Dispensary Marketing Agency Foottraffik Locks Up 33% of Washington Retail Market
By Guillermo B.
Foottraffik CEO Shares Its Proven Strategies for Cannabis Dispensaries
Foottraffik, one of the industry’s leading cannabis dispensary marketing companies, is making quite a footprint in Washington state. Using publicly available market data from 502data, Foottraffik calculated the aggregate revenue of its impressive Washington state client list to find that its clients’ sales represent 33 percent of Washington’s cannabis market!
With a client list that includes a significant chunk of Washington’s most successful dispensaries, Foottraffik is dominating the state’s cannabis retail market. After its 2017 acquisition of Grassworks Digital’s marketing services arm, Foottraffik commands more market share than any other digital marketing agency in the state.
Foottraffik CEO and founder, Guillermo Bravo, credits his agency’s dominance of the Washington market to Foottrafik’s business model that he characterizes as having a laser focus on driving traffic and conversions. “We don’t do anything that isn’t ROI-driven,” said Bravo. “Everything we do must pass a simple test: Does it drive web and foot traffic? And does this traffic translate to an increase in revenue?”
Foottraffik also credits his agency’s meteoric rise in Washington to a smart business strategy that focuses on:
Relationships: Partnering with complementary tech companies that can promote Foottraffik’s business or introduce them to qualified prospects.
Smart Acquisitions: Concurrent to Baker Software’s acquisition of Grassworks Digital’s online e-commerce platform, Foottraffik acquired Grassworks Digital’s book of marketing business.
So, what strategies does this agency’s CEO recommend for dispensaries?
Bravo explains that because every dispensary is unique and represent different types of clientele, there’s no single secret sauce or formula. However, there are a few strategies Bravo claims nearly any dispensary can benefit from:
Cannabis Dispensary Marketing: Create Memorable Customer Experiences
There are now literally thousands of cannabis dispensaries in states where cannabis is legal, yet only a small percentage of them put a lot of thought into their store’s interior design and customer experience. As the market continues to mature, it’s attracting an increasingly diverse and discriminating clientele who are looking for an experience that resembles going to an Apple Store or upscale spa rather than a head shop. Details matter: everything from creating a beautiful store to hiring team members who are savvy, knowledgeable, and customer-focused.
Bravo suggests creating a layout that evokes comfort and high-end design. First impressions are everything, and if a customer walks into a store that looks like a head shop or liquor store, there’s a good chance they’re going to be turned off.
As Bravo suggests in a recent Foottraffik blog, Cannabis Brands Designed to Enhance User Experience (UX), creating a positive customer experience “requires a deliberate and methodical focus on design, customer experiences, accessibility, ease of use, and outcomes.” Bravo adds, “Eliminate anything that detracts from the successful use or sale of your products and services so that you can ensure the best possible outcome for your customers.”
Cannabis Dispensary Content Marketing: Yes, Content (Still) is King!
Far from being dead, content marketing continues to be one of the most effective marketing strategies. If content marketing isn’t working for you, it’s not the tactic, it’s your execution. Creating content just for the sake of creating content is not a strategy. The content must be remarkable and integrated with your other marketing efforts, particularly SEO.
ROI-driven Foottraffik, for example, tightly ties its recommended content strategies to SEO, traffic generation, and conversion. Moreover, they hire leading writers in the cannabis industry to create awesome content that consistently ranks at the top of Google.
While content isn’t an overnight strategy, it doesn’t take long to pay off. Integrating content with a sound SEO not only enhances a company’s brand, it fuels conversion (which, of course, translates to revenue).
It’s a simple formula: SEO-driven Content Strategy + Customer Conversion Focus = Revenue Growth
Run Consistent Customer Incentives/Rewards and Product Promotions Campaigns
Cannabis consumers are no different than other retail consumers. They love deals! You can get them in the door and create a memorable experience, but consumers have short attention spans and can easily be lured by your competition with special promotions. To keep them loyal and coming back for more, you’ll need to consistently run creative campaigns.
Most dispensaries offer special deals for first visits; that’s a given. But don’t neglect weekly or daily incentives to keep them coming back for more.
When creating your promotions strategy, listen to your customers and don’t be afraid of being imaginative. Who are your typical customers? What do they want? What might they want that they haven’t thought of? You don’t need to (nor should you) limit your specials to free or cheap pre-rolls. Fewer and fewer consumers are “smoking” their cannabis anyway, and they’re increasingly looking towards other types of products or delivery methods. Partner with your vendors to host in-store educational events where customers can try new products like topicals, vapes, or the latest edibles.
To promote these incentives, use email and SMS campaigns (where legal) to get the word out. Incentives and memorable in-store experiences will keep your dispensary top-of-mind and help drive sales!
While the strategies in this article represent just a few ways you can grow your business if you’re ready to crush it, check out Foottraffik’s website (https://www.foottraffik.co/) for free marketing resources including a free “Beginner’s Guide to Dispensary Marketing.”