How can my recreational dispensary website stand out?
There are a number of factors that go into creating the best recreational dispensary website designs. We will discuss those factors in the post.
How can I compete in the rapidly growing cannabis sector?
There are several ways you can distinguish your dispensary and stand out from your competitors:
- Service
- Knowledge
- Value
- Product
However, first you need to be found. Your website is the key factor to being discovered. A well designed, easy to navigate, responsive website is your most important marketing tool.
SEO
Having a search engine optimized website is a must. SEO isn’t confined to the technical meta-description and focus keyword on the administrator end of your page or post. SEO derives from the written content on your pages and the way that content is organized. Until very recently, long tail keywords used in headings were one of the primary drivers of SEO. However, as search engines get smarter, quality content and the ability to address and answer the questions your users pose are critical factors to being found on the Internet.
- Optimizing for local and voice searches are very important steps in staying ahead of your competitors.
People will be searching in the following ways:
- Dispensaries near me
- By product
Secondly, you need to connect to the user. How will you do that?
You will connect to your audience by building a brand. People want to connect to a brand that they identify with and feel a connection to. Your website is the first step to building that brand.
Remember, most people would rather drive a few extra miles to get great products, information, and service than settle for substandard quality in those areas.
Your website is your brand ambassador
The design of your dispensary website must be functional
In order to be competitive your recreational dispensary website must meet the following criteria:
- A responsive design that looks and reads as well on a smart phone as it does on a large screen.
- A website that is attractive and keeps users on your pages.
- Pages that are easy to navigate.
- A section that lists your menu and describes your products. Your potential clients will be looking for certain strains or products. You will want to make sure that your offerings can be found.
- A fast loading website, one of Google’s top criteria in determining ranking.
Remember people are using your website to obtain information. Your content has to be well laid out, image rich and easy to read. I’ve interviewed a group of medical cannabis users and compiled a list of features they would like to see displayed on dispensary websites
The design of your recreational dispensary website should be engaging
There is no reason that the design of your dispensary website has to be clinical and boring.
Once the functional demands of your website are satisfied, you can elevate engagement with a beautiful design.
How can you enhance visual design? By featuring the following:
- Beautiful photos
- Videos
- A 360 degree tour of your dispensary.
Remember images are not arbitrary. Images tell a story that will connect the user to your brand.
Which other features are important to dispensary web design?
- Color. Color is a powerful method of setting mood and sending messages to your customers. The advertising industry has spend multi millions researching the effect of color on consumers and they have isolated the meanings that colors can convey.
- Fonts, another powerful method of setting tone and mood.
- Overall layout that is clean and easy to navigate.
The following can be beautifully integrated into the overall design:
- Testimonials
- Call to action features
- Blog
- Links to your social media pages
Demographics will determine the design of your recreational dispensary website
What kind of people is your dispensary serving?
Your location, neighborhood, and the kind of customer that comes in will determine the aesthetics of your dispensary web design.
- Urban, suburban, rural
- Midwest, west, south, east
- Tropical or temperate
- Age of average customer
- Culture of average customer
- Education level
- Income level
- Sophistication
You will want your business to be relatable, inspirational, and brandable. However, you can’t just do what you like without considering the preferences, brands, and likes of your particular demographic. For example, soccer moms, hipsters, and hip hop fans all have a different aesthetic. Therefore, your website should reflect the look they identify with.
Furthermore, certain demographics have particular preferences. Boomers and Generation X still like to read. Millennials like to be entertained with visual effects. If your customer base consists of all those groups, you will need to feature both informative text and entertaining visuals.
Remember you customer base should be the determining factor in the look and feel of your website.
Tell your story on your recreational dispensary website and engage with your audience
The About page on your website is where you will have a chance to shine and connect with your audience.
People love stories and Americans particularly love stories about overcoming adversity. Tell your clients how and why you came to be in this business. However, you must make your story memorable, surprising and about something they can relate to emotionally. This will make you stand out.
My favorite story of all time was a video made for Ebay where a man named Ed Church talks about being reunited with his first motorcycle. Though he was passionate about the bike, he sold it when his daughter was born. Years later, when she was grown, he found it again on Ebay and his passion was rekindled.
Ed is a like a latter day cowboy in speech and appearance. He resonates with audiences because he is so authentic, honest, and emotional. Moreover, the themes that are used throughout the video have universal resonance – the open road, sacrifice, love, passion and freedom.
Notice that Ebay is not named until the latter half of the story arc. Ed ups the tension by telling us how he lost his first bid and then paid what the bike was worth to him a year later when it came up for sale again.
Click to watch:
Remember, simplicity and authenticity are the key to connecting with the audience.
Keeping your clients engaged with your recreational dispensary website is crucial
You can keep your customers engaged in the following manner:
- Blogging
- Newsletter
- Events
- Special deals
Well written content is critically important to SEO, but it is even more important to your customers. They will look to you as an authoritative source of information and guidance. Update them with all the news concerning legislation, local, federal and state so they don’t have to go off page to find it.
That goes double for your products. Always feature images and descriptions, don’t rely on linking to other sites or pages.
Always remember that your website isn’t a one time thing. Your content should be updated regularly. Your blog posts are the best way to, not only keep readers engaged, but boost your search engine rankings.
Your website is the prefect place to share information with your customers
The way that tax revenue is spent is important to many people in your community.
Tell your customers where the tax money goes.
“How do marijuana taxes work?
Marijuana sales are legal and taxed in seven states. Most of these states tax the consumer purchase of marijuana (similar to a retail sales tax) but some tax the transaction between cultivators and distributors or retailers (similar to taxes on alcohol).
In Colorado and Washington, where marijuana has been taxed since 2014, marijuana taxes bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, or roughly 1 percent of each state’s own-source general revenue.
How do states use marijuana revenue?
So far, every state that taxes marijuana has dedicated at least a portion of the resulting revenue to specific programs:
- Alaska sends half of its revenue to its general fund and half to programs aimed at reducing repeat criminal offences.
- California’s revenue pays for administrative costs associated with marijuana legalization, and then uses excess funds for programs related to drug use, including economic development, academic studies, and youth programs.
- Colorado’s revenue is dedicated to education programs.
- Massachusetts distributes its revenue to various public safety programs.
- Nevada’s revenue is sent to education programs and its rainy day fund.
- Oregon dedicates its revenue to education programs, drug prevention and treatment programs, and transfers to local governments.
- Washington dedicates its revenues to health care programs.”
To read more: Cannabis Tax Revenues.
Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, plans to use recreational cannabis tax revenue to fund reparations for the black community which has been disproportionately affected by harsh drug laws.
To read more:
Are you are personally involved in the community, charities, or programs?
No need to be modest. This is the time to blow your own horn, raise awareness, and make people feel good about their indirect contribution by making your store their dispensary of choice.
Brand reputation or how you differ from your competitors
7 ways you can be better than everyone else in your field:
- Outstanding Service
- Knowledgeable and friendly staff
- Guarantees
- Shared knowledge in the form of a blog or newsletter
- Transparency
- Relationship building
- Marketing
Marketing is the key to success. Your business is B2C, or business to customer. Some forms of marketing you might use:
- Paid advertising
- Internet marketing on various platforms
- Word of mouth
- Transactional marketing (coupons, deals, specials)
- Relationship building through a newsletter
Remember, your website is your greatest marketing tool.
Summary
- Your website is the most important factor in creating a brand and being discovered online
- The design of your recreational dispensary website is going to be dependent on your audience
- Well written content and images can tell your story and create an emotional connection to your audience
- Blogging, newsletters, social media, specials, and events should all be part of your marketing strategy
Our Story
Cannabis legalization
We have always favored the legalization of cannabis. We find it distressing that cannabis users have been targeted and imprisoned in the past.
Health and well being
We also have seen the beneficial effect cannabis has had on our friends and loved ones, helping them cope with stress, pain, and mood regulation.
A well designed WEBSITE brings VALUE to your business
We are extremely excited by the value our industry can bring to yours. We are also highly motivated by the web design possibilities inherent within a brand new industry where few precedents have been set.
We would sincerely like to partner with you in being at the forefront of that industry.
If you need the following, we can help
- A new dispensary web design
- A revamp of your existing design
- SEO
- Content
- Blogging
- Newsletter
