Can I Advertise Marijuana Brands on Facebook?
No matter what part of the cannabis industry you are working in – growing, online product sales, dispensary – the already fast-growing industry is set to experience even greater growth over the coming months. State-mandated legalization is encouraging investors to sink billions of dollars into an industry that operates with the risk of being shut down by federal agencies. That is creating a new industry based around Marijuana Marketing.
Growing a marijuana business is hard enough, but doing so against a backdrop of unclear, uncertain and often conflicting regulations makes it even harder. Being fully aware of the regulations is as important for those marketing marijuana brands as much as any other part of the organization. Understanding what you can and cannot do is key.
Advertise Cannabis legally – Online!
In most cannabis markets, advertising with direct media is severely limited in many ways and sometimes completely banned. This puts marijuana marketers in a difficult position. The cannabis market is one of the most competitive industries in the world, but these business owners have limited opportunity to promote or advertise, making it extremely difficult to set themselves apart from the competition. As a result, businesses have turned to the digital marketing channels on social media such as Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and various other sites where they can advertise and reach their potential audience more easily and affordably. However, cannabis businesses have to be careful and very strategic with the imagery and text they use to promote their products and services.
As one of the most popular digital marketing channels, Facebook’s Advertising Policies are clear: “Ads must not promote the sale or use of illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs.” Read more on facebook advertising policies.
Cannabis and Canaboid products (CBD) are considered both recreational and illegal by Facebook as they operate using federal guidelines. Medical applications requiring a doctor’s recommendation would be seen as prescription drugs, and therefore disallowed.
For a company looking to offer CBD products on Facebook, it is still possible use the world’s largest social network as long as you do not violate the published policy.
Things you should avoid:
- Using images showing the use of CBD Oils or smoke-related images.
- Showing the actual product in an image – do not show marijuana in its natural state.
- Using images that imply the use of the drug.
Ads and organic posts should be compliant with the policy, otherwise Facebook can remove the posts and possibly delete your account or business page. It is important to touch on the products you are selling, but do not be so direct in your approach. The most successful and longest running CBD campaigns are developed using click funnels to touch on the benefits of the product before encouraging the audience to “learn more” outside of the Facebook platform. You should also remember that you can cross-post from a business’s Facebook page to their Instagram account. However, as Instagram is owned by Facebook the same advertising rules will still apply.
Before starting a CBD marketing campaign, the website should be complete & filled with useful information regarding the products or services being offered to the audience. It is here that you can inform interested clients in more detail about the products & their benefits. But even on a website, be careful about the claims that are made. The FDA monitors marijuana companies fraudulently promoting products and will act if they believe the marketing is deceptive or unproven.
The website should quickly and clearly explain the product, it’s benefits and provide an easy way for the audience to either make a purchase or contact you through form submission or giving the business a call.
Don’t have a website? You’ll want to get that taken care of before starting any type of digital marketing strategy. Click here, for more information regarding web design and development.
Contact Us
Need help with setting up a strategic plan or campaign for your cannabis company? Just A Web Company is the one stop shop for all of your digital marketing needs. From pay-per-click campaigns to SEO and more. We are driven to help your company succeed online. For more information regarding this article or the products and services our company has to offer, please give us a call today. We look forward to hearing from you!