CBA approached us to create, manage, and execute a daily social media strategy that would build brand awareness, grow their audience organically, and engage meaningfully with the cannabis beverage community. The challenge wasn't just building followers—it was building credibility and accessibility. How do you position a trade association as both industry authority and consumer educator? How do you make cannabis beverages feel approachable to people at all experience levels while serving industry stakeholders?

We identified two core audiences that needed to coexist: industry stakeholders (members, producers, board members, decision-makers) and consumers exploring cannabis beverages for the first time. The opportunity was clear—build a content ecosystem that serves both, educates without talking down, and positions CBA as the go-to resource for anyone interested in cannabis beverages.

We designed a content programming schedule built on three pillars: Cannabis Industry & Beverage News (keeping the industry informed), Beverage Industry News (connecting to broader drink culture), and Member Highlights & Features (celebrating the people building the category). The strategy focused on organic engagement across diverse audiences—media, influencers, professional associations, cannabis culture, and food & beverage communities. LinkedIn became our thought-leadership platform, Instagram our brand awareness engine, and Twitter our real-time content source.

We launched daily content across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, strategically optimizing each platform for its strengths. On LinkedIn, we tagged board members in every post to maximize reach and impressions—making the most cannabis-friendly B2B platform work harder for us. Instagram focused on product features and category news to build general awareness. Twitter kept us plugged into real-time trends and conversations. We also executed specific initiatives like welcoming new members to the community through high-performing LinkedIn features, tapping into beverage influencer networks (collaborating with thought-leaders like Jamie Evans, "The Herb Somm"), and jumping into social media holidays with creative, on-brand content.

Building on Year 1's momentum, we crafted campaigns that connected with even more diverse audiences—from everyday consumers to cannabis and non-cannabis professionals to media. Key campaigns included:

"Cheers to Summer": Capitalizing on research showing summer as peak drinking season (excluding December), we repurposed member content celebrating summer. Over ice, shaken, or stirred—we made cannabis beverages the drink of the season.

"820 - National Drink Cannabis Day": We turned this into more than a celebration—we made it a day to learn and explore cannabis beverages, positioning CBA as educators, not just promoters.

We handled end-to-end daily management: content creation, community engagement, cross-platform optimization, real-time responsiveness, and performance tracking. Every post was designed to serve the strategy, every engagement intentional.

CBA established themselves as the trusted voice in cannabis beverages. Consistent organic growth, engaged community across platforms, and a reputation as both industry authority and consumer resource. The kind of presence that makes people—whether they're launching a beverage or trying one for the first time—turn to CBA first.