Cannabis Legalization and Marijuana Marketing

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Weed History was made in 2018 in the passing of Bill C-45 – Recreational cannabis was officially legalized on October 17, 2018, by the Federal Government. From the sky, you’d likely see a plume of smoke over certain Canadian cities, Kamloops, B.C being the only legal weed shop in all of British Columbia, with a line up outside with eager buyers waiting to make their first legal marijuana purchase.  With Canada recently passing the Cannabis Act, this is a revolutionary time for the cannabis industry and many companies that have been trailblazers for this much-needed change. Existing growers and producers are expanding operations and investing in capital, demand is surpassing the supply, meaning it is an extremely attractive market for weed companies and will have a positive impact on the Canadian economy.

Here’s a quick look at the numbers, according to BNN Bloomberg (if you like sales, you like numbers):

  • About 4.9 million Canadians used cannabis and consumed more than 20 grams of marijuana per person in 2017, spending a total $5.6 billion on the product, according to estimates from Statistics Canada.
  • Legal cannabis sales could reach $6.5 billion by 2020, according to an estimate from CIBC analysts JohnZamparo, Prakash Gowd, and Mark Petrie. In a report published last month, the analysts predicted cannabis sales could top sales of spirits.
  • 63 percent of current cannabis users in Canada plan to make purchases at legal retailers, according to a survey commissioned by Deloitte that polled 1,500 Canadians.
  • Canadian adults will be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public.

So – what does that mean for the organization in this thriving industry? The growth of the pot biz has been no secret, and businesses have been waiting to find out ‘where can I market my cannabis and marijuana?’ and ‘what am I allowed to do when it comes to marketing cannabis products and services?’ Consumers purchasing marijuana are nothing short of diverse, and unlike selling shoes, there is a large education component of understanding the products, different strains, dosages, health benefits… the list goes on. The rules on marketing pot products can be subjective and open to interpretation. Financial Post noted in a recent online article cannabis marketing rules are ‘still hazy’, it’s clear as a crystalized bud that there are limitations:

  • Packaging should not appeal to children, or promote a glamorous lifestyle.
  • Limitations and restrictions on where to market, such as newspapers, radio, billboards, and many traditional communication channels.

Health Canada spokeswoman stated, “Newspapers available to the public should not generally contain any promotional material, including advertising, related to cannabis,”.

With limitations on where cannabis products can be sold, and how it can be packaged, marketers are investing their advertising budgets on online initiatives such as search engine optimization, cannabis marketing experts and social campaigns targeting the 18+ market.

Two core avenues for educating and promoting marijuana, cannabis, and hemp products is through:

  1. Trade shows – prior to legalization, tradeshows in the marijuana Industry were far and few between. Cannabis tradeshows are now popping up, and it allows for industry to network and learns, as well as an opportunity to engage with consumers and the public that is specifically at these events to talk to brands! The upcoming 2019 Vancouver Expo has one day specifically for Industry, followed by ‘Consumer Weekend’.
  1. Festivals and Events – with the minimum age of 18, festivals and other events are a great way to target a specific age group to which you’re allowed to market to in a concentrated area. This can be done by deploying a well-trained street team to drive brand awareness and interest to your brand through digital media, social campaigns consumer surveys, swag, and educational pamphlets etc.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LISTING OF UPCOMING MARIJUANA & CANNABIS TRADESHOWS!

When hiring an agency to manage a cannabis promotion, ensure the promotional agency is aligned with your political views on selling marijuana. Although it’s ‘not a big deal’ to some, the reality is not all businesses and individuals support the industry. You also want to ensure that the promotional agency has knowledge and understanding of the rules and regulations, licensing requirements, and can provide your campaign with educated and articulate brand ambassadors that can support you at events.

Buzz Promotions is fully supportive of the recent legalization of Canada, and the opportunity to partner with suppliers, retailers, procurers to be an advocate for safe, legal marijuana usage. If you are in the industry and want more information on how a promotional campaign through Buzz Promotions can help you get to market faster, boost sales and drive brand recognition!

Not only can we help with sales campaigns, but our goal is also to provide guidance, educational campaigns to educate on the risks, and safe usage is just one of many other ways we can support this movement.

Hope to see you at one of the upcoming cannabis and marijuana trade shows!

How to take advantage of social media to impact your next trade show

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Establishing a strong social media presence will have an impact on your next trade show. However, many companies are afraid of social media because it takes a lot of commitment. In order to maintain visibility, you must stay active and provide followers with consistent, high-quality content. There are many advantages if you actually decide to commit. Here are some reasons:

Gather insights
Social media like twitter and Instagram is a valuable market research tool. In the weeks prior to the event, take time to research key words and hashtags that are relevant to the show, your brand, and your industry. This extracts useful insight from potential attendees. What are they excited about? Do they know you’ll be there? You can take social media analytics even deeper by using data mining tools to discover the most commonly used words, phrases, and sentiments.

A channel for communication
Make your presence known to users who are discussing the event by responding to, liking on Instagram and retweeting their tweets. This reminds people you’re accessible and proves you care about customers enough to interact with them. Adding this personal touch will incline users to visit your booth.
Your social media should be a channel for communication. For example, you could announce a “Live Q&A”, where you spend an hour or two answering questions about the event, your company, and the products at your exhibit.

Live updates
What’s happening at your booth right now? For example use Instagram or Twitter to talk about any promotions, giveaways, or exciting demonstrations that are scheduled at your exhibit, and provide incentives to attendees who share it on their own timelines.
Bear in mind that not all your followers will be there live. Be deliberate when live posting by using only high-quality info and photos that all of your followers can enjoy.

Customer satisfaction tool
Social media is an excellent customer satisfaction tool. Similar to the pre-show research process, take time to discover how users felt about the trade show overall — along with your booth, your products, and other competitors at the event. Ask for constructive feedback — they might provide useful insight that will improve your next trade show appearance.

This follow-up process can save customer relationships. If you find a user with an issue or a question, contact them right away with the solution. Small gestures such as this will build you a reputation for proactive, communicative customer service.

Social media advantages in summary
If you’re willing to commit to your social media accounts, you’ll reap the benefits at your next trade show. It will keep you fresh in attendees minds, and your company will build a reputation for being interactive, communicative, and personable. Combining these advantages will lead to higher booth traffic, more sales leads, and a successful trade show overall.

trade show staffing

Tips on Effectively Staffing Your Trade Show Booth

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The Importance of Effective Trade Show Staffing

Trade show season is upon us in all major North American cities. From New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles to major cities north of the border, Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Companies preparing for a dynamic trade show tend to focus on having engaging give-aways, modern signage and branding, well-designed booths and marketing material to provide your visitors. The one component that ends up in the oblivion: your trade show booth personnel.

Recruiting and hiring professional brand ambassadors are paramount to successfully market your product or service at a trade show. Regardless of industry. Whether you are in the home improvement, automotive or alcoholic beverage industry, the trade show booth personnel promoting your product and engaging with attendees are critical! Brand ambassadors are highly trained in the art of establishing relationships that turn prospects into leads and then into buyers, and personifying your product’s quality and image.

You do not want just anyone manning your exhibit. Buzz Promotions strongly encourages companies to staff their booths with the best talent you can find. Smart, articulate and charming trade show brand ambassadors that can learn your business quick – a skill that not all people can quickly adapt to.

In order to truly execute an effective trade show marketing initiative, efficient staffing is key. However, in order to properly execute a marketing campaign, and launch your brand to the next level, you need a reputable marketing team behind you! Buzz Promotions takes the time to review each client individually and believes in your product (and ours), has superior communication and customer-service skills, and fully understands your objectives.

Helpful Tips on Choosing the Ideal Trade Show Booth Personnel

We do not recommend using volunteers to execute your trade show personnel. Trade show brand ambassadors have extensive training on experiential marketing and trade shows, products, goals, target audience and an effective and engaging approach. Here are some tips for effective trade show staffing, and creating a Buzz for your brand.

  • Your trade show booth personnel must be friendly, lively and fully engaged in your company’s products and services. All brand ambassadors must be dressed to impress and well groomed. We ensure our roster shows up to all events in a professional manner.
  • Basic on-site training for trade show staffing is mandatory, including a detailed guideline and script on how to educate the public about your business.
  • Greet ALL attendees quickly and confidently. Have trade show personnel introduce themselves with a one-minute overview of your company and its benefits, ask questions to find out if the visitors are in fact your target audience, then spend another 30 seconds giving details on products or services and getting visitor information to ensure easy post event follow-up.
  • Ensure all expectations are clear prior to your personnel arriving on-site. This includes brand ambassador dress codes, when to arrive, how long they’ll be required to work the booth, proper trade show etiquette (i.e. no eating, drinking or sitting down). Not 100% sure how to assess your needs? Buzz Promotions has you covered!
  • Don’t understaff or overstaff your trade show exhibit. Staffing your booth with too many people may deflect visitors who may think your exhibit is too busy. On the flip side, if you under staff your booth, you run the risk of not having enough resources to pitch your business, answer questions, and accommodate breaks.

Most importantly, it is critical for you and your sales team to follow up with leads immediately via phone calls, emails, and  invitations to discuss next steps. Don’t forget to update your website and social media with photos!

Have a trade show coming up? Get in touch with us today for top talent when it comes to trade show brand ambassadors and personnel!

Experiential Marketing Insider: Why Promo Agency Pricing isn’t Definitive

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THE ‘FLUCTUATING’ DOLLAR QUESTION: WHY PROMO AGENCIES PRICES AREN’T DEFINITIVE

As a seasoned Promotional Staffing Coordinator of 7 years, unsurprisingly, the first and most certain question I’m asked by potential and returning clients is “what is the cost?”; to which I am unable to provide an immediate answer in most cases. It’s an answer that will determine the outcome of our business partnership, and yet the topic of pricing has become increasingly complicated due to the saturation of promotional staffing market. To operate within the given marketing budget, most clients are likely asking this same question to several promo agencies. However, it’s as ambiguous as going to five different restaurants and asking “how much is your food?” and just as ill-advised as to go with the lowest bidder.

This is very much an industry where you get what you pay for. Many promotional representatives and brand ambassadors simultaneously work for multiple agencies as sub-contractors. The agency that provides its clients with the lowest bid will, in turn, offer the lowest wages. When wages decrease, so do the staffing pool and quality of staff. The highest-performing staff will likely pursue a higher paying job either by another client, or with another agency. In fact, there are agencies offering beautiful, experienced promotional staff and sending out inexperienced retirees in their place. These are the agencies who have undercut their competition and are now providing nothing more than then first respondent of a classified ad on their clients behalf.

Generally speaking, promo staff prices in Canada are in the $30-$40/hour range (fees included). To best execute your experiential marketing campaign, I will require specific details to negotiate and to provide an accurate quote for your business. Before you book your first promotional agency, here are some essential variables that will influence promo staff prices:

  • Most importantly, please give me an idea of the budget you’re working with. So many times I’ve spent hours liaising with potential clients, trying to come up with a fair price for their request, only to find out in the end that their budget wouldn’t even cover my costs, let alone time.
  • Where is the event? Rate range varies from region to region. Rural areas are far more difficult to staff and often require paid travel.
  • What time is the event? If it requires driving at 3 am, chances are there will be a travel per diem.
    Is it a private event and if so will it be held in a private residence? This doesn’t come up too often but sending brand ambassadors to residential events comes with a lot more hesitation. We usually require a minimum amount of staff for safety reason, pay them slightly more and ask for 100% upfront.
  • What are the uniform/outfit requirements? Bikini-clad roller-skating servers are going to be paid significantly more than street teams in jeans and branded tops. Mascots will also be compensated differently.
  • What is the total number of hours/staff? There is definitely some wiggle room if you’re booking 100 hours but my business and my staff will suffer when I start to discount 10 hour contracts.
  • Are you willing to sign an agreement right now, well ahead of time? If so, I’m happy to negotiate. Last-minute staffing requires tight deadlines and subsequently more work.
  • What payment terms work for you? If a lower-than-average rate has been negotiated, payment will almost definitely be expected upfront and/or immediately following an event.

For on-going agreements such as tastings, demos and street teams, here are some other details to consider:

  • How many shifts/hours/staff per week or month will you be booking? This can be a ballpark answer but this information is imperative when deciding or negotiating a price.
  • Will you require product financing?
  • Will you require training, materials and/or delivery? These are additional costs to be considered.

To provide your business with the best quality of service that suits your budget, a promotional agency needs to compensate our staff fairly. In order to stay competitive, most agencies choose not to disclose general prices on their websites and discuss rates by negotiation. If you are seeking out multiple agencies, it is the best to approach the matter in an ethical and transparent manner. If you come across a competitor offering a similar solution at a close price, please let me know. I’d love to match their rate or work with you to improve the original terms/services. Shopping around becomes detrimental if a client is considering price as their only basis or creating a bidding war – something I’ve seen happen and seen falsified many times in my career. When you have two or more agencies undercutting each other to obtain the contract, everyone involved suffers the consequences.

Please help us find a detailed solution that you will be satisfied with while remaining mindful of the expenditures, pressures, risk and diligent effort we take on in order to fulfill that satisfaction.