Marijuana Legalization in New York: What’s New? 150 150 Herban Creative

Recapping the Latest New York Marijuana Legalization Updates

On March 31, 2021, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation legalizing adult-use cannabis, making New York the 15th state to do so. With this comes a long list of questions New Yorkers have surrounding the legislation. We’re here to break down the latest New York marijuana legalization updates.

Is Recreational Marijuana Legal in New York?

Simply put—yes, recreational marijuana use is now legal in New York.

Where Can I Smoke in New York?

  • If you’re 21 or older, you can smoke marijuana anywhere you can smoke a cigarette except for inside cars, schools, or workplaces.
  • In public, possession of up to three ounces of marijuana is legal. This is the equivalent of 50 to 70 joints or 24 grams of concentrated cannabis.
  • At home, possession of up to five pounds of marijuana is legal; however, “reasonable steps” will have to be taken to ensure storage is secure.

Where Can I Buy Marijuana in New York?

Unfortunately, we won’t see the distribution and selling of marijuana for at least another one to two years, according to Troy Smit, deputy director of the New York state branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. When regulations are set in place, New Yorkers will be able to buy marijuana and other cannabis products from brick-and-mortar dispensaries.

As in-person dispensaries begin to pop up across the state, we can assume to see the online marketplace increase as well. For example, many storefront dispensaries in Massachusetts offer mobile ordering and curbside pick-up options for their customers via an app or their website.

What Does This Mean for Selling Recreational Cannabis?

We’ll have to wait for more regulations regarding the selling of recreational cannabis to roll out over the next year. What we can expect is the development of cannabis farms and dispensaries across New York. We’ll also see medical dispensaries transition into recreational use as well as the opening of businesses for recreational-only cannabis products.

How Herban Creative Can Help Your New York Cannabis Business

Whether you’ve been in the medical marijuana industry or are looking to start a recreational-use cannabis company, Herban Creative is here to bring your business to the New York public. From intuitive website design & development to results-driven digital marketing campaigns, we have the tools to put your cannabis brand on the map. As we continue to share cannabis news on New Jersey and New York legalization, reach out to our team for more information on how it affects your business.

Contact us online today.

Programmatic Display Advertising for Cannabis Brands

Programmatic Display Advertising for Cannabis Brands

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How Programmatic Display Advertising Can Be Beneficial to Your Cannabis Brand

According to Search Engine Land1, programmatic display advertising uses automated technologies to buy, place, and optimize display advertising inventory. In simple terms, programmatic display advertising uses artificially intelligent software to buy digital advertisements automatically.

What are the Benefits of Programmatic Display Advertising?

Boosts Brand Awareness

Programmatic advertising provides marketers with the opportunity to expand their reach. This is due to programmatic advertising’s ability to reach ad exchanges2, ad inventory, and marketplaces across the internet. As a result, this allows your brand to reach much wider audiences.

Extreme Efficiency

Unlike some traditional forms of marketing campaigns, programmatic advertising provides marketers with real-time reporting – directly after launch. With programmatic advertising, you won’t need to wait until the end of your marketing campaign to receive reporting metrics.

Precise Targeting

Programmatic advertising will help create a seamless targeting experience for marketers. With the correct data, programmatic advertising will work to put your ads in front of the right people at the right time.

Why Programmatic Display Advertising is Valuable to Your Cannabis Brand

Programmatic platforms are extremely valuable to your cannabis brand’s marketing strategy. Due to governmental restrictions placed on cannabis advertising, programmatic advertising can offer an alternative to Facebook and Google ads. Although these platforms account for a significant percentage of US digital ads, programmatic advertising can open your brand to massive amounts of ad inventory.

Different programmatic platforms offer unique benefits and capabilities that depend on your cannabis brand. If you’re looking to implement programmatic display advertising into your cannabis brand’s marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to Herban Creative. Our expert team can help market your brand strategically to fit the cannabis industry’s restrictions. Contact Herban Creative today!

NJ's Cannabis Regulatory Commission Under Fire

NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission Under Fire

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Update as of March 24, 2021

On March 24, 2021, Governor Murphy announced a staffer in U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s office, Charles Barker, would complete the five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission. This announcement comes after Murphy’s office received flak from the NAACP for his initial makeup.

NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission Receives Criticism from NAACP

NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission is under fire following Governor Murphy announcement of his five appointees to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission1. This commission will be responsible for the regulation job of the state’s newly legal marijuana industry and the licensing distribution to new dispensaries and growers. Despite this significant step towards establishing a legal recreational-use cannabis marketplace, there has been much criticism surrounding Murphy’s appointees.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is among many that are criticizing Murphy’s commission selection for failing to include a Black man or someone that is a racial justice advocate. Despite the commission including Dianna Houenou2, a Black woman and former worker for the ACLU3, a group that fights racial injustice, there are no Black men nor a representative that the NAACP deems an acceptable candidate.

Why is the NAACP Pushing Back?

Despite Houenou’s work history, the NAACP would like to see a Black man appointed due to Black men being disproportionately arrested for marijuana offenses for decades in the state’s history. Legal marijuana sales in NJ will not commence until the commission establishes rules and regulations, distribution guides to licensing, tax revenue allocation, and several new additions to the new marijuana industry. As a result, these five appointees will hold much power concerning this new industry, making the need for an NAACP-approved panel even more critical.

What Happens Next?

According to NJ.com4, Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter from the NAACP. According to an anonymous source, Murphy believed that Houenou met the criteria needed due to her previous work with the ACLU.

However, a spokesperson for Murphy said the commission seating has not been finalized, hinting that there may be a change in the appointee. Following the NAACP and Black advocates’ pressure, Murphy is likely to change an appointee to New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission.

Stay Up to Date with NJ Cannabis News

Stay up to date on the latest happenings in NJ regarding legalization with Herban Creative.

Cannabis Business Plan Tips: Updated Web Design

Cannabis Business Plan Tips: Updated Web Design

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Reasons a New Web Design is Worth It for Your Cannabis Business Plan

For many industries, a website is the first impression of your brand—and the cannabis sector is no different. Having an effective cannabis web design will ensure your user experience is a great one. Here are five reasons your cannabis business plan should include a new web design:

3 Weed Legalization Bills Signed by NJ Gov. Murphy

3 Weed Legalization Bills Signed by NJ Gov. Murphy

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3 Weed Legalization Bills Will Launch a Marijuana Industry in NJ

When Governor Phil Murphy came into office in 2018, one of his biggest goals was to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for New Jersey’s 21+ residents. After three years of failed legislative attempts, Murphy has officially signed three bills that together will launch a marijuana industry in New Jersey.

The route to legalization was put on hold in January 2021, just months after New Jersey voters voted to legalize marijuana during the 2020 election. Murphy had refused to sign both the legalization and decriminalization bills until lawmakers created a new bill detailing the penalties for those under 21 caught with possession of marijuana.

On Monday, February 22, Murphy signed the bills after the Senate and Assembly voted to pass a third bill that clearly outlines the penalties for being caught with marijuana under the state’s legal age limit—making marijuana officially legal in New Jersey.

What Happens Next?

The signing of these three bills will launch a new marijuana industry in New Jersey but sales of marijuana are realistically not going to take place until the end of 2021. Existing medical dispensaries and new recreational ones will need licenses to meet public demand, which could take months.

Currently, New Jersey has 13 medical marijuana dispensaries and is looking to open more throughout the upcoming months. Unfortunately, New Jersey’s marijuana supply has struggled to keep up with the state’s 100,000 registered patients and must prioritize their needs before they can begin selling to the public.

Murphy announced his appointment of Dianna Houenou as Chair and Jeff Brown as Executive Director of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission1 on November 6, 2020. However, the entirety of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission needs seating for the marijuana industry to be effectively overseen.

Despite these purchasing delays, New Jersey residents will not have to wait until they can purchase marijuana for possession arrests to stop. The decriminalization law2 will allow people to possess up to six ounces of marijuana, stop police from approaching young people if they smell marijuana, and will enable police to give out warnings to people under 21 with marijuana. Additionally, if police break this law, they will be charged with deprivation of civil rights.

Stay Up to Date with NJ Marijuana Marketing News

The signing of these three bills puts an end to the long and chaotic process of legalizing marijuana in New Jersey. It also opens marketing possibilities for recreational use. Current and new dispensaries will need to better advertise their services, products, and policies.

Stay up to date on the latest happenings in NJ regarding legalization with Herban Creative.

The Benefits of CBD Oil and Migraines

The Benefits of CBD Oil and Migraines

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How CBD Oil Can Help Manage Your Migraines

For thousands of years, hemp and cannabis were used as medicine for illnesses and chronic pain.1 Therefore, it’s no surprise that people are beginning to widely accept the pain-relieving benefits that come from taking CBD. Before getting into the benefits of CBD oil and migraines, let’s review what CBD is and its common effects.

What is CBD?

According to the US National Library of Medicine, Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical compound found within the Cannabis Sativa plant.2 Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another chemical compound found in cannabis, CBD is not psychoactive.3

What Are the Effects of CBD?

Considering that CBD is in the plant’s non-psychoactive component, consuming CDB products will not result in feeling euphoric or altered in any way. Despite this, there are still many benefits to using CBD. Although research is limited, there are reports of CBD alleviating chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and migraines.4

Can CBD Help Relieve Migraines?

Migraine attacks are one of the most intense forms of headaches. Symptoms can include sensitivity to light, noise, movement, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, or malaise.5 Several over the counter pain medications can temporarily alleviate these symptoms but may cause additional side effects. This is where the appeal of using CBD comes into play.

Research of CBD and Migraines

Currently, there are no official published studies that focus on the effects that CBD has on migraines. This is partly due to restrictions placed upon CBD and cannabis regulations. However, there are some lavatory studies6 that show that CBD can help with chronic pain, including migraines.

How to Use CBD to Help with Migraines

Although CBD and cannabis products are still widely understudied due to legal restrictions, CBD can still be tried as a natural pain reliever.7

CBD oil can be applied topically, ingested, or vaped. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that the inhalation process delivers the compounds to your bloodstream much quicker than other methods.8 As a result, in an extreme migraine attack, inhalation may bring the quickest relief.

Need help navigating the regulations of CBD marketing? For assistance with branding, web design, and integrated digital marketing, contact our team at Herban Creative today to learn more.

Decriminalization of Weed on Hold for New Jersey

Decriminalization of Weed on Hold for New Jersey

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Murphy Pushes Deadline for the Decriminalization of Weed

The path to legalizing marijuana in New Jersey has been a long and tumultuous one—and it’s not over yet. Despite the overwhelming vote in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults 21+, it’s going to take longer than initially anticipated for the decimalization of weed.

Murphy’s Decriminalization Delays

On December 17th, 2020, two bills that addressed the legalization of adult-use marijuana and the decriminalization of up to six ounces of possession were passed. Unfortunately, Governor Phil Murphy has not signed them due to a “drafting error.” As a result, possession of marijuana will still be considered a crime until the bills are officially signed.

Murphy refused to sign the bills due to their lack of explanation surrounding penalties for minors caught with possession of marijuana. According to Amol Sinha, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the language on the bill was used to protect minors from suffering significant charges if caught. This has caused a stir and many disagreements amongst Democrats that are currently in control of the statehouse.

What Happens Next?

State lawmakers are in the process of introducing a new bill that highlights fines and other penalties for underage marijuana use. This new bill was drafted in reaction to Murphy’s refusal to sign the previous bills that did not specify the penalties of underage marijuana possession.

This current bill states that a $250 fine would be charged to people between the ages of 18-20 who possess up to six ounces of marijuana. Minors would not be charged the fine, but they could potentially face juvenile delinquency dispositions.1 For this bill to pass, it must be voted on, passed, and then signed by Murphy.

Stay up to date on the latest happenings in New Jersey regarding marijuana legalization with Herban Creative!

Cannabis Brands & SMS Text Message Marketing

Cannabis Brands & SMS Text Message Marketing

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How SMS Text Message Marketing Can Help Cannabis Brands

Short Message Service (SMS) marketing is a marketing tactic that allows brands to message their customers via text. In other words, SMS marketing is just text messaging. In today’s over-advertised, saturated market, it can be difficult to differentiate your brand from competitors and reach new audiences through most channels. But SMS text message marketing allows brands to have an intimate relationship with their customers through a channel most marketers forget about.

What are the Benefits of SMS Marketing for My Cannabis Brand?

Generate More Leads

By creating carefully designed cannabis news, sales offers, and exclusive content, you can appeal to a wider target audience, increase website traffic, and boost potential sales.

Fast Delivery

SMS marketing has instant delivery time. Once you craft your SMS message, it will be delivered instantly to your contact list, making this an excellent channel to send out time sensitive messages such as flash sale information.

Higher Open Rates

SMS marketing has the highest open rate over any other marketing channel.1 Your brand should be taking advantage of this opportunity to create personalized messages that will help you stand out from all other notifications.

Ways to Implement SMS Marketing into your Cannabis Brand’s Marketing Strategy

Offer Discounts

SMS marketing is an excellent tool for promoting your upcoming sales, discounts, or special offers. In order to get the most out of your message, include a link to your website. This makes it easier for your customers to check out your products and increases your website traffic.

Send Updates and Notifications

Since SMS marketing has an instant delivery time, announcing launch updates, when sales are going to be, and highlighting new products are all great ways to promote your brand, website, and products.

Collect Customer Feedback

SMS marketing allows you to create a more intimate relationship between you and your customers. Therefore, sending SMS messages asking for customer feedback is a great way to gather information about what’s working and what’s not. Additionally, this is a great way to make your customers feel valued and appreciated. This in turn will help create stronger brand loyalty for your customers.

Are you interested in creating a more intimate relationship with your clients? If so, implementing SMS message marketing into your cannabis brand’s marketing strategy can help achieve this. Reach out to our team at Herban Creative, we can help you with all your SMS messaging and cannabis marketing needs.