Today we’re exploring how to find influencers for your cannabis brand.
And this guide is made specifically for online headshops and vape shops looking to take advantage of influencer marketing.
We all know it’s difficult to find the right influencers for any brand.
But;
It’s especially difficult for cannabis brands when the most popular social media channels restrict or outright prohibit content related to the industry.
That’s why we’re sharing tips that work for our own influencer marketing and help generate over six-figures in revenue.
So whether you’re a new or established brand, we’re confident this guide will help you identify relevant influencers for your brand.
Why work with social media influencers?
Before the era of social media influencers, celebrities were the ideal partner for brands.
It makes sense when you consider their elevated status in society and immense reach across millions of fans both online and offline.
However;
In recent decades, celebrity marketing has lost some of its effectiveness due to the rise of social media and the new thought leaders created as a result – social media influencers.
So, why exactly should your brand consider influencer marketing?
Influencers create community
While a large online following is part of what it means to be an influencer, good influencers care more about the quality of the following they cultivate.
Influencers build meaningful relationships with their followers by interacting with them through conversation and content.
The end result is a highly engaged community of followers who trust the influencer and share common interests.
For cannabis brands, influencers offer access to a community of cannabis consumers and the opportunity to market to them through a trusted source.
Influencers are thought leaders
Like their title suggests, influencers can greatly influence the opinion of their followers.
They often share their own opinion in content and conversations, which results in many of their social media followers adopting the same opinion.
Influencers also encourage their followers to share these opinions on social media as well.
When considering influencer marketing for your online headshop or vape shop, understand that influencers can create a positive buzz around your products through sponsored promotions.
Here’s the best part;
Researching opinions held by influencers and their followers can offer great insights into consumer behaviors and trends.
How to find influencers relevant to your cannabis brand
Now that you see how influencer marketing can help increase awareness and drive sales for your online headshop, let’s discuss some of the most popular ways to find influencers.
Research Hashtags
In order to find cannabis influencers, you’ll need to be aware of ongoing trends that expose you to their content.
A great way to follow these trends and find influencers is by researching cannabis-related hashtags on Instagram and TikTok.
Identify relevant hashtags, click through to see popular posts, then identify the leading cannabis influencers on each platform.
Finding these hashtags on Instagram is fairly easy, but TikTok is a bit more tricky due to its strict policy against marijuana-related content.
Here’s a shortlist for each platform to help get you started:
Instagram cannabis hashtags
#cannabis #cannabiscommunity #weed #marijuana #thc #cbd #cannabisculture #weedstagram #hightimes #stoner #indica #sativa #hemp #maryjane #kush #highlife #medicalmarijuana #420 #growyourown #710 #cannabissociety #weedlife #dabs #highsociety #weedhumor
TikTok cannabis hashtags
Because TikTok is so restrictive with cannabis content in the app, we recommend searching online to view the different hashtags listed.
The best way to search online is using the link below and replacing [tag] with whatever word you want to see posts for.
Don’t include the hashtag sign in the URL.
tiktok.com/tag/[tag]?lang=en
#stonertok🍃 #🍃tiktok #storzandbickel #710 #st0ner #420
Search on Google
Google is a great tool for finding cannabis influencers, but just searching “weed influencer” isn’t going to return any useful results.
Instead, use advanced search techniques to find influencers with keywords related to cannabis.
For example, add “site:instagram.com” before entering your keywords in a Google search.
This will limit results to Instagram accounts with the keywords you entered.
A great Google search to start with is “site:instagram.com cannabis”. On the first page of search results you’ll find a handful of popular cannabis influencers, with hundreds more waiting on the subsequent search results pages.
You could even add a location to your search to narrow results even more.
This works great if you want to find influencers for photo shoots or local promotions.
Check competitors
The top online headshops are already using influencer marketing to increase brand awareness and reach new customers.
Did you know you can use their instagram profile to find out which influencers they work with?
It’s very simple.
Just head over to a competitor’s Instagram profile and view the posts they’ve been tagged in.
Scroll until you see an influencer post, then you can click through to view the influencer’s profile.
For example, look at the tagged section for Herb Saver – https://www.instagram.com/herbsaver/
One of the first posts we see is a Reel posted by @shesmokesclouds – https://www.instagram.com/shesmokesclouds/
We’ve just identified a potential cannabis influencer to collaborate with in just 1 minute.
Keep a running list of competitors to quickly find social media influencers for your influencer marketing campaigns through Instagram.
Top Cannabis Influencers List
While the strategies discussed above work, they do require time and energy to do the research.
If you’re looking for a head start on your search for cannabis influencers;
We’ve got you covered.
Our team of influencer marketing experts identified over 200 cannabis influencers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to share with you.
This list contains active cannabis influencers you can contact for your next campaign.
Want access?
Just click below to access the list for free!
You’ll find the list of TikTok influencers especially useful given how difficult it is to search for cannabis influencers on the platform.
Final thoughts
With these tips in mind, you’re now ready to go out and find influencers for your cannabis brand.
If your a new online headshop, influencer marketing is a great strategy for early sales and traffic to your site.
Kick off your influencer campaign with a few influencers and see what results you get in return.
Every campaign you run provides new insights and learnings to make the next one perform even better.
For established brands, cannabis influencers can spread positive reviews about your brand that go a long way in not only increasing brand awareness, but improving your brand’s overall image as well.
What’s your experience with influencer marketing in the cannabis industry?
Let us know in the comments.
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