In today’s digital age, cannabis dispensaries have all kinds of marketing tools at their disposal. One of my favorite tools that has proven to be highly effective is text messaging campaigns. With the widespread use of cell phones and other mobile devices, text messaging provides a direct and personal way to reach your target audience. However, running a successful text message campaign requires careful planning and execution.
In this article, I will discuss the key elements of running an effective campaign and provide legitimate tips to help you achieve your marketing goals. This is the clear path for what we have done here at Respect My Region for numerous clients in the cannabis space.
How Dispensaries and Delivery Services Can Leverage Text Messaging To Grow Revenue
- Define Your Campaign Objective
Before diving into any marketing campaign, it’s essential to clearly define your objective. What do you hope to achieve through your text messaging campaign? Are you aiming to increase sales, drive traffic to your website, promote a new product, or engage with your customers?
Defining your campaign objective will help you shape your messaging and measure the success of your campaign. I personally always try to craft various types of campaigns that overlap, flow, and work together to push the entire team toward a collective goal.
- Build a Targeted Subscriber List
The success of your text message campaign heavily relies on the quality of your subscriber list. Avoid purchasing lists or sending messages to individuals who haven’t opted in. I’m going to repeat that, AVOID BUYING LISTS. Instead, focus on building an organic and targeted subscriber list. Provide clear opt-in opportunities on your website, social media platforms, and offline marketing materials. Consider offering incentives such as exclusive discounts or valuable content to entice users to subscribe. Think about providing valuable content or opportunities. The key thing here is being valuable to a targeted group of people.
- Craft Compelling and Concise Messages
Text messages have limited space, so it’s extra important to make every word count. Craft concise and compelling messages that grab your audience’s attention and deliver your key message effectively. Use a conversational tone and personalize the messages whenever possible. Address your subscribers by name or group to create a sense of personal connection and relevance. Be mindful of character limits and aim to keep your messages under the various character limits to ensure they are delivered in a single SMS. 160 characters tends to be a solid limit so try to shoot for less than that.
- Timing is Key
Timing plays a crucial role in the success of your text message campaign. Sending messages at the wrong time can lead to higher opt-out rates and decreased engagement. Research your target audience to determine the best times to send messages. Generally, it’s best to avoid early mornings, late nights, and weekends. Consider segmenting your subscriber list based on demographics or product preferences and tailor your sending schedule accordingly. It is perfectly okay to send multiple blasts in a day to 5 entirely different groups of people. The more targeted the better is what I prefer in most cases.
- Use Strong Call-to-Actions
To encourage engagement and drive action, include strong call-to-actions (CTAs) in your text messages. Clearly communicate what you want your subscribers to do, whether it’s making a purchase, visiting your website, attending an event, or sharing your message on social media. Use action verbs and create a sense of urgency to motivate your subscribers to take immediate action. If you don’t really know what good examples of call to actions are, I did a ton of research on Google, Pinterest, and on other blogs by searching for examples and then researching different examples used by brands that are popular in different markets. Different industries use similar but different language to attract their customers so I always pull from what has worked with the likes of Coca Cola, Forever 21, MAC, Nike, Taco Bell, Starbucks, and more.
- Provide Value and Relevance
Text message campaigns should provide value and relevance to your subscribers. Avoid bombarding them with constant promotional messages. Instead, mix promotional content with helpful tips, exclusive offers, insider news, or interesting updates. Ensure that your messages align with your subscribers’ interests and preferences. Use segmentation and personalization to send targeted messages that resonate with each individual.
I personally support crafting each of the different recommendations above. Do anywhere from two to four text campaigns per week and include one with helpful tips, another with an exclusive offers or multiple offers, a different campaign with important updates or interesting news about an event or big sale, and maybe another that really hones in on narrating your company’s own story. You’d be surprised how many people actually care about getting to know your company, the staff, culture, and more behind the scenes.
- Monitor and Analyze Results
Regularly monitor and analyze the results of your text message campaign to assess its effectiveness. Track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and opt-out rates. Analyze the data to identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement. Use A/B testing to experiment with different approaches and optimize your campaign based on the insights you gather. If all of that sounds mad confusing, definitely feel free to hit me up and I’ll walk you through any questions you have.
- Comply with Legal and Ethical Guidelines
When running a text message campaign, it’s crucial to comply with legal and ethical guidelines. Familiarize yourself with the regulations in your country regarding SMS marketing. Obtain explicit consent from subscribers before sending them messages and provide a clear opt-out mechanism. It is beyond important that you respect your subscribers’ privacy and ensure their personal information is handled securely.
Text message campaigns can be a powerful tool to engage with your audience, drive conversions, and boost brand awareness. By following the advice and tips we’ve shared above, you can run highly effective text message campaigns.
Remember to adapt your strategies based on feedback and continuously improve to achieve optimal results. If you’d like to unlock the power of text messaging and tap into the potential for greater marketing success, reach out to my partner Mitch or I and let’s chat about what has and hasn’t worked for your dispensary or delivery service so far.
