There will be highs and lows no matter what you sell as a business owner, but running a cannabis brand has its own set of hurdles that seem to jut out just a little bit higher than everyone else’s. Whether you are struggling with legality issues, marketing your brand, or any other issues, Alfredo Gomez, SEO Specialist and key marketing team member for Delta Extrax and Savage Enterprises, offers some tips for cannabis businesses that he shared exclusively with Leaf Retailer.
Keeping an Eye on What is Popular
“One of the reasons that we have been successful is because we have been first to the market with up and coming cannabinoids,” Gomez said. “While delta 8 was the main focus in the beginning, we then merged to be forerunners in mostly up and coming cannabinoids. Just the discoveries have been a struggle, so one of our successful campaigns was when delta 8 first launched and we were the first with delta 10 to the market. We were one of the few companies to have it, and now the main focus is blending them all together.”
Even still today, Delta Extrax is constantly coming out with new products and cannabinoids to not only keep up with the industry, but to beat all of the other brands and present one of the first of its kind to the market. An example of this can be seen with the newly emerging HHC. Even though the compound has been around for a while, cannabis companies are just starting to release HHC-infused merchandise. Gomez believes HHC is an emerging cannabinoid and Delta Extrax has recently come out with some of these infused products, including disposable vapes and gummies.
Educating Consumers
One of the biggest challenges that Delta Extrax has had, mainly with posting content on social media, has been educating consumers. “Because of the fact that when they hear there are products that are psychoactive, they automatically think it is marijuanna. We are trying to educate not only the consumer, but also other companies and platforms, which has been a major issue, so we have to be careful as far as what we say. Even though we understand, major platforms do not, so we have to be very specific with our verbiage and cannot advertise on traditional platforms,” Gomez said.
Aside from posting on social media, another way that Delta Extrax educates consumers is by offering lab test results so they can see what percentage of cannabinoids are being used in each product. This is especially useful when combining different compounds and infusing them into one item, and with these lab results, shoppers can see exactly how much of each cannabinoid is infused. The brand also publishes infographics and blogs on their website to continue educating the public on the differences, experiences, and what to expect from each cannabinoid.
Important Safety Measures & Regulations
As with all cannabis merchandise, brands need to be careful about who is purchasing these products and the different regulations in each state. Delta Extrax has security measures on their website to ensure they are not selling anything to minors, which should be the most important aspect of any retail cannabis website. This is the typical age verification measure, where visitors have to enter in their birthdate to ensure they are of legal age, and then they can enter into the website. If they are not 21 or older, visitors are barred from entering the site.
As for the different cannabis regulations in each state, Gomez says, “For the most part, it is not as difficult as you think just because we have grown to where we do not put all of our efforts into one particular state. We are a national brand, so we have managed to pivot and have found that there are certain products that can be sold, so long as they are hemp compliant. Since we have such a big catalog, we can pivot if the laws change tomorrow and we are always looking at how we can be compliant with state requirements.”
An example of this can be seen with the delta 8 issue in Texas. In October of 2021, the State of Texas explicitly prohibited the use of delta 8 THC, although officials did not make any arrests and there are currently lawsuits fighting this ruling, according to Discover Magazine. Then, in November of 2021, a judge blocked the ruling that stated delta 8 was a Schedule 1 substance. Stores resumed selling it at least temporarily, and some continue fighting to make delta 8 illegal and others fight to maintain the judge’s ruling.
This just shows how much can change within a day, and brands need to be flexible enough to continue working around the legal issues. As long as you keep your ear to the ground and continue to keep up with what’s hot in the market, you can easily build a successful cannabis business.