Updated Sept 26, 2022

In the past few years, there’s been plenty of conversation on the topic of cookies – and we’re not talking about the kind packed with chocolate chips.

Even though cookies were long considered the gold standard of target marketing, times have changed. Where cookies used to serve up valuable consumer data for tailored advertising, shifts in digital marketing have made them almost obsolete.

Modern consumers are moving away from their desktop computers and turning to their smartphones instead, completely flipping the script for digital marketing. And for cannabis businesses such as dispensaries, cultivators, and other cannabis brands, industry intricacies and changing regulations add another layer of complexity.

The evolving digital landscape has presented unique challenges; it’s also given us new opportunities for reaching the right consumers at the right time and place. Thanks to advancements in technology, cannabis marketers can take a smarter, data-driven approach to connect with new and existing customers: device ID targeting.

What is Device ID Targeting?

Whether you’ve heard it referred to as DID, device-level targeting, or device ID targeting, the concept is the same. Most commonly associated with POI attribution, device ID targeting is rooted in the idea that location is the key that unlocks the most effective tailored marketing.

Whereas other advertising strategies relied on cookies and assumptions, DID taps into the power of geographical data. In addition to painting a clearer picture of your target audience, device IDs can also empower you with the necessary data to develop and implement high-quality targeted advertising.

How does DID targeting work?

Device ID targeting utilizes consumer location data collected from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. By matching each mobile device to a specific home address while concurrently assessing a consumer’s key locations, DID reveals important audience insights. The information available is far more robust and reliable than what cookies can provide, and it gives marketers a leg up at the proposal phase.

DID targeting is about more than finding out where your customers call home; the offline conversion data also sets you up with a broad range of data points that include:

• How far a user traveled between their home address and your business
• Where a user goes and how they spend their time
• Which users are considered the “household CEO,” taking a lead role in making decisions and purchases for their household
• When a user is most likely to visit your business (or others)
• How many devices have entered your business, including a breakdown of factors such as timestamps and latitude/longitude
• Which target polygons have delivered the most in-store traffic for your business

The Benefits of Device ID Targeting

As a business owner, you already know that geographical relevance (how close a consumer is to your business) plays an essential role in your targeted marketing strategy. And as a dispensary owner, you understand that having a highly-tailored plan for marketing is especially important in the cannabis industry.

Think of DID as a must-have tool for your marketing toolbox, one of those do-it-all tools that can get a job done faster and more effectively. With DID, you’re able to connect with first-party audiences that are both geographically relevant and targeted with precision. As you’d assume, honing in on the right customers with flawless timing comes with its fair share of benefits, including:

• The ability to use an AI algorithm to effortlessly optimize audiences, sites, and more to achieve higher conversions and CTRs
• Expanded quality controls and the flexibility to customize your device ID attribution and audiences
• Precision-level user differentiation, so you can drill down to a single-user level rather than attempt to assess an entire household of users via IP address
• Cut down on the cost of wasted advertising associated with Internet bots
• Measurable growth in profits and customer base

How do DIDs compare to cookies?

It might seem like cookies are on their way out, but it’s unlikely that they’ll completely disappear anytime soon. Within these tiny pieces of code, marketers can find a virtual treasure trove of information that tells them a lot about their target audience. In terms of usefulness, that hasn’t changed.

But what has transformed is how consumers and cookies connect. In a world where the smartphone reigns supreme, cookies are at a considerable disadvantage. Because they were primarily designed for desktop use, cookies just can’t keep up with modern smartphones. Even mobile-specific cookies are falling short, mainly because they are excluded from most smartphone apps. With Apple’s decision to block third-party ad tracking, in addition to increased consumer awareness about cookies and their ability to decline them, cookies are seriously struggling.

In contrast, device IDs were expressly created with mobile use in mind. DIDs can analyze activity across apps, web content, location, and more, unlocking a massive amount of reliable data for marketers. Business owners are discovering that DID targeting is a better way to set up a sustainable connection to consumers, one that will deliver more detailed data for a more extended amount of time.

The best way to understand DIDs vs. cookies is to see that with cookies, you get just a very small snapshot of consumer activity – but DIDs give you the big picture.

How Dispensaries are Using Device ID Targeting for Marketing

There’s no shortage of cannabusiness owners that have implemented specific marketing tactics, only to realize that some strategies just aren’t right for the cannabis industry. From advertising regulations to a broad audience that encompasses almost all types of people, cannabis advertising is like joining a fast-paced game where the rules are always changing.

So if you’re waiting to see precisely how device ID targeting works for dispensaries, we don’t blame you. The best marijuana marketing strategies are those that are practical but innovative, combining usability with flexibility. And if you’re interested in device ID targeting (and you should be!), you’ll be happy to hear that it checks all those boxes and more.

Here’s just one example of how you can use DID to market your dispensary: imagine that because of DID, you know the exact day that a specific customer usually visits your dispensary. Additionally, you’re also able to gather information about the purchases they’re most likely to make. These details make it possible to tailor a coupon or time-sensitive advertisement for this customer, then send it to them the evening before the day they typically shop in-store. Within seconds, you can solidify the next day’s dispensary visit and motivate increased purchases, all while ensuring that the content has been relevant for the user involved.

With information about your customers’ lifestyle, daily habits, routines, and more, it becomes much easier to deliver this type of relevant content at the best possible time and place. Their data remains safe and secure while you’re able to personalize your advertising efforts and create an optimized experience for every customer. Ultimately, DID is a win-win for both cannabis businesses and their customers.

Get Device ID Targeting to Boost Your Cannabis Marketing Efforts

Once you learn about the virtually limitless potential of device ID targeting and how it can amplify your cannabis advertising, you might be wondering why every dispensary isn’t doing it. The fact is, not all cannabis marketers have the technological capabilities to offer device ID targeting to their clients. There’s just one cannabis advertising agency using this technology: Marijuana Marketing Xperts.

Marijuana Marketing Xperts is an agency made up of digital marketing professionals that have spent years learning how to help cannabis brands, dispensaries, and other cannabis-centric businesses succeed. We’re what happens when you combine the latest advancements in digital marketing with a highly-specialized understanding of the nuances of the cannabis industry – and then mix in plenty of creativity, innovation, and a passion for seeing our clients achieve their goals.

It’s our unique combination of industry experience and progressive approach that made device ID targeting for dispensaries a digital marketing dream turned reality. The MMX team wanted a way to help our cannabis business clients see measurable results in performance, scale, and targeting options alike. But we also understood that when it came to serving the unique needs of cannabis advertising, the perfect solution didn’t yet exist. That is until we created and customized it.

Now dispensaries and cannabis brands all over the country are enjoying the advantages of device ID targeting for their business. Across the board, it’s a smart strategy that pays off in profits, customer base growth, and long-term, sustainable success.

Maximize the Power of Device ID Targeting with Help from Marijuana Marketing Experts

Device ID targeting is an exciting new way for you to make the most of marketing, but it’s just one facet of a fully-formed strategy for effective advertising. Marijuana Marketing Xperts can help you create and implement a digital marketing plan that suits your specific needs and goals, incorporating first-class features like device ID targeting. Together, we can map out a route that will take your business to the next level of cannabis marketing.

For additional details about device ID targeting and other services from Marijuana Marketing Xperts, contact our team today.