The question that we receive most often from dispensary owners is “Do I really need to have a website for my dispensary?” The answer is, yes, totally, 100% ABSOLUTELY you do. Here are several reasons why even dispensaries need to have a functioning website to be successful:
1. A website is the foundation of all other aspects of your dispensary marketing
As a dispensary, your business is very limited in marketing and advertising options. You can use social media, but sometimes cannabis accounts get pulled or deleted for violating the ever-changing terms of use. You can’t use Adwords or other digital advertising platforms. You can’t send any marketing materials through the mail. Basically, you’re limited to digital marketing via content. By using SEO on your website to rank for keywords like “best dispensary in Denver” you can start earning business and advertising on your own website.
However, it all starts with the website. A website is necessary to be found as a dispensary. You have to have a website to put keyword-rich content on, which is what all the other forms of marketing available to dispensaries stem from. Without content, you can’t have a social media plan that doesn’t violate the terms and conditions. You also can’t build an audience for your text and email marketing campaigns, and nobody will even know about your loyalty program!
2. A website helps your dispensary build credibility
Your website is the first interaction many people will have with your brand. Today’s buyer is empowered with the entire internet at their fingertips, which means before they go shopping for anything they’re researching products, prices, and other stores. If they can’t find your website, they’re not going to find you.
The best websites are the ones that are upgraded regularly and are constantly posting new, fresh, keyword rich content that solves your customer’s problems, answers their questions, entertains them or teaches them something new! The more you utilize it and build a community with it, the more effective of a tool it becomes.
A website is your place to tell your story, let your customers know why they should trust you and showcase your products. With a website, you can continually serve your customers online and increase your credibility as a dispensary owner. Plus, people trust a business after doing business with it.
3. A website is convenient and accessible to your customers even when you are not
Just like your social media accounts, your website is on the clock 24 hours a day, every day. Unlike your social accounts though, your website is capable of much more. Your website is designed to capture leads so you can have meaningful conversations with those who visit it. Because it’s always on, they can easily access your products which means that you’re always capturing leads and making impressions on those who visit your site. It’s like a 24-hour salesman who can answer customer questions and persuade them to shop.
Additionally, looking at a website that contains all of the information that you are looking AND allows you to place your order online from your smartphone from the comfort of your own home is so much more convenient than driving aimlessly around town and stopping in random dispensaries that may or may not have what you want. It’s convenient to be able to pull up that information in seconds from a website.
4. A website is required for accepting online orders at your dispensary
Online ordering is crucial for dispensaries these days and it’s only possible with a website. It allows anyone, patient or customer to place an order for your products directly from your website. After an order is placed, the website will ping the store and alert them to get the order together. The budtenders at the store have time to get that order together at their leisure for the timeframe when the customer is supposed to come in to pick it up.
Online ordering is just as good for dispensaries as it is for cannabis users. It gives the budtenders a chance to prioritize their duties and get large orders together in a timely fashion. A lot of budtenders know how frustrating it can be to have a bulk-buyer come in to buy 2 ounces of concentrates during a rush. One person has to help get their order together while the other person has to manage the rush alone and it can cause lines and grumpy customers, which is never good in a retail situation!
For the customer, online ordering is convenient. By placing the order, the customer can go about their day until it’s time to run into the dispensary, pick up the bud and leave. It takes a matter of seconds where traditional purchasing can take some time, especially if you get stuck in line during the rushes.
5. A website is cost-efficient for your dispensary.
We’ve published a lot of articles about how to create the best online ordering websites and how content marketing is the cheapest way to market in the cannabis industry, but what about websites in general?
When you get a quote on a website, you will know EXACTLY how much it’ll cost you to create and maintain it. Its lifetime cost is nothing compared to the leads it will generate, the value your customers will find from it, and the time and energy it will save you.
Final Thoughts
As the foundation of all other aspects of cannabis marketing, your website is the key ingredient for success. It’s imperative that every dispensary has a website, and the more time you spend with it and the more professional it looks, the more advantages you can gain from running it.
If you think about it and look at it in terms of lifetime cost versus value, you’ll be happy to get started!
The cannabis marketing professionals at Team MaryJane help our cannabis clients all over the country develop strong, effective content marketing strategies and optimize all aspects of their marketing, including fine-tuning content, providing input on social media campaigns, designing websites, and even helping you build your brand from the ground up. As one of the top dispensary marketing firms in Denver, we know we’ve got the tools to help you achieve all of your objectives. Get in touch with us today for a FREE no-risk consultation, or check out our Dispensary in a Box program, which is our most affordable (and most valuable!) full-service marketing package that includes a custom website, online ordering, a custom marketing plan tailored to your dispensary, your very own marketing coach, SEO, Content, social media assistance and more.