Shine a light on your key differentiators
Highlighting your awesomeness with value based messaging is hugely important for any cannabis or hemp CBD business
If you are making a quality product, make sure your customers are made well aware. Celebrate it! mention it on all your sales materials, packaging, on the socials – don’t just say it once and assume they’ll remember. They won’t. It’s said people need to hear something as much as 6 times before they remember it. So flaunt it.
CBD or cannabis edibles claims
There’s a lot you can highlight in your edibles packaging messaging about the product.
- Sugar Free / Low Carb / keto friendly
- Vegan
- Plant based
- GMO Free
- Kosher / Halal if you have the certifications
- FODMAP free
- Natural
- No artificial colors or flavors
- Gluten Free ingredients
- Organic ingredients
- Fair trade ingredients
- Ingredient X from this particular farm grown by this farmer
- Full spectrum
- Sungrown
- Sustainably grown
- Single strain edible
- Nano / rapid onset
- No processing chemicals – explain how the extraction was done
- Certifications
- Awards
Sustainability messaging
Highlighting your eco cred in your packaging not only helps promote your values and align you with a consumer who cares about sustainability, but also acts as education for the customer on how to properly dispose of your product, very important with plant-based plastics and compostables, which can be confusing to recycle.
- Sustainably sourced materials
- Natural
- Responsibly sourced ingredients
- Recycled materials used in packaging
- Recycle this package after use
- Low carbon footprint packaging
- Refillable / reusable packaging
- Industrial compostable
- Home compostable
- Made from hemp
Shop small business
If you have a small business, highlight the person behind that business. Be a proud business owner, bossbitch, or go full on Portlandia and tell the story and names of the chickens who fertilize the plants on your farm.
- Women-owned business
- Support small indie business
- Shop local
- SF Made / Kentucky Proud / Aloha from Hawaii – highlight your hometown pride
- Handmade in …
- Made in America
- Grown in [insert area here]
- Small farm from Littletown, Littleplace, USA
Cosmetics specific benefits
Beauty business has a whole slew of certifications and benefits to tell consumers about, many of which are not regulated by the FDA, and safe to say (if true).
- Clean ingredients
- Tested clean
- Tested for potency and accuracy
- Cruelty Free and vegan
- Fair trade ingredients
- Paraben free
- Sulfate free
- All natural ingredients
- Organic ingredients
- Non Comedogenic
- Gluten free
- Good for dry skin / oily skin
- Lab tested
- Certifications
- Awards
Supporting a cause
One great way to attract ethical consumers is to donate part of the proceeds to a cause that aligns well with your company values. Maybe you started a company to support formerly incarcerated people affected by the war on drugs, or maybe your product supports rivershed restoration and otters, or when you buy one you donate a meal to a local food bank – the possibilities are endless. And it doesn’t always have to be the Buy One Gift One model that Tom’s or Warby Parker and the like does, it can be as simple as 1% or 10% of proceeds, or an undisclosed sum. Or not even money – maybe you donate your time for the cause for each case sold?
- Each sale supports cause X
- Buy one and we gift one for cause Y
- Special Edition supporting cause Z
- 1% for the planet member
- Triple bottom line company – people, planet, profits
- Collectively owned company
Highlight certifications & memberships
Are you a member of any small business alliances? Do you support a nonprofit or a trade organization? These can also show that you care.
- Member of The Conscious Cannabis Manufacturers Alliance
- Clean Green Certified
- Minority Cannabis Business Association
- Sun & Earth Certified
- Organic (check with your lawyer, there are rules around calling something organic)
- Plastic Free Alliance
Social proof – testimonials & “as seen on”
People are social animals. We crave help from other people’s opinions, and providing this social proof can be very powerful. It doesn’t have to be anyone famous to be effective, just enthusiastic and real.
- Already XXX,XXX number of these things sold!
- Cult favorite – loved by thousands of 5 star reviewers
- Available across the nation at famous retailer x
- Buy online or find a boutique store near you, carried in health stores across the state
- As seen on Good Morning America
- Oprah’s Favorite thing 2022
- Award-winning best sungrown flower at the Emerald Cup 2022
- “Best product I’ve tried”, Dr. Something Something, authoritative expert in your specific fiel
- First batch sold out in 24 hours
- Join the waitlist for the exclusive drop to not miss out – not sold in stores
- “Five stars, amazing product”, Magazine reviewer from Littletown Gazette
What kind of claims could your product cred value stack contain?