Editor's Note: this article was lightly updated in May 2020. We hope Google sees the light and opens up more of its platform to legal cannabis, CBD and hemp companies.  Marketers in the cannabis industry have an interesting environment in which to work. The product is in demand and audiences want to...

A content playbook is somewhat like an extended campaign brief, it sets the direction and strategy for the content campaign and it’s designed to serve as a resource for the content team members to reference back to as the campaign is executed. Simply put, the content playbook asks these three questions:...

Content marketing is made up of two parts: content and marketing. Once you have developed original content and optimized it for search, it’s time to start thinking beyond inbound traffic to promotion and outreach for that content. Not everyone uses the internet the same way, and so while many people may be finding your...

Successful series of studies on the Cannabis Consumer results in pioneering strategic partnership to deliver Fortune-500-caliber market insights. SEATTLE, WA March 20, 2018 – Seattle-based Matters Group and Cascade Strategies, Inc., have formalized a partnership to deliver advanced data science, sophisticated analytics and market research services to the emerging cannabis industry....

LinkedIn is the platform we get the most questions about from our B2B clients focused on lead generation. At Canna Con in Seattle this weekend, most companies with booth space were companies marketing their services and products to Cannabis producers and processors. Including all types of businesses, from soil and seed...

Many small businesses in the cannabis industry tend to think that market research is a costly exercise that can provide knowledge and insight –both of which are pleasant in the abstract– but doesn’t provide tangible results like more sales and profits.   Admittedly, there are some market research projects that don’t...

Canna Ventures (now The Matters Group) has launched a groundbreaking new study on marijuana branding in the US. It is scheduled for release in early October 2014. This survey doesn’t simply retrace the familiar knowledge about adoption and usage. While valuable in its appropriate realm, such insights have been publicized by...

Canna Ventures has launched a groundbreaking new study on marijuana branding in the US. It is scheduled for release in early October 2014. This survey doesn’t simply retrace the familiar knowledge about adoption and usage. While valuable in its appropriate realm, such insights have been publicized by many other survey organizations....

Marijuana users and advertising to them has existed as an open secret for a very long time, but that hasn’t stopped it evolving into a force which will continue to change. In the past year, the appearance of the first cable-broadcasted marijuana commercial and the first New York Times ad for marijuana have brought a...

Image via Examiner.com Not everyone voted for Initiative 502. A full 44 percent of the Washington population checked ‘no’ on the ballot that brought us legalized pot. Many believe legalizing marijuana will destroy the county, children, everything! However, a variety of compelling arguments exist on the other side of that debate,...

  Drinkables have emerged onto the legal marijuana product scene in a big way. Despite some recent, literal explosions on the market the user-friendly method of imbibing marijuana has taken first Colorado, then Washington by storm. A Bevy of Beverages Lemonades, fruit juices, coffees and sodas have joined the cadre of caramels and...

 Image via The Weed Street Journal Marijuana Myths – #1: More Pot Means More Crime One of the largest arguments the anti-legalization crowd employs stems from the belief that legal marijuana would increase the crime rate. A number of recent studies have come out that dispute, and even contradict, that assumption....

Washington's rules for recreational cannabis stores get pretty specific about most things, including signage. With all-things-cannabis regulated to death, let's take a look at understanding the restrictions and how best to market your products under close watch from the state.  It’s Not The Size, It’s How You Use It The state...

I was once VP Marketing for a retail chain in the bath and beauty category. We started in Seattle and grew to over 300 stores nationally, with comp sales increasing as much as 60% over the previous year. We had a successful public offering and the sales growth continued. I truly...

From legal requirements to ensuring you have cohesive brand messaging, there is a wide range of considerations that go into designing cannabis packaging. The following is a short list of the most important design considerations as well as a cannabis advertising and packaging and labeling resources for cannabis businesses. Legal Requirements:...

Recently, while trying to determine what impact, if any, the latest Google update (regarding the nofollow link attribute, rel=”nofollow”, now being recorded as a “hint” rather than as a directive by Google) had on our website traffic, I noticed a pattern in the nature of the service inquiries we were receiving...

Picture the scene… It is CannaCon, a respectable B2B cannabis industry tradeshow in Denver, Colorado. I am walking and talking with Morgan, at the time President of the MJBA, later Founder and CEO of the Cannabis Women’s Alliance. We were discussing what topics we should discuss on an upcoming panel about...

We often tell people there’s no one right way to do content, but there are several ways to get it wrong. A lot of it is trial and error. It’s testing topics, tones, and mediums to see what resonates with your target audience and gets them to engage. If you’re currently...

A solid content marketing approach usually includes these three general components: Content StrategyContent Marketing PlanContent Performance Analytics Content Strategy Starting with the content strategy, it’s important to first define what your content needs and goals are. If you’re not sure what your content needs and goals are, we recommend conducting a...

A Marijuana culture enjoys a history of slang and alternative word usage, which will assuredly come into play once advertising really ramps up on the new industry. If you’d like a quick primer, here is an excellent place to begin. blazin’ a trail with marijuana slang If asked to create a list of...