by Evan Nison, Founder and President of NisonCo
It’s never a bad time to refresh your media marketing strategy, but the start of a new year is particularly ideal for evaluating where your company is, where you want to be, and how you want to get there.
I’ve been involved in cannabis advocacy and policy for over 15 years, and 2025 will mark my company’s twelfth year in operation. Throughout my time in the cannabis industry, I’ve watched the legislative, professional, and marketing landscapes grow. As we think about where we’re headed in an atmosphere ripe for change, I want to share three of my top tips for marketers in the cannabis industry to try in 2025.
1. Leverage AI for Cannabis Marketing and Processes
At this point, we all know that AI will be essential, but not everyone has begun using these tools to their full advantage. In 2025, consider mindfully incorporating AI into your workflows.
I find AI tools are invaluable for cannabis sales and business development. AI notetakers have made client and internal calls immeasurably more efficient; I can focus on being present in conversations rather than taking notes. Other AI reference tools are an incredible resource in pulling information from client documents, and they can even be integrated with AI notetakers so that you can quickly and easily search through an entire client engagement for specific details. AI tools and custom AI bots are also great for automating everyday marketing and sales tasks, like sending follow-up emails or scheduling meetings.
With AI tools helping you streamline processes, you can free up brainpower to focus on things like ideating high-impact marketing plans and connecting directly with clients.
2. Be Proactive With Cannabis Lead Gen and Outreach
Lead generation isn’t just a numbers game anymore. More than ever, consumers want customized outreach and personal connections with their partner companies.
With that in mind, you can’t just send out mass email blasts and call it a day. You must be very intentional about who you’re marketing to and the specific marketing materials you send to each group.
You also can’t just wait for leads to come to you. In 2025, consider ramping up your outbound marketing and lead generation tactics — being sure to use the principles behind hyper-specific marketing campaigns there, too.
As we move into a new year, it may be worth working with a cannabis marketing firm that will help you cut lists and draft copy so you can focus more on connecting with clients and less on the logistics of making those connections happen.
3. Attend Cannabis Conferences in 2025
Finally, in an increasingly online world, face-to-face connection is more valuable in an increasingly online world than ever. This is true no matter what industry you’re in, but in a community-driven sector like cannabis, it’s even more essential.
Conferences are some of the best places to make those all-important connections with people in the cannabis industry and related fields.
Attending cannabis conferences is also a great way to keep up with everything the industry has to offer, something that’s especially important as cannabis rescheduling hearings and new policymakers in 2025 bring the potential for massive development in the cannabis industry.
Simply showing up at conferences can be great, but to make your time at these events as effective as possible, you need a built-out conference strategy. Consider integrating AI and lead generation into that conference strategy to simplify the process and connect with other attendees before the event begins.
Plan for Cannabis Business Success in the New Year
The cannabis industry has made incredible progress over the past several years, and I’m seeing developments that excite me for the sector’s future in 2025 and beyond. If you want your company to make an impact in the new year, you must prioritize internet, media, and content marketing. Getting started with AI, lead generation, and conference attendance are great places to start.
Evan is the Founder and President of NisonCo, which provides media, internet and content marketing services for the cannabis industry and is the nation’s oldest cannabis PR firm. Evan has helped reform cannabis laws since 2008 and is the youngest member of the NORML National Board of Directors. He was included in Marijuana Venture’s 40 under 40 and High Time’s 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis.
Evan, driven by a passion for socially driven businesses, co-founded Whoopi & Maya with Whoopi Goldberg, a cannabis tourism venture called Emerald Farm Tours, and a smoke shop called Bloody Good Vape & Smoke with a victim of cannabis prohibition. His ventures have garnered media attention from outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Politico, Forbes, USA Today, Bloomberg and others, reflecting his impact and influence in the industry.
