The 2018 Farm Bill changed things for hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), making both legal at all levels. The trick about CBD is that it is derived from the cannabis plant – a herb that has been facing legal controversy for many decades because of the US war on drugs. However, clinical studies show that CBD is non-psychoactive, so there shouldn’t be any legal barriers or restrictions on its use.
The Farm Bill’s changes put hemp on the list of legally allowed plants, lifting the ban on its commercial growing and manufacturing. Therefore, CBD production is an area with little legal controversy; yet, because of the close association between CBD and marijuana, it’s official advertising on social media and other channels is still under a ban.
So, how can a brand expand consumer awareness about its products and build a solid online presence? Here is a quick guide to the social media promotion of CBD that clarifies why social media shouldn’t be taken light-heartedly. Here, you’ll see that social media remains a powerful source of consumer education and engagement, so this channel shouldn’t be discounted when promoting CBD products, such as vape pen for CBD oil.
What Is the Position of Famous Social Media on CBD?
As CBD has a strong association with recreational drug use (though it’s not a drug), complex yet ambiguous policies and restrictions surround its mentions on social media. Every international social network has a set of rules regarding CBD promotion, from totally exclusionist to milder yet restrictive.
Here are the details of social media coverage of CBD.
1. Facebook
Facebook remains one of the top popular social media in the USA and globally, with its current user population exceeding 2 billion people. Thus, it’s usually the first network marketers consider for any product due to the ready access to a broad international audience. So, what does Facebook say about CBD advertising?
Facebook has a broad ban covering drugs, whether recreational or prescription. Though CBD isn’t technically a drug, Facebook classifies it as such, so its bots usually block and remove any content related to CBD, cannabis, and hemp. It relates to video and visual content, texts, and others. However, inventive marketers have learned to bypass this ban by redirecting users to their websites and building email lists for newsletters with the help of Facebook targeting tools.
2. Instagram
Since Facebook owns Instagram, it also follows the same set of rules Facebook does. Thus, you won’t get more free space for sponsored ads or direct CBD advertising on this platform. However, there’s another loophole in this social network – influencer marketing. Instagram thrives on influencers with millions of follower audiences, and you can engage a couple of influencers with your target audience to talk about your CBD merchandise now and then. This way, CBD can become more visible to Instagram users, not in the form of a paid commercial, but as a lifestyle element of one of the influencers’ routines.
There’s nothing criminal about a person’s eating a couple of CBD gummies before a responsible performance or drinking a CBD soft drink after a workout. These promos typically come with elevated risks of account blockage for influencers, so the price of such an advertising campaign can be way higher than a usual promo. However, with the immense power of Instagram’s promotion, we recommend taking a closer look at this platform’s possibilities for your CBD brand’s visibility and outreach.
3. Twitter
Everyone knows that things work pretty differently on Twitter, and this social network has its own unique promotional possibilities and limitations. Paid advertising of CBD is fully prohibited on Twitter with no exceptions, but there are even better opportunities to get your message heard there. This platform offers a great chance for building one-on-one user connections and starting your brand’s dialogue with other people. Thus, it’s easy to grow your audience and spread word of mouth about CBD products’ health value by answering user inquiries, sharing links, and talking to people about remedies for chronic health issues.
4. LinkedIn
Another social media platform with a limited potential for open CBD advertising, LinkedIn has a robust toolkit for building consumer awareness and educating people on the benefits of CBD. These types of content are allowed here, giving you a unique chance to popularize CBD with non-advertising content for varied purposes. Besides, experts note that LinkedIn has looser CBD-related regulations and can even endorse some non-aggressive CBD ads and publications – a merit unthinkable on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. What’s more, users can promote educational content in a variety of ways, and you can try these promotional methods to increase the visibility of your CBD-related blogs.
Why Take Social Media Seriously?
As you can see, the promotion of CBD products on social media is still a matter of the future. CBD is a component of cannabis, so its marketing is seen as an indirect promo of drugs, which is unacceptable in most jurisdictions. However, as the body of evidence around the therapeutic benefits of CBD grows, and more consumers are embracing the health potential of cannabidiol in many forms, we can expect the legal change to arrive sometime soon. Meanwhile, you can exercise a bit more inventiveness and creativity when dealing with CBD promotion on social networks.
Experienced marketers suggest the following life hacks to bypass the ban and grow your consumer audience:
- Using keywords and hashtags. You can use some CBD-related hashtags that don’t name CBD directly but are well-known and understood by people familiar with this product category. Be careful about “sensitive” hashtags for which the account can be blocked.
- Regular publications. If you publish posts regularly and are consistent in your marketing strategy, your account will inevitably gain greater exposure. This way, you can reach out to a much broader consumer audience, growing your user base and brand visibility.
- Content diversity. Publish varied articles, reviews, and user testimonials to treat your followers to diverse, interesting content. If they like to read your publications, they are sure to come back for more.
- Influencer marketing. We’ve already mentioned this advertising technique, and you can use it to your advantage in many ways.
Another rule is to keep your marketing language clear and honest. It’s vital not to make empty promises or claim that your CBD products will do wonders or cure some serious illnesses. The ban on CBD marketing is first explained by the absence of the FDA’s approval of its use as a medication for any condition. Therefore, your marketing messages can hit the right spot only if you are straightforward about the nature of the effects and the individual differences in CBD’s properties.
Read Also:
- Maximizing Your Social Media Presence For Chiropractic Marketing
- The Top Social Networking Sites People Are Using
- Best Twitter Tips Every Beginner Brand Should Know
The post Why CBD On Social Media Is Worth Paying Attention To appeared first on Social Media Magazine.
