With everybody being so highly connected through technology, using social media to market various products is becoming increasingly popular. Hemp-derived CBD can now be marketed through social media thanks to recent legal developments in the USA.
CBD and cannabis products are hard to market on social media due to restrictions. Being able to effectively market CBD on social media can be difficult due to these restrictions, but certainly not impossible.
Today, we will take a much closer look at how to market CBD on social media to drive revenue, including various proven strategies. We’ll also take a closer look at the legal restrictions you face when attempting to market something like CBD over a social media platform, so you don’t end up doing anything that may potentially land you in hot water.
The Use of Social Media in Marketing
Social media is an incredible tool when it comes to marketing purposes. For instance, in 2022, 93% of marketers were using social media for business purposes, and this number is only increasing.
In fact, social media has overtaken paid search as an advertising method, with social media marketing currently exceeding $137 billion.
Furthermore, social media accounted for over 33% of all digital advertising expenditures in 2022. Also consider that Facebook currently has nearly 3 billion users, which is a massive audience to be able to market any product to.
The bottom line is that anybody looking to market a product and drive revenue would be foolish to not take advantage of social media.
What is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol, and this is one of the two major cannabinoids found in hemp and cannabis plants. CBD itself is generally non-intoxicating and non-psychoactive. This means that it should not get you high. However, CBD does have a variety of potential medical benefits, both for the mind and body.
CBD may be able to help relieve pain and inflammation, it could help combat depression, stress, and anxiety, it may be able to relieve nausea, it can potentially help you get a good night’s sleep, and more. There is plenty of potential for CBD as a therapeutic treatment for a variety of conditions and issues.
There are also two major kinds of CBD in terms of origin, including that which is derived from the hemp plant and that which comes from the cannabis plant, which is where the legal restrictions come into play. Let’s move on and take a look at the legal status of CBD in the USA.
The Legal Status of CBD in the USA
One of the nuances that you need to be aware of when it comes to the legal status of CBD in the USA has to do with where the CBD originates from. Cannabinoid products like edibles, tinctures, or flowers must only be made from hemp and contain a maximum of 0.3% Delta-9 THC as specified in the 2018 Farm Bill.
This means that as long as your CBD product comes from the hemp plant and does not contain more than the allotted amount of THC, it should be totally legal at the federal level.
CBD from cannabis plants with over 0.3% delta 9 THC and high THC marijuana are illegal.
CBD products can be legally marketed on social media if they meet the requirements.
Restrictions When Advertising CBD on Social Media
Although CBD is technically legal at a federal level now, there are still various restrictions put in place by the government on marketing CBD products. First and foremost, it is not legal to make any sort of medical or health claim.
Saying that any kind of cannabinoid can be used to treat a medical condition such as cancer, chronic pain, or epilepsy is not allowed. Yes, you can say that there is potential to help alleviate symptoms associated with certain conditions, or that CBD may be able to help, but you are not allowed to make any concrete medical claims, especially not without scientific backing.
Speaking of scientific backup and peer-reviewed studies, you cannot make claims about untested assumptions. Claims that are inauthentic, not credible, or unsubstantiated are not allowed to be made. If you cannot prove it to be true, you can’t use it for marketing purposes.
The FDA prohibits adding CBD to pet food, dietary supplements, or regular food.
How to market CBD on social media is therefore quite a big challenge, but still not impossible. You can advertise CBD on social media as long as you don’t make medical claims or promote illegal products.
Marketing CBD on Various Social Media Platforms
If you plan on marketing CBD products on social media, Facebook is one of your best bets. In June 2019, Facebook lifted its ban on CBD products that are empty rights.
This means that advertisers are now legally allowed to publish advertisements promoting a variety of CBD hemp products on Facebook.
However, things look a little different with other platforms. For instance, you cannot run CBD advertisements on Twitter, nor can you on Instagram. Google Ads also does not allow CBD marketing at this time.
Therefore, if you plan on marketing a CBD product on a social media platform, it’s Facebook that you’ll have to go with. Before starting any campaign, always consider cannabis social media regulations.
How to Market CBD on Social Media to Drive Revenue – Proven Methods
Now that all the basics are covered, let’s get to the main part of today’s piece, how to market CBD on social media to drive revenue. There are a variety of proven methods that you can use in combination with each other to drive traffic, turnaround, and sales.
Let’s keep in mind that it is estimated that CBD consumer product sales could reach a whopping $16 billion by just 2025. TProper use of social media marketing strategies is crucial to make a lot of money.
1. A Focus on SEO
SEO or search engine optimization is still viewed as one of the very best marketing methods in today’s online world.
SEO means optimizing your website and social media content to appear higher in search engine results.
Create content that search engines like Google will show first when people search for topics related to what you’ve written.
Using keywords, both regular and long tail, will help boost the visibility of your content as far as search engines are concerned. Proper search engine optimization involves a lot more than just keywords, but it’s certainly a good start.
An interesting statistic is that organic search results deliver up to 53% of all website traffic, and this is all thanks to SEO. In fact, it is forecasted that by 2028, over $122 billion will be spent on SEO every single year.
However, when people hear SEO, most people think of blogs, which is something we’ll take a closer look at further below. SEO can also be performed on social media, although it looks a little bit different from blogs. Take a look at the quick tips below to perform SEO on Facebook.
- Use your main keywords in your Facebook page title and in the vanity URL, as well as in your description and the About section.
- If you have a business address, add it to your profile, as this will be included in search results. If you have various locations, add all the addresses to a location page. This increases the chance of them being found in local search results.
- When it comes to SEO, content is still king, which means that you have to use relevant keywords in all of your content posts. Using keywords is still the number one way to get found.
- Using alternative text for your images is another good way to improve your search engine optimization rankings for your social media accounts.
2. Linking Out to Your Main Site
In combination with social media, you should also be using your main website or blog to promote your products. You can have fewer advertising restrictions on your website compared to Facebook where you need to follow their rules and regulations.
Advertising CBD products on Facebook are challenging, but sharing posts about them from your website is easier. You can use your social media page to share all of your latest website blog posts with as many viewers as possible.
This serves more than one purpose. First, the more content you post on your social media page, the more likely it is to reach a greater number of people. Many people run out of things to post, but blog posts from your main site are always a good option.
Furthermore, you can then also use your social media to drive traffic to your main site, and vice versa.
Going back to the topic of search engine optimization, you should of course also optimize your main website for search engines. If you backlink between your social media page and your blog, and both are optimized for search engines, it should drastically increase traffic, and hopefully sales.
3. Create a Standout Profile Page and Don’t Stop Posting
Stand out on Facebook by making your profile and product unique, or you’ll be overlooked in a sea of three billion users. You really need to make yourself stand out, which on Facebook starts with creating the best profile page you can.
You want to have all the catchiest and most memorable page titles, post titles, images, hashtags, and more.
If you expect your CBD marketing on social media to be successful, you always need to try to differentiate yourself from the competition positively. Having an attractive social media page can significantly increase the chances of people visiting it and buying from it.
To stay relevant on social media, you need to keep posting new content regularly. Otherwise, you’ll get lost among others who post more often. The more you post content on your page, the more likely you are to reach more people.
4. Quality Content Matters
We’ve discussed how to share content on social media, on your website or blog, and using SEO. Just posting content is not enough. The quality of the content is important.
Good content is recognized easily by both people and search engines. It is curated carefully, has accurate information, and is helpful – the opposite of hastily made marketing content. It is the latter group that you want to be a part of.
Create excellent content about CBD to establish yourself as an expert and strengthen your positive reputation. Your content has to make you look like an authority on the matter because this is the number one way to gain the trust of others.
This is especially the case when it comes to something like CBD, which people are still warming up to. CBD is new and legal for a short time. Some people may need to be convinced to understand its benefits.
Your content should be well-structured, easy to read, visually appealing, and relatable to your audience. If you manage to do all of these things, your content should be able to increase traffic, and therefore your sales.
5. Create an Affiliate Network
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to market CBD on social media and to drive revenue is by using an affiliate network. In 2017, for instance, affiliate marketing accounted for over 50% of all revenues created on digital media.
Basically, affiliates advertise your products on their websites and social media pages.
Your affiliate marketers will then create their own blog content with the hope of driving traffic back to your site or social media page. In simplest terms, it’s all about employing a network of affiliate marketing gurus to do the heavy lifting for you.
6. Use Influencers to Your Advantage
Social media influencers are people who have massive followings of people on various social media pages. These are social media stars with thousands or even millions of followers who see them as experts in their fields.
Therefore, using influencers to your advantage to advertise your CBD products can go a very long way in driving revenue. 20% of companies invest over 50% of their budget in social media influencers, which proves their effectiveness in marketing.
Social media influencers often achieve a quasi-god-like status, with followers often taking their word as law. If you can get a few of these influencers to put your CBD products in a positive light, it will do wonders for your traffic and sales.
7. Go to Trade Shows
Although going through trade shows doesn’t exactly qualify as social media marketing, you can’t advertise your social media page at the trade shows.
Attending trade shows is a powerful way to do word-of-mouth marketing and connect with big players in the CBD industry.
8. Take Advantage of a CBD Marketing Agency
Perhaps one of the best ways to market CBD on social media is by taking advantage of a great CBD marketing agency. The right CBD marketing agency, such as Client Verge, does all the heavy lifting for you. This includes content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and so much more.
A marketing agency specialized in cannabis or CBD can assist you in creating appropriate content, employing effective SEO and marketing strategies, and reaching a broad audience, without having to put in a lot of effort.
Final Thoughts
If you are wondering how to market CBD on social media to drive revenue, the above methods are proven to work the best.
Create a great profile, post good content, and get as many views as possible.
Just remember that there are rules and regulations that you have to follow when it comes to marketing any kind of CBD product, especially on social media.
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