While nearly every other B2C industry enjoys the luxuries that digital marketing offers, cannabis is stuck in the turn of the century. It wasn't until the early 2000s that online reviews started to become a key piece of feedback and kick off the online marketing boom for companies. Most industries have been able to move on to more modern-day tactics to support their products, but cannabis remains pretty much stuck in Y2K.
Colorado Botanicals has taken the marketing lemons that regulatory red tape has offered them and turned them into a refined lemon spritzer. By nurturing the clients that have taken the time to leave them a review (probably while listening to Nickelback's newest album "Silverside Up" on CD), CEO and Co-Founder Narek Sarokhani developed a database of loyal customers to do his marketing for him. His dedication to the strategy of reviews led to the purchase of specialized CRM software and captured the attention of a Forbes contributor.
During our conversation Narek shares:
Why reviews can be an easy and effective way to energize your current and future customers.
How he finds and nurtures relationships with reporters on LinkedIn.
Why you may be seeing more ads from CBD companies on both Meta and Google platforms in the near future.
You can listen to Narek's 30-minute conversation on the Move the Stairs™ podcast here. Or, check out our top three Move the Stairs™ takeaways below:
Move the Stairs Moment 1: If you cannot comfortably digitally market, party like it's 2000
If you picked up on the terrible Millenial early 2000s reference above, well done! Also, kudos to Narek for taking one of the few tactics available to comfortably market his product, refine it, and shine a spotlight on the power of positive reviews to grow his customer base.
Move the Stairs Moment 2: If you're not using LinkedIn to network, you need to rethink your networking strategy
Other than a few annoying LinkedIn-sponsored InMails, have you ever gotten a spam message? It's one of the last standing social media oases that hasn't been polluted by spam, bots, and the oversaturation of marketing. That's why it's a great place to network with reporters. You never know who you will find. In Narek's case, he discovered a Forbes contributor who he now networks with regularly.
Move the Stairs Moment 3: Can you finally breathe easier with your Meta and Google ads?
Facebook's policy eased in 2019, which allowed some flexibility for CBD brands looking to enter the digital marketing space. The catch? You cannot sell a product outright, but you can educate as Colorado Botanicals does in its latest Facebook ad. Google is now entering the CBD digital marketing space too. Narek explains why the wait was worth it.
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