The Latest Cannabis Industry and Social Media Trends Worth Knowing
If you’re new here, I try to provide weekly social media insights and news for marketing professionals. You can read more of those blogs posts here and here. And in another blog post, I talk about four influencer misconceptions that digital marketers and social media professionals should be aware of.
Well without further ado, let’s get right into the latest cannabis industry and social media trends you need to know.
Weedmaps’ "2021 Cannabis In America" Report
Weedmaps recently published their 2021 "Cannabis In America" report, highlighting how our industry has progressed and stalled over the past twelve months. This report covers a variety of topics, but I'll share some interesting tidbits regarding cannabis consumption:
Half of cannabis consumers responded by saying their overall consumption has increased since the start of the pandemic.
The majority of respondents (66%) say their preferred method of consumption is alone or with one or two people.
Nearly half (40%) of cannabis consumers say they consume their preferred cannabis or CBD product every day.
Influencer Marketing Surges in 2022
In Collabstr's 2022 Influencer Marketing Report, it's clear to see that influencer marketing is here to stay and, if anything, become more prevalent for brands in 2022. Some interesting tidbits worth knowing:
Spend associated with influencer marketing grew 42% to $13.8 billion in 2021, up from $9.7 billion in 2020, according to a new year-end report released by Collabstr. By the end of 2022, it's projected to reach $15 billion.
Females currently dominate influencer marketing, with 77% of influencers actively monetizing their content being female, while only 23% are male. Coincidentally, research from Collabstr shows photos shared by female influencers perform better than photos shared by male influencers.
At my 9:5, our company will be hitting the ground running in 2022 with sponsored collaborations with five influencers and sending out surprise and delight opportunities to 20 influencers for an upcoming campaign.
HubSpot 2022 Social Trends
HubSpot's released their 2022 Social Trends report ahead of the new year, for marketers to better understand what trends will be prevalent in 2022. The report touches on a variety of topics, including the metaverse and the growth of social audio, but here are some of my favorites:
HubSpot noted that TikTok was the most downloaded app on the App Store in 2021. But Hubspot believes that this trend is more about the prevalence of short-form videos than TikTok itself, especially as other social media platforms look to tap into that trend like Instagram with Reels.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and brand inclusivity will continue to be front and center across all industries. Over the last two years, diversity and social equity were woven into some of the most memorable campaigns of this year, regardless of industry. These same social issues still matter to consumers in 2022, and whether you’re an established brand in your category or a challenger, brands and consumers will look to see how we as marketers address these very issues.
With less than four days left in the year, I hope 2022 starts off on a more positive note for everyone. Happy New Year!
