There are plenty of reasons why companies in the cannabis industry should be utilizing cannabis public relations campaigns, with one of the biggest ones being generating more awareness, boosting visibility, and overcoming the limitations that other brands in the market are facing. That’s because, through public relations, companies can develop and frame the way that the media and the public will see their brands, and in a positive manner. Through public relations, companies can interact with their target audiences and keep the conversation going with them, as well as keep the company’s name constantly circulating in media outlets. However, when companies in the cannabis industry are creating their public relations campaigns, they have to follow certain steps to ensure they’ll be more successful in their efforts.
Budget
One of the first things that companies need to define when creating a public relations campaign is the budget for that campaign. This tends to be a significant upfront investment, however, it has a great return on investment (ROI) for businesses at the same time. That’s because when companies are investing in public relations, they’re helping generate more brand awareness, for example, among many other things. Through brand awareness, companies can turn from unknown, small, and local businesses into big, legitimate players in their markets.
Goals
The next step that companies have to define when creating a public relations campaign is the goals that they want to achieve with that campaign. Setting the goals upfront can help companies define which PR strategies they should be pursuing, what kind of efforts they need to make, and more. Additionally, with the budget in mind, companies will have a better understanding of whether they’re able to utilize certain strategies or if they’re going to be constrained by their budget. This can help companies avoid spending too much on a single promotional effort, while also making sure that all of the efforts are going to be effective. It’s also important for companies to set their goals upfront so that they can tie them into the overall goals of a business, and keep track of the performance of each cannabis PR effort with the right metrics.
Story
According to research, when a person is listening to a story, both the experiential and the language processing parts of their minds are being engaged. That means companies can use stories to engage their target audiences in a relatable and memorable way, that will keep the name of the business at the top of their minds. Through storytelling, companies can create a lot more meaningful relationships with their consumers too, as they’re going to be a lot more interested in doing business with the companies that they find relatable.