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One of the coolest ecommerce jobs around!
HARRY’S COMMENTS: We are working with a metro SF-based cannabis marketplace in its search for a Marketing Communications and Content Director. Again, we’re talking cannabis. I presume you’re okay with that. You don’t have to be a user to win in this role, but you certainly need to be PRO cannabis and see the recreational and medical benefits of the product. We cool? Alrighty then, let’s mush on …
About the Industry
These are high times for cannabis producers. Cannabis is today’s fastest growing industry, expected to reach $24 billion by 2022. 95% of the US population lives in a state with some form of legal cannabis.
The 2016 election cycle provided landslide victories for both medical and recreational cannabis interests, resulting in the widespread legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use …
It’s pretty much game-over for pot prohibitionists.
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 62% of Americans said they supported legalizing marijuana, and according to IBIS World — by 2023 the number of marijuana growers is expected to increase to nearly 375,000 (up 15% per year) with the industry employing nearly 2 million people.
Wait, it gets better …
As new commercial cannabis producers have flooded the market, medical marijuana dispensaries have benefitted from an aging US population coupled with an increased acceptance of the medical applications of marijuana. Additionally, the development of new ways to consume the product such as edibles and vaporizer pens should continue to attract new users who are averse to smoking. All of which is attracting BIG money to this industry.
About the Client
Given the number of Bay Area cannabis startups who are hiring right now, I decided to market this search as “Client Confidential.” However, this client’s business is first rate. My partner Allan and I receive 150+ calls a year from companies wanting our help with searches, and we only work with the best.
I know that sounds salesy — but if our clients sucked, you wouldn’t apply. We get that.
So basically, in every new client we’re looking for the SAME things any A-player would want in a new employer: A great role with company that has stable (or recurring) revenue; identifiable growth opportunities; sustainable margins; a smart operating model in a non-cyclical industry with significant barriers to entry.
Easier said than done — but that’s exactly what this client offers.
Remember how I said that by 2023 there will be 375K licensed cannabis growers? Well, there are more than 200K licensed growers today — all producing dozens of strains, called by dozens of names, all with varying degrees of taste and effect.
Simply put: Cannabis is an EXTREMELY information intensive product category.
Which makes it PERFECT for an online marketplace that crosses the best aspects of Craigslist, Yelp, and Amazon. Much better than straight retail, online marketplaces are amazing models that are expected to reinvent the $10 TRILLION service economy.
Yes, that’s “trillion” with a T.
My client is fast emerging as a leading federally regulated ecommerce destination that connects cannabis consumers with licensed local dispensaries and delivery partners through leading edge technology, marketing and operations. The company benefits dispensaries by offering an easy, intuitive way to bring their crop to market while consumers get a safe and secure way to get their product from an approved, licensed grower.
About the Role
Your job is to spread the word about the client while overseeing its content / promotional calendar. You’ll be working with the client’s PR agency, ensuring that the agency has everything they need to do a great job in the areas of …
- Content marketing (blogs, optimized website, sales materials, etc.)
- Social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Public relations (media stories, bylines, etc.)
You’ll need to have an analytical bias towards these things and be able to assess each campaign’s ROI based on 1.) Digital Reach and Engagement, 2.) Sales and Marketing Impact, 3.) Loyalty and Advocacy, and 4.) Reputation and Brand. Because without a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t, you’ll just be wasting your time and my client’s money.
As always, we’ve got tons of proprietary intel that’ll tell you exactly what you’ll need to KNOW and DO to hit the ground running in this role. Some of the things I can share with qualified candidates include …
- The “real” background requirements for this position, along with the top five things all resumes MUST have to be considered for the role.
- The top five problems that exist due to this position being open. These are the little brush fires you will be expected to put out during your first month on the job. Every ecommerce job has these — and this one’s no different.
- What your average day / week will look like in this role. There’s what you read in the standard ecommerce job posting … then there’s reality. We’ve got the reality.
- The leading and lagging KPI’s that will determine your success in this role. In a nutshell: How you keep score.
- The major projects you’ll need to complete by Day 100 to be considered a home-run in this position. We’ve got the lowdown on how you can plug-and-play and drive REAL value in this ecommerce job.
PLUS: Thanks to a cannabis CMO search I closed last summer for a private equity firm, I’ve got a very pricey market research report that breaks down the cannabis industry’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This recent 78-page report covers the entire vendor landscape and dissects the major drivers that influence market growth. It’s an atomic throwdown of statistical goodness.
I’m happy to share this report with any candidate who makes it past their first round phone screen. Just ask me for it.
View Harry Joiner’s profile
Responsibilities:
- Lead development of monthly content calendar and work with marketing channel managers to ensure smooth rollout of content and campaigns
- Implement creative brief and improve current workflows
- Oversee evolution of and compliance with brand messaging
- Work with high-value clients and internal resources on rollout of new markets in California and nationally
- Serve as daily contact with PR/communications agency on PR plan implementation and supporting new press inquiries
- Manage internal and outsourced team of content writers and video producers to create and implement new content
- Monitor social listening tool to gauge consumer (and activist) sentiment and highlight areas of concern
- Develop and maintain relationships in the industry to cultivate new opportunities; develop intimate knowledge of the best practices on marijuana marketplaces.
Qualifications
- Minimum 5 years in marketing communications or equivalent; ideally in a data-driven environment
- Working knowledge of Excel and marketing software
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Self-motivated and willing to take projects and run with them
- Experience managing and tracking budgets
- Highly desired: Experience in and passion for the cannabis industry
Applications for this ecommerce job are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE. Candidates, please be sure to email Harry for additional information that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.
