Quick Summary: Alaska’s decade-old cannabis market is thriving but often overlooked. Success requires strong fundamentals: an owned website, solid local SEO, and a robust business network. Forward-thinking brands should also embrace answer engine optimization (AEO) to ensure AI chatbots cite them accurately, while highlighting the innovative products that set Alaska’s market apart.
In June this year, I ventured north to explore the last true frontier, Alaska, and its flourishing cannabis market. I found a 10–year–old industry full of passionate, talented people. However, I also noticed that their digital presences could use a little love.
Tried-and-true marketing tactics like a solid website, strong SEO strategy, and a vibrant industry network still hold strong for small businesses. Additionally, newer tactics like AEO will begin to separate the most successful brands.
Key Takeaways:
- While people often overlook the Alaskan cannabis scene, the market is innovative and strong.
- A good website is necessary to show up in relevant searches for partners and customers.
- A strong SEO strategy goes a long way for business viability.
- Brands should highlight innovation in edibles, manufacturing, or flower type.
- Don’t overlook AEO and AI optimization.
The Alaskan Cannabis Market
Though people often overlook Alaska for its small population size and remoteness, the state has a surprisingly strong legal cannabis market, established in 2015. Alaska was one of the first states to open consumption lounge licenses, and it’s inexpensive to get a license for any business type when compared to costs in the rest of the U.S.
Expensive utilities remain an ongoing challenge for businesses, especially cultivators, but innovation is abundant. For example, extraction company Arctic Ice makes single-serve smoothie packages infused with live rosin for an edible that’s both creative and medicinally friendly. The Tufted Puffin offers infused coffee in a single-serve format with a sealed lid, so consumers can take it to go. Good Cannabis makes powdered milk creamers with THC that consumers can enjoy at home any time. Alaska also offers companies like Lady Gray, which grows its own cannabis for edibles, a chance at vertical integration.
Strict residency requirements ensure that Alaskans run this market for Alaskans, with no outsider involvement.
5 Tips for Marketing in the Alaskan Cannabis Market
1. A Good Website Goes a Long Way
If you’re not searchable, you don’t exist. No matter where you’re located, potential customers or partners will search for your company online. Dispensaries with menu listings or Weedmaps/Leafly pages can bury your small business. A strong website that appears at the top of search results is a green flag.
All small businesses should establish a website where anyone can learn more about your company and contact you, if needed. It’s a vital part of any marketing strategy.
Remember: you don’t own your dispensary menu listings or pages on Weedmaps or Leafly. You do own your website.
2. A Strong SEO Strategy Still Matters
A good website only does its job if it’s ranking. If dozens of other results come up before your company’s page, your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy clearly needs work. The good news is that a basic SEO strategy can go a long way to drive sales.
You can make a big difference for your small business by providing key information like contact pages, company background, and a complete Google Business Profile.
Alaska’s economy heavily relies on tourism, and many tourists are canna-curious. Use local SEO to show up in relevant searches like “dispensary near me.”
3. Highlight Innovation
The Alaskan cannabis market is full of innovative products. From live rosin-infused smoothie packages to single-serve creamers with 1 mg of THC, many products go beyond the standard edibles fare.
The Tufted Puffin imported a boba packaging machine to create single-serve infused coffees that customers can take with them, while Rosie Creek Farms boasts the honor of growing the only sungrown flower in the state. Alaskans know better than anyone that success requires creativity and flexibility.
Whatever your differentiator is, lean into it; consumers are always looking for innovative products.
4. Don’t ignore AEO and AI Optimization Opportunities
Generative content is the next big thing in search engine optimization for brands across all industries, and the Alaskan cannabis market is no different. Answer engine optimization (AEO) is a new addition to SEO that ensures AI chatbots cite your website and your brand in relevant conversations or queries.
AEO and AI optimization anticipate questions people may ask about cannabis, the Alaskan market, or your brand, and answer them directly so chatbots provide accurate information.
5. Build a Strong Network
In cannabis, a rising tide lifts all boats. A strong network of supply-chain and ancillary partners makes every entrepreneur’s life easier. Build connections with cultivation and manufacturing partners, as well as websites, blog content, SEO, and bookkeeping providers.
A strong cannabis network helps your business thrive, even if you’re a fiercely independent Alaskan.
FAQs About Alaska’s Cannabis Market
- Why is Alaska’s cannabis market often overlooked? Alaska’s small population size and remoteness lead many to overlook its cannabis market, even though the state has had a surprisingly strong legal industry since 2015.
- Is it expensive to get a cannabis business license in Alaska? Compared to the rest of the U.S., Alaska offers relatively inexpensive licensing for any cannabis business type, though high utility costs remain a challenge, especially for cultivators.
- Why does a cannabis business need its own website instead of just a Weedmaps or Leafly listing? Dispensaries relying only on menu listings or Weedmaps/Leafly pages risk getting buried by competitors. Additionally, they don’t actually own those pages. Only a company’s own website is fully under its control.
- What’s the difference between SEO and AEO for a cannabis brand? SEO helps a website rank higher in traditional search results, while AEO (answer engine optimization) ensures AI chatbots cite the brand directly when answering relevant questions or conversations.
- How can a small Alaskan cannabis business improve its local SEO? Basics like complete contact pages, company background, and a fully filled-out Google Business Profile help, especially for capturing tourist searches like “dispensary near me.”
- Why does networking matter for cannabis businesses in Alaska? A strong network of cultivation, manufacturing, and ancillary partners (websites, SEO, bookkeeping, etc.) helps businesses thrive even in a market that prizes independence.
Creating a Strong Cannabis Business in Alaska
The Alaskan cannabis market is ripe with opportunity. Our team can help you with a new website, robust SEO strategy, and email communications that build brand awareness and customer loyalty.
If you’re currently operating in Alaska, or interested in opening a business, reach out to PufCreativ.
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DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal or business advice. Cannabis regulations vary and change, so consult official Alaska resources and a qualified attorney before making business decisions.
