Marketing a cannabis company can present some unique challenges, especially when it comes to social media. Because of the ongoing federal prohibition of cannabis, most major social media platforms do not allow direct promotion of cannabis products or services. This means that cannabis companies have to get creative with their marketing if they want to use social media to reach their target audience.
Fortunately, there are a few things that cannabis companies can do to work around these restrictions and still effectively market their business on social media. In this blog post, we’ll share three tips for cannabis industry businesses looking to make the most of social media marketing.
Get creative with your content strategy
Since you can’t directly promote your product on social media, you’ll need to get creative with the types of content you share.
Share news stories about the industry, latest legalization developments, expert opinions, and anything else that would be interesting to your target audience. You can also share photos and videos that showcase your brand in a positive light without explicitly promoting your products or services.
The key is to provide value and build trust with your audience so that they think of your company first when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Take advantage of influencer marketing
Cannabis companies can’t pay celebrities or traditional influencers to endorse their products on social media, but there are still plenty of people in the industry with large followings who are willing to partner with brands.
Look for influencers who align with your brand values and who have engaged audiences in your target market. Once you’ve identified some potential partners, reach out and see if they’re interested in working together. If they are, you can collaborate on creating content that will resonate with their followers and help raise awareness for your brand.
Use paid advertising cautiously
Paid social media advertising can be tricky for cannabis companies since most platforms don’t allow direct promotion of cannabis products or services. However, there are some ways to work around this restriction.
For example, Facebook allows ads for businesses that sell “accessories,” as long as those accessories are not explicitly for use with cannabis (e.g., bongs, pipes, etc.). So, if you sell cannabis-related accessories like rolling papers or storage containers, paid advertising could be an option for you.
Just be sure to stay within the guidelines set by each platform to avoid having your ad account suspended or banned.
Conclusion
Marketing a cannabis company presents some unique challenges—but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to effectively reach your target audience through social media. By getting creative with your content strategy, taking advantage of influencer marketing opportunities, and using paid advertising cautiously, you can work around the restrictions and still connect with potential customers on social media.
Marketing a cannabis company can present some unique challenges, especially when it comes to social media. Because of the ongoing federal prohibition of cannabis, most major social media platforms do not allow direct promotion of cannabis products or services. This means that cannabis companies have to get creative with their marketing if they want to use social media to reach their target audience.
Fortunately, there are a few things that cannabis companies can do to work around these restrictions and still effectively market their business on social media. In this blog post, we’ll share three tips for cannabis industry businesses looking to make the most of social media marketing.
Get creative with your content strategy
Since you can’t directly promote your product on social media, you’ll need to get creative with the types of content you share.
Share news stories about the industry, latest legalization developments, expert opinions, and anything else that would be interesting to your target audience. You can also share photos and videos that showcase your brand in a positive light without explicitly promoting your products or services.
The key is to provide value and build trust with your audience so that they think of your company first when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Take advantage of influencer marketing
Cannabis companies can’t pay celebrities or traditional influencers to endorse their products on social media, but there are still plenty of people in the industry with large followings who are willing to partner with brands.
Look for influencers who align with your brand values and who have engaged audiences in your target market. Once you’ve identified some potential partners, reach out and see if they’re interested in working together. If they are, you can collaborate on creating content that will resonate with their followers and help raise awareness for your brand.
Use paid advertising cautiously
Paid social media advertising can be tricky for cannabis companies since most platforms don’t allow direct promotion of cannabis products or services. However, there are some ways to work around this restriction.
For example, Facebook allows ads for businesses that sell “accessories,” as long as those accessories are not explicitly for use with cannabis (e.g., bongs, pipes, etc.). So, if you sell cannabis-related accessories like rolling papers or storage containers, paid advertising could be an option for you.
Just be sure to stay within the guidelines set by each platform to avoid having your ad account suspended or banned.
Conclusion
Marketing a cannabis company presents some unique challenges—but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to effectively reach your target audience through social media. By getting creative with your content strategy, taking advantage of influencer marketing opportunities, and using paid advertising cautiously, you can work around the restrictions and still connect with potential customers on social media.
Published on September 20, 2023
About the Author: Javar Baity
