Get Ready for 4/20: Marketing Tips and Tactics

If you haven’t already heard, let us be the first to tell you: it’s time to start planning your 4/20 marketing strategy. 

April 20 is typically one of the biggest sales days of the year for cannabis dispensaries, and since 4/20/25 falls on a Sunday, you need to prepare for increased traffic all weekend long. 420 isn’t just for dispensaries and other plant-touching cannabis companies, either. No matter what your niche is in the cannabis industry, 4/20 is an excellent time of year to publicize your brand since cannabis will already be at the forefront of conversations. 

In this blog post, we’re bringing you another installment of our annual 4/20 marketing tips series. For more ideas, check out our previous entries:

— Get Ready for 4/20 With 7 Cannabis Digital Marketing Tactics

— Are These 4/20 Marketing Tactics on Your Cannabis Brand’s Radar?

— The 20 Best 420 Marketing Ideas

 

1. Kick Off Your Cannabis Content Strategy Early

This is one of the most essential points on this list. To maximize your impact, you should start preparing for your 4/20 campaign as early as possible. 

Getting an early start is especially true for customer outreach, like email campaigns. Planning, organizing, drafting, and implementing a campaign can take a while, and you want to allow plenty of time to nurture it and entice customers before the holiday rolls around. 

NisonCo can help you create effective cannabis marketing campaigns. We’ll support you every step of the way this 4/20, from planning a content strategy to hitting “send” on the final email — just send us a message to get started. 

 

2. Offer Exclusives for 4/20 Shoppers

The first step to making sales on 4/20 is bringing customers in. Whether you run an online smoke shop, in-person dispensary, or ancillary cannabis company, consider running deals or offering exclusive perks to customers who shop on or around 4/20. Our clients have seen massive success with flash sales, limited-edition merchandise, and small freebies. 

 

3. Celebrate the History of Cannabis with a Throwback Marketing Campaign

While having fun with 4/20 marketing and embracing stoner culture can be effective, it’s not right for every company or every situation. As the sector grows, it’s more important than ever to recognize where we came from and all the hard work that got the industry to where it is today. 

4/20 is a great time to run an educational campaign and post blogs or articles about how you are staying true to the roots of the cannabis industry. To have an even greater impact on 4/20, consider running a donation campaign for an organization focused on cannabis policy reform, like the Last Prisoner Project or the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). 

 

4. Partner With Local Eateries to Market Your Area’s Best “Munchies”

Food is an integral part of many customers’ 4/20 celebrations. You can capitalize on this pairing in a few fun ways. 

Collect input from employees and customers to publish a list of the best restaurants and recipes to try this 4/20 as a fun way to get the community involved. Or, you can reach out to other businesses and partner with local restaurants to offer discounts with a purchase from both your dispensary and their food joint (pun assuredly intended). 

 

 

5. Compile Lists of Events for Shareable Cannabis Content

Shareable cannabis content is a great asset all year round. Create newsworthy, shareable cannabis content consumers will reference and send to their friends this 4/20 to get your brand in front of even more people. 

Consider compiling a list of 4/20 events and specials in your area. You can always get creative and share it in multiple forms for an even larger impact — maybe a blog post on your website, a listicle on a local news site, and an infographic on your social media platforms. 

Want help with crossposting your shareable cannabis content? Check out our guide or reach out to let our expert content team handle it. 

 

6. Reach a Wide Audience With Educational Cannabis Content

Many 4/20 marketing campaigns revolve around high-dose products and cater to people who are already knowledgeable about cannabis culture. That approach excludes many potential customers! One of the drivers behind the growth of the cannabis industry is new and occasional consumers. By considering their needs this 4/20, you can make sales and gain loyal new customers. 

 

Try publishing educational blogs with everything beginners need to know about cannabis or highlight low-dose products in your 4/20 ads. Catering to new and occasional consumers can especially benefit companies in newer industries.

 

7. Refresh Your Cannabis SEO Ahead of 4/20

It might not sound glamorous, but updating your SEO strategy before 4/20 can make a big difference in the success of any marketing strategy you run.

Internet marketing is vital for local businesses and brick-and-mortar stores like dispensaries. Leading up to 4/20, you must emphasize local SEO to ensure you’re among the first results when people search “dispensary near me.” 

NisonCo also offers comprehensive cannabis SEO services, including free SEO audits. To find out where to start optimizing your website for 4/20, contact us and mention that you’re looking to improve your SEO ahead of 4/20. 

 

8. Highlight Bestselling Products with a Cannabis Gift Guide

Good old-fashioned gift and product guides can also be an excellent way to get your brand in front of consumers. If you run a dispensary, consider creating an easily-referenced list of your most popular products to strengthen your relationships with your suppliers, help consumers decide what to buy, and attract customers looking for specific products. 

If you produce cannabis products, you can also try to land a spot on a 4/20 gift guide! NisonCo has a massive network of relationships with reporters and reviewers. We can help you get your product included in product roundups and gift guides ahead of 4/20. Contact us to learn more and begin formulating your goals. 

 

9. Expand Your 420 Marketing Campaign by Partnering with Local Businesses

Cannabis is all about community. Broaden your reach this 4/20 by connecting with other local businesses celebrating the holiday. 

With this marketing tactic, the sky is the limit. You could partner with a local yoga studio to offer elevated yoga, an art studio to offer a puff-and-paint class, local food trucks to cater an event, or even other local retail shops to put together gift baskets featuring the best of what your city offers. Either way, all businesses will reach a larger audience and raise their local profile. 

Need help connecting with other businesses? NisonCo also offers B2B lead gen services to help you start your marketing campaign. 

 

10. Publicize Your 4/20 Celebrations with Cannabis Content Marketing

Finally, the key to any successful 4/20 marketing campaign is telling people about it! No matter what approach you take, you need to publicize it. There are countless ways you can get the word out:

— Post optimized blogs

— Send out a press release

— Post about it on social media

— Land media mentions or editorials

— And more!

NisonCo’s cannabis content team is here to help you create optimized, impactful content to get your business noticed this 4/20. Contact us to learn more about our services and to get started — after all, it’s never too early to begin planning. 

 

A Cannabis Marketing Agency Will Help Your 4/20 Sales Soar

Though 4/20 is definitely the biggest cannabis holiday of the year, it’s not the only opportunity your cannabis company has for seasonal marketing. For a list of other cannabis-related holidays, including Green Wednesday, check out our 2025 cannabis content marketing calendar. 

Staying on top of cannabis marketing opportunities can be hard work — not to mention creating content for each one. NisonCo is here to help. We offer cannabis content planning services and cannabis content creation services that will help your business thrive this 4/20 and beyond. Contact us today to get started with your customized plan.