A very common question asked by cannabis brands and owners is, ‘how can you market CBD or hemp-related goods?’This blog has an answer to it. Get to know why marketing is important for any hemp product. Also, get an insight into the challenges you can face when you start promoting your CBD products.
The US farm Bill has been passed in 2018 since that, industrial hemp was legalized and the cannabis market portrayed a steep rise in its growth. Currently, CBD has become a mainstream player in the United States, with an expectation of market worth to reach 23.7 billion dollars by 2023.
There is an increase in sales of non-intoxicating CBD products. These consumers belong to diverse age groups, and countries. People are giving these products to their pets even. And, with more exposure to the benefits of CBD, several emerging businesses are jumping to it to get a taste of the cannabis industry.
What is CBD marketing?
CBD or cannabidiol is a compound extracted from hemp or marijuana plants. These substances do not induce psychoactive feelings. Over 120 cannabinoids in plants have been isolated by scientists including THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The latter is known to have psychoactive feelings that trigger the brain receptors and produce a “high” state.
CBD marketing is a technique to attract potential consumers who will legally purchase cannabis products. Recent research suggests that the main target consumers of CBD products range from 25 to 35 years, with exceptions included. Although there are many restrictions in its marketing, employing certain strategies might make a difference.
Why hemp product marketing is important for a business?
If you are a cannabis product brand owner or a cannabis marketing agency, you need to consider certain pointers that will answer your question concerning its marketing importance in the industry.
Online CBD product marketing
- Makes your brand stand out
- Finds new consumer base
- Helps to retain existing customers
- Makes your brand unique
- Expands your social presence
- Generates potential leads
The cannabis industry is a novel attention-grabbing industry. So, if you are related to it and running promotions, you will be grasping the attention of a couple of browser users.
Marketing challenges of cannabis products
Despite the better legalization situation in the U.S., owners, and hemp marketing companies are constantly facing marketing issues. Some common issues include,
Strict laws
Although the industry has grown since the 2018 Farm Bill, still it is not legalized in most states. The states where CBD use has been legalized have strict state regulations regarding its marketing.
Banking issues
Even for good marketing, funds are required. Banks’ rules are strictly against making any transaction with industry or for hemp-related products.
Market saturation
With the evolution of CBD in the consumer markets, increased demands have been recorded. This led to the establishment of new hemp product vendors, thus increasing the competition. Hence, you will need a solid marketing strategy to stand out in the competition. In that case, take the help of a professional service.
Ambiguous target market
CBD has an uncertain demographic target. Researches indicate the late 20s and early 30s are more vulnerable to the usage of CBD oil but what about the exceptions? For gender targets, should the marketing techniques be directed to women or men? These ambiguities create clashes among the chosen methods.
Consumer uncertainty
Some studies report, a certain population of Americans wants to use hemp-related products but is concerned about the side effects. Another part of the population fears that it will trigger a risk when taking it with prescribed drugs.
Even some worry that regular intake of CBD oil or marijuana products might make them vulnerable to cannabis addiction.
Acceptance as a normal compound
Even with increased legalizations in most of the states of Unites States, society is extremely slow in accepting CBD as a ‘normal’ substance. Thus, cannabis marketing becomes an issue and a topic of concern for brand owners thinking of their brand prestige.
Issues with payments
Hemp products like CBD fall into the high-risk category due to legal uncertainties surrounding cannabinoids. Because of this, the majority of payment processors are hesitant to cooperate with businesses that sell CBD products.
Social media limitations
When promoting cannabis digitally, you will encounter numerous roadblocks, unlike other sectors. You risk losing access to your favorite digital marketing platform if you don’t follow its rules. The key marketing platforms that play a major role in restricting cannabis product advertisements include,
- YouTube
- Google Adwords
- Shopify
How to market hemp-related successfully?
How to promote cannabis products through hemp marketing is an important question for many brand owners. This is a concern of worry for even professionals.
Cannabis marketing is not a park walk; you must take expert assistance or advice when you think of doing so.
Affiliate marketing
There are plenty of manufacturers in this hemp industry who became big names, and the sector is expanded enough to clearly define certain niches. The cannabis market supports affiliate marketing opportunities; this helps your website to gain traffic through the publishers.
As affiliate marketing fees are totally performance-based, collaborating with affiliate networks can help you generate traffic for your business in a less risky way.
Native marketing
Many firms are naturally concentrating their efforts in areas where CBD enthusiasts have already gathered since they are excluded from search engine and social media advertising.
Native advertising is a type of marketing in which placements resemble relevant content and are frequently seen in online publications.
Influencer marketing
There are plenty of well-known celebrities who have joined the cannabis bandwagon, but even lesser-known people who embody the CBD lifestyle may have a significant influence. By utilizing the networks of taste makers in pertinent sectors, influencer marketing enables firms to reach a larger audience on social media.
Your company may benefit from the credibility that influencers have gained with their audience by using them to advertise your goods naturally.
Podcast ads
Another fantastic approach to increase brand exposure is to market to devoted podcast enthusiasts, particularly as CBD evolves from a product to a lifestyle culture.
Although it might be expensive, including advertisements in pertinent podcasts links your company to respected figures that listeners will trust.
Content Syndication
An excellent approach to using your material to promote brand recognition is through content syndication, which is comparable to native advertising.
Republishing your website content to other third-party websites can increase the reach of your content. This practice will bring you new audiences from other websites, once they get introduced to your content. In short, the process helps to drive more traffic and increase the reach of your website.
Social media…again!
Social media platforms impose their policies as marketing restrictions, but it is not a hopeless case. Recently, many social platforms have evolved their policies to suit the growing exposure of the cannabis industry. But they are still testing them.
Just make sure to keep it within the boundaries of the social media ad regulations, otherwise, your page might get banned. For example, Facebook has loosened up a bit. It allows the marketing of cannabis products; however, the advert must comply with its ad policy.
These 6 strategies might help you reach your target customers successfully. But, there is no guarantee that it will be all golden, even when you employ these. Therefore, it is always advisable to take help from a professional service, like any top-notch cannabis marketing agency. TopIT Cannabis is a professional service with an ardent team who uses effective strategies to build your cannabis brand from the scratch. Through our effective, personalized, and relevant hemp marketing strategies, you can reach your target consumers. We will also introduce you to new customers by extending your brand reach. For more information about our services, dial (323)250-3726.