Solution: 

 

This case study was a unique and challenging opportunity to assist a company establish themselves in a brand new industry. Although the Hemp Act was federally passed, many industries did not want to work with hemp businesses as it posed risk due to the association of hemp with cannabis. At Very Good CBD we had the opportunity to consult the company and assist them with sourcing a product that is superior to the competitors while establishing a successful brand image. 

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While working on sourcing partners and doing continued due diligence on technology partners open to working with hemp brands, Our Green Solutions design team began the exciting work of establishing a brand. Our Green Solution’s assisted in compiling a brand book that would lay the foundations for the brand, marketing, and tone of Very Good CBD. Our design team began with logo mock-ups and color palettes and continued on through to packaging design and web design. Within one month, the company had all of it’s design assets complete, packaging designed and sourced, and was ready to begin website development.

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Picking what platform to build a website on is crucial to the future success of CBD businesses. Many platform and merchant account providers do not work with CBD companies, especially companies that deal in raw plant materials like smokable hemp flower. While platforms like Shopify are a great e-commerce solution for start-ups, their strict rules on CBD merchant accounts means building on their platform comes with added risk. Our Green Solutions aided in finding a great merchant process deal for Very Good CBD that would support the company and built a website that would be a scalable solution as the company onboards more products and clientele. 

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Once the brand was designed and completed, the website was finalized, and the product was sourced, Our Green Solution created and strategized a marketing plan. Given that the largest advertising platforms do not allow the advertising of hemp products, due to the similarities between hemp and cannabis, creating an advertising plan by employing alternative platforms and prioritizing content. Our most important form of advertising will be prioritizing Google rankings for specific search criteria. Given the inability to use Facebook, Instagram, and other social media advertising platforms, we decided that Google rankings will ultimately be the best source for getting eyeballs onto the VeryGoodCBD website. As an overview, the SEO strategy prioritized by OGS involved increased rankings of VeryGoodCBD when people search for “hemp,” “hemp flower,” etc. Ultimately, VeryGoodCBD became one of the top listed website locations for those searches due to the SEO strategy that OGS put forward. Once the advertising/marketing plan was being implemented, OGS periodically checked on VeryGoodCBD to ensure that all the milestones outlined in the plan are achieved. 

 

OGS’ Task Overview:

 

• Brand Strategy

• Design and create logo, color schemes/palettes, brand book

• Implementation of social media accounts, schedule, and posts

• Packaging design and manufacturing

• Product sourcing 

• Website creation and buildout 

• Merchant processor applications and selection

• Marketing and advertising plan