Cannabis marketing: How to make sure customers know you’re a sustainable brand
As climate crises become frequent, more and more cannabis consumers are looking for sustainable options for their purchases. They want to support brands who cultivate, manufacture, package, and distribute with a focus on protecting the environment. Today’s customers are more savvy than they once were. It’s not enough to look ‘green’ or claim to be sustainable. In today’s market, consumers are validating your claims and then choosing to purchase your product. If you make it easy for consumers to find the information they need to confirm that your sustainable marketing claims and your on-the-ground practices align, then you make it easy for them to choose to purchase your product. In this blog, we outline exactly where your customers are looking and what information they need to see.
Third-Party Certification
One of the most important pieces of information consumers look for
Your customers will believe what other people say about you more than what you say about yourself. Having a credible outside organization certify your brand as sustainable goes a long way in building trust with consumers. In the cannabis industry, there are several organizations whose business is to assess operations and give brands a certified sustainable stamp of approval. Once certified, you should receive a logo or badge to proudly promote your third party validation. Here’s a list of credible third party certifiers:
Showing off your 3rd party certification is an important part of your sustainable marketing plan!
Envirocann
Multi-tier sustainability & regenerative certification for farms, manufacturers, and retailers
The Cannabis Conservancy
Sustainability certification for individual growers or grower groups
DemPure
Regenerative certification for cultivators, extractors and vendors
Sun & Earth
Sustainability certification for farmers assessing cultivation, human empowerment, and community engagement
Social Media
The first place consumers will look for third party validation and other sustainability commitments
There are several places throughout your social media profile and content to evidence your commitment to the planet:
Your bio: Make sure in your bio you share your 3rd party validation or a brief description of your sustainability practices.
Your content: If sustainability is a big part of your brand, make it a big part of your content. Highlight your practices and partnerships with video, photos, and in your captions so when consumers visit your profile, they see your sustainability messaging reinforced in your grid or timeline.
Story Highlight: If you regularly post stories about your sustainability practices, include them in a highlight reel.
Website
Consumers will travel from your social media profile to your website to learn more
Consumers on the lookout for misleading marketing will visit your website to find information on how you achieve your sustainability claims. Throughout your website, highlight your focus on the environment in images and messaging. On your homepage, make sure you preview that sustainability is a pillar of your brand. For the curious and knowledgeable, include a page on your website dedicated to transparency, explaining your sustainability values, contributions, and activities. Give consumers a deep dive into how you see your role in protecting the environment so they know there’s commitment behind your claims.
Packaging
Consumers will choose your product over your competitors’ if they can find indicators of sustainability
The packaging itself: When a sustainability-minded customer picks up your product, the first thing they will do is try to determine if it’s been produced with post-consumer or virgin materials. Next, they’ll question if they can reuse, recycle, or compost the package. If they can’t, they may move on to a different product that fits better with their eco-friendly lifestyle. Head over to our sustainable packaging page to get started on your own planet-first packaging.
On the package: Packaging real estate is precious - especially in the cannabis industry where so many warnings and symbols are legally required. However, when a customer is holding your product in their hands, they’ll flip it around scanning for evidence of the package’s eco-friendly materials and the brand’s sustainability values. If it’s a part of your brand, you don’t want to miss out on this crucial opportunity to make your sustainability efforts clear to your customers. For example, we offer several different Tree Hugger Containers “Sustainable Partner” badges that our customers have the option to use on their jars if they choose.
Collateral
If it’s not on your brochure, postcard, or flyer consumers won’t think it’s real
Sustainability shouldn’t be a marketing pillar evoked only when you’re speaking to a specific audience. Compartmentalizing your brand values like that leads customers to question what really matters to you. If one of the most important facts about your business is how you protect the environment, include it in all of your marketing either loudly with messaging or subtly with imagery.
Ultimately, if sustainability drives your cannabis business, make sure that value is present everywhere your brand is present. When you do this, you make it easy for eco-conscious consumers to recognize themselves as your customers.