Cannabis Marketing Challenges: What To Pay Attention To

Submitted Content02:58PM / Thursday, February 16, 2023Print Story | Email Story

Even though the cannabis industry has made a lot of progress toward legalization, there are still problems to solve. Problems with traditional marketing methods include a lack of education, trouble getting people to follow the rules, censorship on social media, and old stereotypes. But because the industry has made progress, there are many marketing opportunities in this increasingly competitive market. Strategic marketing for the cannabis industry requires

creativity, a deep understanding of censorship policies, and a willingness to stay up-to-date on

them.

That is why we recommend this guide, which will help you know more about the list of problems that the cannabis industry is facing right now and the essential things to pay attention to.

Everything About Cannabis Is Always Changing

The cannabis industry is still young, even though marijuana has been around for a long time. The cannabis industry is constantly changing, and CBD brands that want to sell their products must keep up with these changes.

In the U.S., for example, each state has its own rules about how cannabis can be grown, sold, and used.

Because laws are constantly changing, it's hard for cannabis brands to market their products or businesses related to CBD.

Stigma

As more states legalize cannabis for medical and recreational use, society is slowly accepting it as a "normal" drug. But because cannabis has been illegal for a long time, no law can instantly change how people think about it.

Cannabis companies that want to market their products online must get past this stigma, which will take time.

Most Online Advertising Platforms Do Not Allow Ads for Cannabis

When selling cannabis online, you won't have as much freedom as in other industries. You could lose your account if you don't follow the rules of your preferred digital marketing platform.

Let's look at how the most powerful marketing platforms approach cannabis marketing, so you know what to expect and don't lose your account.

Facebook

Facebook's rules about ads say that illegal and recreational drugs can't be sold or used. But you can still run ads for cannabis on Facebook, and they will be approved. That's why you still see ads for pot all over Google and Facebook.

The trick is to make ads for a pot that won't get flagged. From what we know about social

media, these cannabis ads will be okay on Facebook:

Content that gives information or teaches: Instead of telling people about your products, you could teach them about CBD products and services.
Content that doesn't have a CTA to buy

As you can see, you need to do keyword research, and then Facebook's Ad Manager will decide whether or not to let your cannabis ad run based on the media and language you use.

Google AdWords

Google has rules that make it hard for:

Promoting or advertising drug use for fun.
Putting up ads for goods or services that could encourage drug use.
Content that tells people how to get, make or use drugs for fun

The bad thing is that these rules also apply to places where cannabis can be used for fun. But it's not all bad because you can change the parts of your content that made Google flag your ad. Google's rules can be avoided if you don't discuss using the cannabis plant for fun.

Since Google uses automatic tools to track, approve, or flag ads, here are some tricks you can use when submitting your ads for approval to avoid being flagged:

Use the right keywords. Google will quickly flag your ad if you use words like "canna" in it. On the other hand, ads that use words like "hemp" or "cannabis" get past Google's censors.
More testing: There are many ways to advertise on Google's platform, such as with displayed ads, Google Shopping Ads, basic text ads, and Google Sponsored Promotions. Test your ads to make it more likely that they will be accepted.
Don't use any "trigger words": When Google bots check your cannabis ads, they look at more than just the content. Make sure there are no trigger words in your website, business name, or metadata description.

YouTube

Under its rules about harmful or dangerous content, YouTube doesn't allow content that tries to sell regulated or illegal goods or services directly or by linking to sites that do.

Some regulated or illegal things are prescription drugs, alcohol, online casinos, nicotine products, etc.

For a long time, YouTube seemed like a good place for people who wanted to sell cannabis. However, things have changed since YouTube started flagging cannabis-related channels without warning or explanation. In all these cases, YouTube said the channels in question broke its rules. In a strange twist, these channels didn't have any problems on the platform for many years and did well while in charge.

Most of these channels were later put back on YouTube, but some now warn users that their content may not be suitable for everyone before they watch it. So, users can choose whether to watch the video or not.

Instagram

When it comes to ads for drugs or products that are related to drugs, Instagram has the same rules as Facebook. So, Instagram's rules about ads say that you can't use or sell prescription, illegal, or recreational drugs.

If you don't follow these rules, Instagram might shut down your page.

You can still share cannabis content, though, just like you can on Google AdWords and Facebook (of course, depending on the type of content you post) Instagram has no major problems with informative and educational content, so posting will always be okay. But it's best not to put a call to action in your Instagram cannabis ad. When advertising cannabis on Instagram, it's a great idea to use influencers as part of your marketing plan.

Twitter

The Twitter policy makes it hard to promote drugs and things used to get high. Some of the things that are against the

Twitter policy are:

Drugs for fun and herbal drugs
Drug dispensaries
Illegal drugs
Accessories for drugs
Anything that gets people to use hard drugs

But Twitter does let CBD topical advertisers target the US as long as they meet these requirements:

Only selling legal CBD products that can't be eaten.
Carry the proper licenses and have been approved by Twitter.
Only sells cannabis products online in states where they have a license.
Abides by all laws and rules.
It is not for people under the age of 21.
If you follow the above rules, you will have less trouble running ads for cannabis on Twitter.

Conclusion

Keep this list in mind as you grow your business in the coming year. It's a good idea to think of ways to deal with all marketing problems. The cannabis business is growing like never before, but you might be unable to beat your competitors if you don't deal with these common problems immediately. Keep up with your industry to stay ahead of your competitors, and be on the lookout for anything new that could change the way you do business in the coming year.

Marchetti Details Six Months of 'Going Bold' at 1Berkshire Lunch

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:47AM / Monday, June 10, 2024

1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butlers says the relationship between the business community and the new Pittsfield mayor is off to a good start.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Six months in, Mayor Peter Marchetti detailed his progress in plans to "go bold or go home" during a 1Berkshire luncheon last week.

"My motto over the past six months as some members of the [Pittsfield Economic Development Authority]and my business development director has heard, we're going to go bold, or we are going to go home," he said to a crowd of more than 120 at the Proprietor's Lodge on Wednesday.

"I have four years to make a difference. And I plan on making that difference in four years."

President & CEO Jonathan Butler said the relationship between the business community and elected leaders is critical to making progress and collective success.

"In the case of Mayor Marchetti, this relationship is already off to a strong start. The mayor comes into this position with a deep understanding of the importance of partnerships and the value of bringing different voices together to solve problems," he said.

"Additionally, the mayor's dual background of coming from a career in business, while also serving many years on the City Council and other public roles gives him a unique understanding of the importance of quality dialogue and partnership between the city and his business community."

Marchetti reported that the city's business development team is working on five sets of business prospects — including the first developer for Site 9 at the William Stanley Business Park. The 16 1/2-acre parcel has been a "blighted and sore spot in the community for many decades" but began its journey toward revitalization this year.

"I'm working with a Pittsfield Development Authority board to work on securing the future developer for this site and surrounding places and hoping that we'd be able to make that announcement very soon, as the negotiations are well underway," he said.

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