There’s a good chance you’ve purchased something because of a recommendation. Even more likely, that recommendation came from someone on the internet. It's even possible that you got the recommendation from an influencer on Instagram.
Influencers have become ubiquitous on the social media platform. They hold the power to sway their followers’ purchase decisions. And the more followers they have, the more reach their posts get. Influencers are semi-famous because they've built trust and popularity from their followers. If you can get an influencer to recommend your product, their fans are much more likely to buy than they would be otherwise.
Influencer Marketing: A Workaround to Running Ads
With the cannabis industry growing– you guessed it– so are the number of cannabis influencers on Instagram. Marketing your cannabis business comes with its challenges. Most companies have used advertising to reach new customers. Unfortunately, Instagram, Facebook, Google, and Snapchat ads are off-limits to cannabis and CBD companies, so they've been forced to find other ways to reach their target audience. One of those ways is to use an influencer marketing strategy. According to Digiday, top brands like MedMen have already used an influencer marketing strategy succesfully. MedMen used this approach as part of their $4 million campaign to advertise their retail locations in high-end shopping malls.
Some influencers, especially those involved in the cannabis industry, are willing to promote brands and specific products on their Instagram accounts in exchange for pay. The great thing about this is that your brand is able to connect with the cannabis industry through the relationship between influencers and their followers. And since they have thousands and even millions of followers; your product will get the brand awareness that you’re looking for.
Below are some of the top Instagram influencers who aren’t afraid to market cannabis products.
Top Cannabis Influencers Leading the Way
Medicated Marley
MedicatedMarley is an influencer based in Las Vegas. Pretty much all of her content is cannabis related. She’s either smoking or showing close-ups of products that she enjoys. She’ll typically post a picture or video of her trying out a company’s products like vapes, pipes, and bongs. She has over 185,000 followers on her page and some of her paid posts see upwards of 90,000 views!
Because Instagram will randomly delete profiles that post about cannabis, she made sure to include in her profile bio that she’s not selling any products and that her profile is only intended for followers who are 21+. This has been shown to help decrease the chances of getting Instagram profiles deleted. With this amount of followers, companies advertising through her are sure to see an increase in traffic to their websites.
Koala Puffss
Koala.Puffss is another great cannabis Instagram influencer. With over 500,000 followers, she has mastered the art of one of the most popular social media platforms. Her posts range in variety with pictures and videos, but almost always have to do with cannabis. She’s hilarious and engaging; making it easy to hit that follow button. Like MedicatedMarley, Koala.Puffss advertises companies’ products by smoking it, or using it if it’s a vape or pipe or bong.
It’s important to keep your target audience in mind when deciding to go the influencer marketing route. Yes, their followers are most likely cannabis consumers, but you’ll want to find out more about the influencer’s followers if you can. For example, how old are most of their followers, do more women than men follow them or vice versa? This way, if you do end up paying an influencer to post about your product, you’ll be sure to not only reach tons of people, but also valuable potential customers.
Baked Sloths
Sometimes Instagram influencers come in twos. BakedSloths are the perfect influencer team. They’re a 420-friendly couple who post under the same Instagram account. Most of their posts are videos of the two smoking out of bongs; their profile about section reaffirms this, stating that they’re both fine glass lovers. This is a great opportunity for influencer marketing. If your company offers glass bong products then this influencer account might be a match made in heaven.
Their followers most likely share their love of glass bong products too. You’d be reaching thousands of people who are likely to buy your product. Not only that, but you’re getting your brand name out in front of people. If your company is new and relatively unheard of, then people will be more reluctant to buy something from you. Once you build more awareness and credibility through influencers, people will be more willing to check out your website and try out your products.
There are tons of Influencers on Instagram that can help your company reach consumers. We highly recommend that brands use this approach alongside of their other campaigns to maximize ROI. Which Influecners did we miss that you'd recommend? Tell us in the comments!