Asian Hemp Summit: Its all About Perspective

By Rick Trojan

Today I’m sitting at the base of Machapuchare (aka Fish Tail Mountain) in the Himalayas, one of the three sacred mountains in the Hindu religion, and the apparent residence of Shiva. To us Westerners and “round eyes,” it’s the Mount Olympus of the Hindi. I spent the last few days hiking the mountains after the Asian Hemp Summit, which Morris Beegle and I attended, spoke at, and ROCKED! We brought the magic of karaoke to Nepal, and Morris sang his first karaoke ever – Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” – and I rocked some Jack Black & Vanilla Ice… ice baby!

The conference was not only enlightening and educational, but provided opportunity for networking with leaders of 25+ countries. As I listened and learned, I had one main takeaway – It’s all about perspective! That’s exactly what Let’s Talk Hemp and the 422 podcast brings: a variety of perspectives.

Machapuchare, one of the three holy mountains for the Hindu religion, stands tall at 6,993 meters (22,943 feet) and its left-sided neighbor, Annapurna South, stands 7,219 m (23,684 ft), over 600 feet higher. Sitting here I can plainly see that Annapurna South is higher than Fish Tail. However, during my hike down from and around Fish Tail, it clearly looked like the taller mountain. The reality is, the mountain altitude didn’t change, but my viewpoint did; making the smaller mountain seem higher.

The same holds true for our industry. With all the recent changes, the 2018 Agricultural Act and FDA interference, it’s easy to lose perspective on the industry and market. As an American, I’m raised to believe that my country is the leader of the world, which includes cannabis. However, after attending the event with Morris in Kathmandu, I realized that my perspective is skewed. In fact, China holds more than 50% of the patents on cannabis, India has been growing and using this plant for eons, and Japan is real izing the economic benefit of its fiber, food and dietary supplement.

America, I realized, has a lot to learn from other countries regarding cannabis. We are not the tallest mountain. But we are the largest mar ket.

It’s with these new glasses that we return to USA and launch Let’s Talk Hemp Season 2 – Changing the Cannabis Conversation. It’s time to embrace the knowledge that Morris and I have gathered during our international speaking engagements – be it Colombia (March 2018), Balkannabis in Athens (June 2018), the European Industrial Hemp Association conference (Cologne, Germany 2018), Japanese exploration (November 2018) or the Asian Hemp Summit (Nepal, Feb 2019).

Meeting folks from India, China, Japan, Nepal, Poland, the Netherlands, Tasmania and 18 other countries helps provide unique perspec tive. This is the perspective that we’re bringing to Season 2 of the podcast, which launched Feb 22, 2019. Listen in by visiting letstalkhemp.com and Soundcloud.

How to Influence through the Net: Getting Your Hemp Brand Attention on Social Media

By Cait Curley

By: Cait Curley

How can a consumer products company specializing in CBD and other industrial hempderived products market its brand in a cloudy regulatory and advertising environment –despite the fact that hemp is now legal under the 2018 Farm Bill?

One way has been to get others to talk about your brand in publications, blogs and social media. When Facebook and Google won’t let hemp and CBD brands advertise, many companies are turning to public relations and influencer marketing. It’s a new twist on word of mouth in a digital age, yet it still works.

A huge piece of the cannabis movement’s story has been built on social media. It gives the community, like any other industry, a sense of connection and like mindedness. It’s a platform to learn, create connections and promote your brand. I don’t know a “top brand” that doesn’t have social media. It doesn’t mean it’s an A+ social media platform, but at least they have one.

Here are some basic but essential tips for hemp/cannabis companies to keep in mind when pursuing social media and influencer marketing and communications strategies:

First Things First: Even if it’s a simple landing page, make sure you have a website with contact info and your social media links included. Include an email signup form so visitors can sign up for newsletters. Creating and populating a blog page on your website is also recommended, as it provides original content for you to share and potentially boost across social media platforms.

What Social Media Should I Be On?: A brand should create an account on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and LinkedIn, to start. When creating a handle, use your company’s name, and if it’s not available, make it as close as possible.

Don’t Skip: You may spend more time on one over the other, but it’s a mistake to skip a social media platform based on where you “think” your audience is. Especially in the cannabis/hemp industry. Focus on quality content over quantity.

Stay Active and Engaged: You don’t need to be a social media expert or even tech savvy, but you do need to go in at least once a week for an hour to post and engage with the community. I say once a week, because I understand that many companies, especially startups, have one person wearing many, if not all hats within the business. Many brand owners (farmers, for example) may be new to social media with no idea how to manage/ post/engage on their feed. With that, you can find at least an hour a week to learn the platforms, post and engage. My ultimate recommendation would be at least an hour a day. It’s not as difficult as you may think. Once you begin doing it, you’ll find a flow and recognize the importance to carve out time to engage with your followers.

Organize Your Social Media Profile: Synchronize all of the profile and cover photos. Make sure at least one email contact is available. Be short and simple with your mission, what your product is, and where to buy it.

Take Advantage of Hashtags: Include your company’s hashtag in every post possible. Using tags related to your product like #fullspectrumhemp or #hempfarmers for a hemp oil brand (for example) is very helpful, too.

Check Out What Others Are Doing, But Be YOU: Research the competition, find inspiration and be genuine. Tell YOUR story, be you/unique, not your competition.

Relationships Count: Build relationships vs. asking for a sale. That’s what builds loyalty and trust over time.

Know Your Audience: What do they want to learn? Keep track of what posts have been most successful, e.g., the most likes, comments or shares.

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words: Make use of captivating visuals, including original photography, licensed photography, and photos and graphics used with permission. If possible, high quality video about your brand, mission, activities, events or lifestyles and related interests, short and sweet, are sure to generate attention and shares.

Educate But Avoid Health Claims: Educate on a simple level to the public while avoiding health claims about products. To learn more about what you can and can’t say under the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act, visit here

E-Newsletters and Blogs: Make sure you have an email signup form on your website to collect emails of customers and constituents. Before you know it, you’ll have a growing email contact list to whom you can send e-newsletters and other email announcements and promotions. Blogs provide original content that can be shared as articles in your newsletters and as social media posts, which can help bring readers back to your website.

Build Brand Awareness: Social media is growing so rapidly. Having multiple influencers out there (even if micro with 1K followers), allows your brand to have multiple tentacles, reminding or introducing people to your brand.

Influencer Advantages: Even after the legalization of hemp, so many cannabis/hemp companies still are not able to advertise on social media. Tree Free Hemp for example, a hemp paper and printing company, has been flagged for years because it attempted to boost a hemp paper poster – it turns out that poster was the Declaration of Independence; oh the irony! For this reason, influencers and other creative forms of marketing are needed for hemp/cannabis than for any other industry. Consumers trust information and product recommendations from influencers. They feel it’s an honest opinion from someone that knows what they’re talking about. They’re a trusted voice.

Influencers help increase SEO by building and creating unique content. They drive traffic, convert leads and open brands to new markets and networks. Most influencers, if treated and paid correctly, will be loyal to your company for life. They will continue to promote and recommend your brand.

Cait Curley is an educator, entrepreneur, social media influencer, marketing and communications specialist, and content creator with a passion for all things hemp and cannabis. Visit www.caitcurley.com Facebook, and @caitcurley_ on Instagram and Twitter.