CBD companies face significant challenges compared to other businesses when marketing their products. You’re not the only company with CBD oil for sale, and you need strong marketing tactics to stand out.
For most businesses, social media is the best tool for standing apart from the crowd. While societal acceptance of CBD oil and other products is growing, the largest social giants still don’t allow blatant advertising of CBD products on their pages, even though it’s not really a drug.
That doesn’t mean you can’t absolutely crush your CBD marketing, however. You simply need a few creative, yet successful tips for effectively marketing your products. Here are a few things you can do.
1. Simple Content
For most CBD brands, simple content is the best kind. It educates the general population about the benefits of using CBD while debunking common myths surrounding it. It’s all about going back to the basics here and letting your high-quality content reign.
Of course, you need a call to action to invite customers to visit your website. Posting links back to your website can be somewhat tricky, since some social pages will penalize you for posting links to CBD product pages. Stick to blog posts or your homepage, just to be safe. Check out Penguin CBD’s blog as an example.
2. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is by far the most effective form of marketing on social media, but it’s especially poignant for CBD brands. Not only is it one of the safest methods of advertising your products, but it’s also a great way to spread knowledge about CBD and its many uses.
Find an influencer with experience promoting cannabis products—their audiences will be the most receptive to your influencer’s message, and they’ll know how to tactfully endorse your products.
3. Hashtags
Hashtags have become the accepted way of categorizing brands on social media. They make your brand searchable so that when a person searches for CBD products on a social page, your name will likely come up.
To be effective, you’ll need many hashtags that bring followers back to your page. Start with trending hashtags, which have already built a hefty following. If you can provide extra value to these invested followers, you’ll have a goldmine of engagement on your hands.
You’ll also want branded hashtags, which are associated only with your brand. This helps to create brand permanence and encourage user-generated content, another great way to market your message.
4. Infographics
If you want to make a true impression on your target audience, you must provide high-value information. Social media is very visual, so as you’re educating your audience, go back to using traditional infographics.
Good infographics contain the perfect balance of facts, statistics, and images to clearly convey a message. The subject could be anything from the different types of CBD products like cream to the most amazing uses of them.
Be sure to brand the infographic with a link to your product pages to subliminally encourage purchases.
5. Syndicated Content
For those who aren’t familiar with this term, syndicated content is the publishing of your high-quality content on a third-party website. It’s a great way to share your message and give a promotional plug for your products without directly advertising them on social media.
It also gives your brand and content a little more credibility. Consumers are typically impressed that your content is published on a blog other than your own, so it’s a great branding strategy.
6. Controlled Ads
According to a recent update from Facebook, some advertisements are now allowed on the platform, but you’ll need to tread lightly. Their update states that you can post advertisements for non-ingestible hemp products only. These ads must also link only to product pages.
Keep your nose clean with these ads, and don’t try to sneak in an ad for ingestible products like gummies—Facebook bots are patrolling the CBD skies very carefully, and you’ll likely get shut down with just one misstep in this region.
7. Tell a Story
Human beings are drawn to stories—they can’t help it! They often follow brands on social media simply because they have a good story to tell. Then, when they need the products such brands sell, they’ll remember their name and make their purchases accordingly.
A good CBD brand will develop a killer story outline that starts with an understanding of your audience. You’ll especially want to focus on their values so that you can speak to that margin.
Once you know who you’re talking to, share relatable stories that will draw them in. For example, you might share real stories of people whose lives changed simply because they started using CBD cream every single day. If you’ve outlined your audience correctly, they can’t help but be sucked in!
8. Understand the Customer Journey
As you develop your story outlines, you’ll also need a thorough understanding of the customer journey. Think about how your customers will come across your content—will they be looking to make a purchase or simply looking for more information? Plan out the logical steps a consumer might make from the first time they see your content to the close of a sale.
With this information in mind, you’ll be able to draft several ideas for generating more engagement on social platforms. Jot down ideas for content to publish, questions to ask, polls to take, and ads to make.
If you’ve correctly analyzed your customer journey, the process from point A to point Z will be smooth as can be.
9. Don’t Break the Rules
Every once in a while, a CBD company will perform very well with creative social media marketing tactics. They’ll get cocky and try to sneak in an advertisement that’s against the rules. Before they know it, they’ve been shadow-banned by the social media rulers.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Social media can be a huge asset to your marketing team, but if you get banned, you’ve lost that highly valuable tool. Give it time, and social media platforms will become more accepting of CBD advertisements coming from CBD companies. When that happens, you’ll have already built a strong foundation among your customer base that will only be magnified by future changes in advertising.
