Let’s talk about the cannabis marketing consultants profession and why your business needs cannabis consulting to succeed.
A lot of cannabis companies are small businesses. They are family-owned organizations with limited resources, usually working on a family farm. In fact, they might not even have processing equipment, but instead, they hire white label and private label services.
Although they have limited funds to start their operations, that doesn’t mean they can survive without marketing and proper advice. The cannabis field has its intricacies, and your ability to succeed often revolves around people you surround yourself with.
Having a good cannabis consultant can be a way to achieve your dreams.
This article will talk more about cannabis consultants, how they can help your business, and what to expect.
How to find the right cannabis consultant?
A lot of cannabis professionals can be classified as cannabis consultants. We commonly use this term to refer to cannabis lawyers, advertising experts, retail professionals, and financial gurus.
Each of these individuals should be an expert in their respective field and provide services that you cannot perform yourself.
Like everything else cannabis-related, finding the right cannabis consultant can be quite a chore. One of the issues is segmented regulatory policies.
Every state has its laws, which means there might also be major differences in how cannabis consultants advertise themselves online.
Generally speaking, the major social platforms do not allow cannabis advertising. Yet, you might notice marijuana and hemp banners here and there.
For example, some companies can create short-term ads and infiltrate the system. While this is not a viable long-term policy, and you will likely get flagged sooner than later, you might be able to advertise cannabis for a while, something that your competition cannot do.
Anyway, here are some of the main things to look out for when hiring a cannabis consultant.
Consider various types of consultants
Cannabis companies have access to a cannabis consultant who stems from various related fields. They can help you with finances, marketing, and legal issues.
1. Cannabis legal consultant
Although cannabis is slowly legalized in the States, there are a lot of legal and regulatory loopholes that you need to consider.
Some states are especially notorious for their convoluted marijuana and hemp laws. When looking for a cannabis consultant, make sure they have a track record working within the field.
You won’t benefit by hiring any lawyer; you will find guys who know how to help you. However, having a legal consultation before starting a business will be much easier to continue with subsequent operations.
2. Cannabis marketing consultant
Like in every business, having a cannabis marketing consultant is priceless. These guys can find the proper channels through which you can advertise.
A cannabis marketing consultant on cannabis can also provide invaluable tips regarding products and how to position them in the eyes of consumers. Given that cannabis marketing is all about digital marketing, they have to know their way on the internet.
Ideally, they should have a team to deal with all your website, social media, and SEO needs.
3. Cannabis sales consultant
Sales consultations are great for both small and big cannabis businesses. A sales expert can give you tips on how to package your products and create a brand identity.
They can also deal with your logistics, transporting, and everything in between. Having a good cannabis sales consultant will significantly impact your conversion rate, allowing you to sell much more items per website visit.
4. Cannabis optimization consultant
Nowadays, there are still a lot of restrictions when it comes to using paid ads on Google and social media. Because of that, most companies prefer going with organic search engine traffic.
A cannabis SEO consultant will make your site faster, more responsive, and most importantly, they will ensure that you get much more visitors for the lucrative keywords that your potential customers are using.
Consider giving a part of your equity
The biggest issue for most cannabis companies is their lack of funds. Young cannabis entrepreneurs want to start their own business, but they might still work for another company and have limited resources.
Because of that, they’re barely keeping their cannabis company afloat, which is why they likely don’t have money for consultation services.
Needless to say, this is a major issue if you want to start your business the right way. By building a company on bad pillars, you won’t get far.
As a solution, many cannabis companies decide to give equity to consulting firms. That way, they don’t have to invest cash from the get-go.
Although this might hurt you in the long run, it might be your only viable solution at the beginning of the business, and it is definitely something you need to consider.
1. Check their track record
You should always check a cannabis consultant’s track record before you start working together. Things might be a bit tricky within the cannabis industry because it is a relatively new field.
There aren’t many long-standing companies, and many cannabis consultants have started performing these services in the last few years. However, it is relatively easy to contact the company’s previous clients and ask them for feedback.
You need a person who understands the business and can get you where you need to go. There are a lot of challenges along the way that you’ll need to address together.
Keep in mind that the cannabis consultants should be much more knowledgeable than you. Otherwise, there is no point in hiring them.
2. Do they implement what they preach?
Lastly, make sure to assess the cannabis consultant’s website and see if they know what they’re talking about. If they cannot help themselves, how will they help you?
When checking their website, ask yourself do they instill authority? Would you like to cooperate with them?
Also, if you’re hiring a cannabis marketing consultant, they must rank high in Google. By finding them among the top 10 results, is a good initial sign that shows they will also be able to optimize your website.