Benefits of Email Marketing for Cannabis Brands
When you’re looking to promote your cannabis or CBD products, email marketing offers many important advantages over other marketing channels. Unlike social media or paid advertising, email gives you complete control over your messaging and audience reach.
You won’t have to worry about sudden platform changes or account suspensions that can derail your marketing efforts. Email marketing also allows you to build direct relationships with your customers, gather valuable data about their preferences, and create targeted campaigns that drive real results.
With the cannabis industry facing marketing restrictions, email has become one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to reach your audience.
Related: Find Out Which Industries Are Best For Email Marketing
It’s especially valuable for cannabis brands because it lets you educate your customers about your products, share important updates about regulations, and keep consistent communication.
Increased Traffic
Email drives targeted traffic directly to your website. Unlike social media posts that may get lost in news feeds, emails land right in your subscribers’ inboxes. You can send them straight to product pages, blog posts, or special offers, wherever you want them to go.
These are people who’ve already shown interest in your products by signing up for your emails. They’re much more likely to visit your site and make purchases compared to cold traffic from ads. Doing this means higher engagement rates and better conversion opportunities for your cannabis business.
The beauty of email traffic is how predictable it is. When you send an email, you can typically expect a surge of visitors within the first few hours. This makes it easier to plan your inventory and staffing needs, especially if you’re running a promotion or launching a new product.
Higher ROI
Email marketing delivers an amazing return on investment. For every $1 spent on email marketing, businesses see an average return of $42. That’s a 4,200% ROI, pretty impressive when you compare it to other marketing channels.
For cannabis brands specifically, email’s ROI is even more valuable since you can’t rely on traditional paid advertising. Your email list becomes one of your most valuable marketing assets. The cost-effectiveness of email marketing means you can reinvest more of your budget into product development, customer service, and other areas that grow your business.
Email marketing is so cost effective because of the combination of low overhead costs and high potential returns. You’re not paying for ad space or competing in bidding wars. Once you have your email system set up, the marginal cost of sending each additional email is minimal.
Understanding Your Audience Better
Email marketing gives you deep insights into what your customers want. Through email analytics, you can track which products generate the most interest, what content resonates with your audience, and which promotions drive the most sales. These help shape everything from your product development to your content strategy.
You can see exactly when people open your emails, what links they click, and what actions they take afterward. This data helps you understand your customers’ behaviors and preferences at a new level. You’ll learn what times of day your audience is the most responsive, which subject lines grab their attention, and what types of offers motivate them to buy.
This understanding is more than just numbers and data points. Through your email interactions, you’ll get a sense of your customers’ needs, pain points, and their interests. You can use this information to create more relevant content, develop new products, and improve the overall experience of your customers.
Lower Churn Rate
Regular email communication helps keep your customers engaged with your brand. When you stay top of mind through valuable emails, your customers are less likely to drift away to competitors. This is especially important in the cannabis industry, where customer loyalty can be challenging to maintain.
Email lets you build relationships with your customers over time. You can share educational content about cannabis products, announce new inventory, offer exclusive deals to loyal customers, and keep them updated on industry news and regulations. This consistent communication builds trust and familiarity with your brand.
The key to reducing churn through email is providing consistent value. Every email should give your subscribers something worthwhile, whether that’s information, entertainment, or special offers. When customers feel they’re getting value from your emails, they’re more likely to stick around and continue buying from you.
How Does Cannabis Email Marketing Work?
Cannabis email marketing works by building and nurturing relationships with customers who’ve opted in to receive communications from your brand. It starts with collecting email addresses through your website, in-store signups, or other touchpoints.
The process begins when someone gives you permission to email them. This usually happens when they make a purchase, sign up for your newsletter, or opt in through your website. From there, you’ll use an email marketing platform to manage your subscriber list, design emails, and track results.
Your email platform serves as the command center for all your email marketing activities. It securely stores your subscriber information, helps you create professional-looking emails, and provides data about how your emails perform.
You’ll use it to schedule campaigns, set up automated sequences, and measure your success.
If you need help setting up your cannabis email marketing program, In-box specializes in email marketing for cannabis brands. We can help you build and execute a strategy that drives real results.
How to Create an Email Marketing Strategy for Cannabis
A successful cannabis email marketing strategy requires careful planning and execution. You’ll need a reliable email marketing platform that both accepts cannabis businesses and provides the features you need to run effective campaigns. Let’s break down the key things you’ll need to consider.
Choose Your Platform
Choosing the right email marketing platform is your first and most important decision. Not all platforms allow cannabis businesses, so you need to choose carefully.
Your platform should provide strong deliverability rates to ensure your emails reach their destination. Look for one with an easy-to-use email builder that lets you create professional-looking emails without needing design skills.
The platform should also offer strong automation capabilities. You’ll want to set up automated sequences for things like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups. Good analytics are essential too, you need to track how your emails perform to improve over time.
Customer support is another important consideration. Choose a platform that has reliable support when you need help. Some platforms provide dedicated account managers for larger accounts, which can be invaluable as you grow.
Build Your Email List
Building a quality email list takes time and patience. Start by adding email signup forms to your website. Place them strategically, like on your homepage, blog posts, and checkout page. Offer something valuable in exchange for email addresses, like a discount on first purchases or exclusive content.
It’s also worth regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers and bounced emails every few months. This helps maintain high engagement rates and keeps your sending costs down.
In-store email collection is valuable for dispensaries. Train your staff to ask for email addresses at checkout. You can use tablets or digital kiosks to make signup easy. QR codes can bridge the gap between physical and digital. Place your QR codes on packaging, receipts, or on in-store displays.
Remember that list quality matters more than quantity. It’s better to have 1,000 engaged subscribers than 10,000 who never open your emails. Focus on attracting people who are genuinely interested in your products and brand.
Segment Your Audience
Effective segmentation makes your emails more relevant and engaging for your customers. Different customers have different needs and interests. Some might use cannabis for medical purposes, while others are recreational users. Some prefer edibles, while others stick to flowers or concentrates.
You can segment based on purchase history, browsing behavior, or stated preferences. Geographic location is important too, especially if you operate in multiple markets with different regulations. Use your email platform’s segmentation tools to organize your list into meaningful groups.
The more targeted your emails are, the better they’ll perform. Segmentation lets you send the right message to the right people at the right time. This leads to higher open rates, better engagement, and more sales.
Create Email Automation and Workflows
Email automation saves time and ensures consistent communication. Start with a welcome sequence for new subscribers. This might include an introduction to your brand, educational content about cannabis, and an offer to make their first purchase.
Post-purchase workflows help build customer loyalty. Send order confirmations, shipping updates, and follow-up emails asking for feedback. Set up abandoned cart reminders to recover lost sales. Create re-engagement campaigns for subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in a while.
Birthday or anniversary emails add a personal touch. Consider creating VIP workflows for your best customers. These might include early access to new products, special discounts, or exclusive content.
Optimize Email Design
Your email design needs to reflect your brand’s professionalism while making it easy for subscribers to take action. Start with a clean, mobile-responsive template, over half of all emails are now opened on mobile devices. Your brand colors and logo should be consistent across all emails, building recognition and trust with each send.
White space is your friend in email design. Don’t try to cram too much information into a single email. Break up text with subheadings and short paragraphs to make your content scannable. Use high-quality images of your products, but be mindful of file sizes to ensure quick loading times.
Make your call-to-action buttons stand out visually. They should be large enough to tap on mobile devices and use colors that contrast with the rest of your design. Place your most important content “above the fold”, the area visible without scrolling.
Test and Monitor Key Metrics
Success in email marketing comes from constant testing and refinement. Your open rates tell you how effective your subject lines are at grabbing attention.
For cannabis ecommerce brands, tracking metrics like average order value (AOV) and customer lifetime value (CLV) alongside your email performance can help you understand how your email campaigns impact your bottom line.
Click-through rates show how engaging your content is and how well your calls-to-action are working. Track conversion rates to understand which types of emails drive the most sales. Revenue per email helps you measure the direct financial impact of your email program.
Pay attention to list growth rate and unsubscribe rate too. A healthy email list should grow faster than it shrinks. If you notice a spike in unsubscribes after certain types of emails, that’s a signal to adjust your approach.
4 Essential Email Types for Cannabis Brands
Your email marketing strategy should include several different types of emails, each serving a specific purpose in your customer’s journey. Let’s look at the four most important types of emails every cannabis brand should be sending.
1. Welcome Emails
Your welcome email sets the tone for your entire relationship with your new subscribers. Send it immediately after someone joins your list since they’re most likely to engage with your brand in these first few moments. Start by thanking them for subscribing and introducing your brand’s unique story and values.
Set clear expectations about what kind of emails they’ll receive and how often. Share your best content or products to showcase what makes your brand special. Including a welcome discount can encourage that first purchase, but make sure the offer has enough value to motivate action
2. Inventory Reminders
Cannabis inventory moves quickly, and your customers want to know when their favorite products are available. Stock update emails keep your subscribers informed about your new arrivals and restocked items. You can create urgency by highlighting limited quantities or special batch releases.
Product recommendation emails based on past purchases help your customers discover new items they might enjoy. If you notice someone regularly buys a particular strain or product type, let them know when similar items become available. This type of personalization shows you understand their preferences.
3. Surveys and Reviews
Customer feedback helps improve your products and service while building social proof for your brand. Send post-purchase emails asking about their experience, but keep surveys short and focused. Make it easy for your happy customers to share reviews by linking directly to your review platform.
Share any positive reviews you get in your emails to help build trust with your potential customers. When you receive constructive feedback, use it to make improvements and then follow up to show your customers you value what they have to say. This creates a feedback loop that will improve your customer relationships.
4. Loyalty Program Emails
A well-structured loyalty program can dramatically increase customer lifetime value. Your loyalty emails should make it easy for your members to understand their status and available rewards. Regular points balance updates keep your program top of mind.
You can send special offers to VIP members to make them feel valued and celebrate their loyalty milestones with reward bonuses or exclusive access to new products. Use tiered rewards to encourage your customers to increase their spending to reach the next level.
Best Email Platforms for Cannabis Brands
Choosing the right email platform is so important for your cannabis marketing success, as not all providers accept businesses in this industry. Here are the top platforms that welcome cannabis brands and provide the features you need to run effective email campaigns.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo stands out for its deep ecommerce integration and powerful segmentation capabilities. This platform is so strong that it creates highly targeted automation flows based on customer behavior. You can set up complex sequences triggered by actions like browsing specific products or abandoning a cart.
Their analytics go further than basic metrics to show you the actual revenue generated by each email. The platform also offers pre-built templates specifically designed for ecommerce, making it easier to create professional-looking emails quickly.
Drip
Drip focuses specifically on ecommerce businesses, making it a good fit for online cannabis retailers. Their visual workflow builder makes it easy to create automated email sequences. You can tag your customers based on their behavior and preferences, then use those tags to send more relevant emails.
The platform’s personalization tools let you dynamically change email content based on customer data. Their revenue attribution features help you understand which emails drive the most sales.
Aweber
Aweber provides a reliable, straightforward email marketing solution that’s been serving businesses for over 20 years. Their platform is especially user-friendly for anyone who is new to email marketing. They offer a powerful set of features including an AI-powered content assistant that can help you write emails faster.
Their landing page builder and sign-up form creator make it easy to grow your list. While they might not have all the advanced features of platforms like Klaviyo, they offer solid deliverability and good customer support.
MailerLite
MailerLite combines simplicity with powerful features at a competitive price point. Their clean, modern interface makes it easy to create professional-looking emails without a steep learning curve. The platform includes a website builder, which can be helpful if you’re just starting out.
Their automation features let you create basic workflows for welcome sequences and abandoned cart recovery. The platform also offers A/B testing tools to help you optimize your emails over time.
Email Marketing for Cannabis: Best Practices
Successful email marketing for cannabis brands requires following proven strategies that engage your audience while staying compliant with regulations in the industry.
These best practices will help you create effective campaigns that drive results and build lasting customer relationships.
Set Clear Goals
Every email campaign should have a specific purpose. Define what you want to achieve, whether that’s driving sales of a particular product, increasing customer engagement, or growing your subscriber list. Set measurable targets so you can track your progress.
Break down your goals into short-term and long-term objectives. You might aim for a 25% open rate on your next campaign while working toward a larger goal of increasing customer lifetime value by 30% over the next year.
Include Strong CTAs
Every email needs a clear call-to-action that tells readers what to do next. Use action-oriented language that creates a sense of urgency or excitement. Instead of generic phrases like “Click Here,” use specific CTAs like “Shop New Arrivals” or “Claim Your Discount.”
Test different CTA placements and designs to find what works best for your audience. Sometimes a simple text link works better than a button. Don’t be afraid to repeat your CTA, but just make sure each instance drives toward the same goal.
Focus on Quality Information and Value
Your emails should always provide real value to your subscribers. Share educational content about different cannabis products and their uses. Offer tips on storage, consumption methods, or dosing. Keep your audience informed about industry news and regulatory changes that might affect them.
Bombarding subscribers with daily promotional emails or sending irrelevant content is a fast track to high unsubscribe rates and poor engagement and several things can go wrong. You’ll want to avoid the “spray and pray” approach that many inexperienced marketers fall into.
Product recommendations should be thoughtful and personalized, but don’t just push whatever you’re trying to move out of inventory. When you do send promotional emails, make sure the offers are genuinely valuable to your customers.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing for CBD and cannabis brands offers a reliable way to relate to your customers and grow your business. While it requires careful planning and execution, the results are worth the effort. By following the strategies and best practices outlined in our guide, you can build an email marketing program that drives real results for your cannabis business.
If you need help implementing these strategies, In-box specializes in email marketing for cannabis brands. Our team understands marketing challenges in the cannabis industry and can help you create campaigns that engage your audience and drive sales.
