Women to Watch: Bethanie White
By Brandon Dunn
Bethanie White is the brains behind one of the sleekest branding machines in Missouri cannabis. She is the Director of Marketing at Clovr Cannabis.
White is a midwest native, growing up in Independence, Ks., and obtaining her associate’s from Independence Community College, before earning her BA from the University of Kansas, and making her home in Kansas City.
“I’ve worked with this group for eight years and throughout its involvement in medical marijuana beginning in 2014. I, with a talented team, did the marketing for seven dispensaries. Once the possibility of Missouri legalizing cannabis arose we were all hands on deck here and the company gave me the opportunity to continue doing the marketing for Clovr.”
Clovr aims to bring experience, brand partnerships, and options to the medical market in Missouri.
“We have seen, from building design and cultivation and extraction methods, to dispensary user-experience what works and what doesn’t and we’re excited to be able to bring that knowledge home to Missouri, under the Clovr brand,” White says.
“We’ve seen that people like to medicate differently, and in some ways we haven’t even thought of yet. Offering Missouri patients as many different dosing and delivery methods as fits their lifestyle is important to us,” White explains, “We have signed letters of intent with some of our favorite partners including Pax, Incredibles, Wana Brands and Keef Brands to distribute exclusively on their behalf in Missouri. The product mix of these companies brings proven delivery methods with consistent dosing to patients whether they are looking for an edible, a beverage, a tincture to add to their current meal plan, a capsule, and even a suppository.”
“Clovr is a group of people who have been in the cannabis industry and have seen the difference cannabis has made in people’s lives.”
White, like many others in the industry, owes some of her passion to personal experience.
“My mom had cancer and was taking morphine for the pain the last few months of her life. The pain went away but it also put her to sleep for hours. If she was awake it meant she was in pain. I wish I would have had the ability to give her cannabis for the pain. I would have gained a lot more valuable time with her those last few months if I had access to cannabis.”
White says that, “Cannabis is the American underdog that I am proud to be part of. Having the opportunity to change opposing opinions every day through marketing mediums, testimonials, and face-to-face conversation is a dream job. Helping people get access to safe and legal medication that allows them to just live a normal life to be with their family, play with their kids and go to work – why would you want anything less for anyone?”
When asked about her duties as Director of Marketing, White credits her team for her ability to be hands on.
“Any place our brand is present you’ll find me in some form. I help with the design of the dispensaries, traditional media ads, the website, and packaging to posting and answering DMs on social media. If there is a Clovr logo, you’ll find me somewhere behind it. We have a super-talented team that allows me to be everywhere and I couldn’t do it without them.”
In a market where many companies hold their cards close and have resigned to wait for licensure to put their brand’s face forward, Bethanie and Clovr have chosen to be active around the state and on social media.
“You must go where your customers are and they are on social media. It is one of the only mediums to get a direct and immediate response from your patients and customers. I love the raw, informal platform that social provides where you can truly show your brand personality and the team that makes it what it is. No other medium gives the customer an inside look at a company like social media does.”
White says, “It is absolutely necessary to connect with your customers and deliver valuable content. The best advice I ever received was to ‘Never put all your eggs in a basket you don’t own.’ Some social platforms make it difficult to be present so use them as a place to connect with your customers and disperse your content, but have your website be the main hub of your marketing plan.”