Digital Marketing for
Cannabis Companies

The cannabis industry is more competitive than ever.
With changing legislation and tremendous industry growth,
you need a partner to help you navigate your digital strategy.

Let's Talk Strategy

Find Your Audience

The cannabis industry is expanding nationwide.
Make sure your brand reaches a growing pool of potential customers.

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    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Cannabis Websites and Dispensaries

    With changing legislation and legalization standards on a local basis, it can be difficult to execute a profitable digital strategy for cannabis companies. At Digital Third Coast, we know how to connect cannabis companies and dispensary services with their target audiences online. Our technical and on-site SEO work for cannabis websites is highly effective in boosting online visibility in search. While our creative content and digital PR campaigns build brand awareness and earn valuable inbound media coverage for your cannabis website.

    With your brand attached to our SEO strategies, you’ll see measurable increases in your rankings, improvements in your organic traffic, and most importantly, growth your customer base.

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    Pay-Per-Click (PPC) for Cannabis Companies and Dispensaries

    Traditional paid advertising channels are currently off-limits to B2C cannabis companies. But our team is always vigilant for changes in industry regulations.

    Stay tuned for updates about rules and regulations surrounding PPC for cannabis companies and PPC for dispensaries.

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    The Challenges of Digital Marketing for Cannabis Companies

    We have a history of success with digital marketing for cannabis and dispensary clients. We understand the challenges your industry faces. We also know how to navigate the digital barriers and restrictions placed on your cannabis or dispensary website. Our team of experienced SEO and digital PR experts will work closely with you to overcome any hurdle and achieve your digital marketing goals.

Get Noticed

Our process is grounded in original research, tailored to your company.
We've earned cannabis clients media coverage in the best publications here and abroad.

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We'll help you find the right strategies to achieve your goals.

  • Digital PR

    Chicago's premier Digital PR agency
    Content that reaches millions, strategy awarded for ingenuity, and countless brands outranking competitors

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  • SEO

    Our award-winning SEO content strategy gets results.

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  • Inbound Marketing

    Attract and convert more customers with a full scale Inbound Marketing campaign that delivers more leads to your business.

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Looking For Cannabis Legality

Support for cannabis legalization is growing in the United States and the cannabis industry is exploding right along with it. As new states continue to legalize, those living in cannabis-unfriendly areas are likely wondering when they’ll be next and where they can buy.

For companies looking to break into the “green” market, there’s no better time to sell your services – but with cannabis legality varying from state to state, it’s important to get it right.

In order to find out where America’s most cannabis-curious are located, we recently analyzed Google searches in all 50 states and in 34 of the largest cities where cannabis is not yet fully legal. In addition, we surveyed over 1,000 Americans to learn more about their feelings on cannabis legalization, cannabis use, and marketing in the United States.

 

cannabis curious, by state

 

Those most interested in legality seem to be centralized in the American west, with Wyoming topping the list (no.1) with its nearby neighbors North Dakota (no. 2), Iowa (no. 4), and Nebraska (no. 5) rounding out the top 5. West Virginia is the odd man out in the 3rd slot, representing the East Coast.

Southern and Eastern states with mixed legality rank lowest on our list, including Maryland (no. 30), Florida (no. 33). and Pennsylvania (no. 34). These states have medicinal programs, different laws around CBD usage, and some have even decriminalized cannabis.

 

 

States looking for cannabis legalization, by state

 

We found significant search volume inquiring about legalization in states where cannabis is already on the books, most notably, high search volumes in Alaska.

 

Most Cannabis Curious, by City

America’s major metro areas are hubs for all kinds of businesses. But is the same true for canna-business? We looked at interest at the city-level, analyzing search queries surrounding questions of legalization in 34 of the country’s biggest cities. 

most cannabis curious by city

 

Interestingly, the top 5 cities that are searching for state cannabis legalization are all located in states where cannabis is completely illegal with Southern and Western states taking the lead. Birmingham, Alabama wins the number 1 slot with Charleston, SC (no. 2), Cheyenne, WY, Nashville, Omaha, and Charlotte not far behind.

 

American Cannabis Use

With changing degrees of cannabis legalization across the country, are sentiments about cannabis products changing with the times? According to our recent survey, nearly 60% say they use cannabis products.

 

American cannabis use

 

Also, not all cannabis users are interested in purchasing from a dispensary – if given the opportunity, 55% of our respondents would “grow their own,” with the most would-be home growers hailing from Montana (no. 1), Arizona (no. 2) and Connecticut (no. 3).

 

Cannabis Legalization

A whopping 92% of Americans we surveyed are on board with cannabis legalization with 67% looking forward to both medical and recreational use and 25% for medical use only.

 

Americans thoughts on cannabis legalization federal, state, municipal level

 

When it comes to why cannabis should be made legal in the United States, answers ran the gamut. The most popular reason? Freedom. Forty five percent of respondents believe that cannabis use is a “matter of freedom or personal choice,” with medical reasons (25%), and freeing up law enforcement (10%) rounding out the top three reasons. 

 

Survey asked at which level cannabis should be legal in the united states

 

Interestingly, only 3% of respondents believe that government regulation of cannabis products should be the main reason for legalization. However, out of those that believe that cannabis should be legalized, 72% of respondents think that cannabis should be made legal on the federal level vs. the 24% that would prefer legalization on the state level.

 

bar chart, at what age should cannabis be legal. Average response was 19.

 

When asked about the best legal age for cannabis consumption, 52% of respondents believe that 21 is the best age, with 18 not being far behind. Seven percent settled on 25 – which some scientists believe is the best age to begin for brain health.

 

Cannabis Marketing

Without a doubt, the cannabis industry is booming in the US. This raises questions about where and how cannabis products should be marketed and sold. Much like restrictions on alcohol, nicotine, and pharmaceuticals, cannabis has restrictions in place on advertising that often shift state-to-state.

We asked our respondents to weigh in on cannabis advertising and nearly 40% liken cannabis to alcohol and believe similar advertising restrictions should be on both. 

 

 

Where do Americans want to buy cannabis products, survey results

 

Twenty-five percent of respondents feel as if cannabis is closer to nicotine and should be advertised similarly and 1 in 5 respondents that believe cannabis should be advertised as a pharmaceutical product.

When it comes to where cannabis can be purchased, respondents may be looking a little beyond the standard dispensary. Over half of all respondents think that cannabis should be available at their local pharmacies and 31% want to be able to add cannabis products to their grocery lists – suggesting that cannabis should be sold at your local supermarket, gas station, or newsstand.

 

The Future of Cannabis Legalization.

What does the future hold for cannabis? Well, that’s up to lawmakers. But we asked our respondents whether they felt the trend towards more widespread legalization is hurtful or helpful to society. The overwhelming majority (81%) believe legalization is helpful. 

While we’ve barely scratched the surface when considering the implications of cannabis legalization in the US, one thing is clear: cannabis is here to stay.

 

Methodology

In April 2021, we surveyed 1,062 Americans between the ages of 18-75. 49% of respondents were female and 51% respondents were male. The average age of respondents was 37 years old.

Using the Google AdWords platform, we analyzed total search volume for more than 100 phrases and questions related “when cannabis will be legal in [state]” as well variations of those keywords and phrases to account for more colloquial terms for cannabis like “weed,” “pot,” and “marijuana”. Search volume for these phrases and keywords was analyzed over the period of March 2020 to April 2021. Total search volume during this period was then calculated per capita and visualized per 100,000 for each state and largest non-legal city.