What Makes a Powerful Cannabis Brand?

LEARN ABOUT THE KEY ELEMENTS OF DEVELOPING STAND-OUT CANNABIS BRANDING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

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As consumers, we all view brands through a lens.

Whether we’re thinking of logical reasons to support them, their credibility within the given industry, or how much we love the charity work they do, we stand with certain brands because our values and beliefs align with theirs.

Anything from having the lowest prices, all the way to donating a pair of shoes for each pair they sell can be a deciding factor on why a consumer chooses one brand over another.

But what do these concepts have to do with your cannabis brand? A lot, actually.

Although medical and recreational cannabis are still relatively new, that hasn’t stopped entrepreneurs from quickly planting brand seeds and taking root. What started with just a few brands has quickly evolved into crowds of cultivators, bakers and concentrate-makers (among many others), all vying to be the breakout cannabis brand that OGs and newcomers consistently choose over the competition.

So how do players in the ever-changing cannabis industry ensure their products and overall brand messaging are top-of-mind?

Authenticity: What’s Your “Why”?

When considering what your brand stands for and the true reasons for its existence, take into consideration who the founder is as an individual.

Think about the “why” behind their business, or the problem they’re trying to solve through the company’s work. When you’re able to answer these questions on a deep and honest level, you are one step closer to making real connections with consumers who share your brand’s values.

Visual Cannabis Branding and Storytelling

In any industry, you want to stand out from the crowd. You want to be the eye-catching poster, the logo that someone glimpses and immediately thinks of you. This is one of the main things people think about when asked about branding.

Consistent imagery, colors, fonts and so on are incredibly valuable pieces of the branding puzzle. Once those aspects are identified, it’s time to nail down your brand voice and tone guidelines. This framework will serve as a critical base for the development of cohesive, compelling brand messaging across all of your platforms.

A good example of this practice is how 710 Labs has combined confident copywriting with stunning visual branding: a narrow, black font over a brilliant white background, paired with sketchbook graphics featuring figurative puffs of technicolor. Together, the storytelling and bold presentation detail their commitment to rich flavor, being pesticide-free, organically grown and more.

Visuals and copywriting are powerful devices that can convey what people should expect from your brand in a holistic way. You want people to experience your brand art in a way that’s similar to how they experience your product. This cannot be emphasized enough for cannabis branding, specifically.

Thought Leadership and Credibility

Once you’ve articulated your brand’s why, it’s time to focus on communicating it. How is what you’re doing different or disrupting the current state of the industry? You might consider this a “wow” factor for your brand.

Think of when Southwest Airlines decided to let people choose their own seats, for example. How is your method different, unique and improving upon what’s already out there?

When it comes to setting up your cannabis brand for success, it’s vital to understand why it exists in the first place. This is a time for creative collaboration. Involve your whole team and take time to think and brainstorm on what it is about your brand that makes it unique and innovative, and why audiences should listen to and do business with you.

So, What Makes a Powerful Cannabis Brand?

Start with what you and your team stand for. Why are you passionate about cannabis? How is your business unique and fresh? What do you want to leave behind that makes this world a better place? Then identify your visual brand, articulate your tone and voice, and start amplifying your key messaging to targeted audiences. Grow with us! Learn how Grasslands can help your business flourish—drop us a line anytime.

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