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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING cannabiscreative.com 855-420-1812 info@cannabiscreative.com Written by Kavya Sebastian
TABLE OF CONTENTS Intro. . . . . . . . . ............................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 General.. ............................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Brand Development and Identity....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Print & Media..................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Web.. . . . . . . . ............................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Search/SEO........................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Social.. . . . . . ............................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Email.. . . . . .............................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Summary. . ............................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Sources. . . .............................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 2
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO CBD MARKETING
In 2020 alone, the legal cannabis industry has expanded to create 77,300 new
jobs nationwide, making cannabis the fastest-growing industry in the United
States1. One specific subset of the cannabis industry is transforming the way we
view health and wellness, so much so that the segment is turning into a multi-bil-
lion-dollar industry of its own. According to market research, the CBD segment of the
cannabis industry is expected to surpass $20 billion by 20242.
However, changes in legislation surrounding cannabis seem unending. While the number of
states legalizing cannabis continues to grow, cannabis is still not federally legal. The result
is a number of restrictive prohibitions that vary by state.
From medical cannabis dispensaries to CBD stores and everything in between, cannabis
businesses have the opportunity to explore unprecedented use of marketing and use it to
grow bigger and better.
Do these constant legislative changes represent a movement to-
wards federal legalization and therefore towards less restrictive
marketing prohibitions? What represents a real opportunity for
effective marketing and business growth in this industry?
This report will break down the six key areas of CBD marketing:
brand development and identity, print & packaging, web, search
(SEO), social, and email. We will walk through strategies in each of
these marketing areas, highlighting the aspects that CBD brands
should look out for, and what best practices to implement.
1
Leafly Report
2
BDS Analytics & Arcview Market Research
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 3
General
Growing hemp became completely legal after passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act
of 2018 (aka Farm Bill 2018). This bill allows hemp cultivation beyond pilot programs used
to study market interest in hemp-derived products (CBD) and explicitly allows the transfer
of hemp-derived products across state lines for commercial and other purposes, putting no
restrictions on the sale, transport, or possession of hemp-derived products. The 2018 Farm
Bill ultimately legalized the sale of CBD products, so long as those products are produced
in a manner abiding by the law. The same cannot be said about other cannabis products in
the US, such as cannabis (THC), which has yet to be legalized recreationally in the majority
of US states.
AS OF FEBRUARY 20213:
The following states fully and legally allow the sale of medicinal and recreational can-
nabis and cannabis-related products: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of
Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon,
South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington.
3
DISA Global Solutions
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 4
The following states legally allow the sale of medicinal cannabis (only) and cannabis-re- lated products: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Min- nesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and West Virginia. The following states legally allow the sale of only medicinal CBD oils: Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 5
States that have decriminalized cannabis: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecti-
cut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode
Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?
What this means is that there are restrictions around online advertising for
cannabis-derived CBD products on platforms such as Google, Instagram and
Facebook. However, there are solutions for hemp-derived CBD if you take the
time to research and implement within the regulations or work with an agency
that knows how to do it without getting your ad account taken down. At the
same time, a minefield of regulations puts CBD brands in a grey area that var-
ies by cities and states, particularly when it comes to ingestible products, such
as CBD-infused food and beverages. From tinctures to capsules to gummies
to sublingual strips, these products–hemp-derived or not–face more scrutiny
when it comes to marketing and advertising.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 6
BRAND DEVELOPMENT AND IDENTITY
Suppose you are on the hunt for some running shoes. Before you begin searching, you
might think of brands like Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour. These names have built inter-
est and trust within the shoe industry, the same way any brand hopes to secure a posi-
tion within their respective industry.
From logos and graphic design to customer Botera Brand Style Sheet, RGB/Web colors, 6-10-20
experience and communication, branding Color logo - Reversed for Pine Backgound Color logo - Reversed for White or Sand Background
pulls together several aspects of marketing
to create one identity and position. These
elements should work together to reso- Black Logo
Stacked Logo
nate well with your target audience. This
Reverse / White Logo
means that everything about your company,
from your product itself to the packaging
it comes into the website it is bought on
should aim to match the preferences and
Web Colors - Hex codes
Primary colors Seconday colors
personalities of your customers.
LUKE LAVENDAR
MUSTARD
DBAB61
9fA1AD
382A1F
665E4B
6C8685
39858F
EARTH
BARK
HAZE
LAKE
GREENER PINE TERRACOTTA COPPER SAND
324B46 C67340 9D5933 E8D9B0
To get specific, a brand is every interaction
(Logo or Pine (Logo on white, or *Black/white OK as text or backgrounds if needed.
backgrounds) Sand backgrounds) Colors may be screened back for certain uses, espcially for readability.
of a name or design that differentiates a TYPE Main logo
Walden Bold
Icon / Favicon
business, product, or service from another.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Doing so encompasses everything from the
Body Copy and Subheaders (Google Web font TBD)
Proxima Nova Regular Proxima Nova Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
positioning, the messaging/communication,
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
visual and aesthetic design, target market,
voice, promotions, and customer experience.
Designing a brand is designing the complete package. It is color, imagery,
iconography, and typography, but also personality, attitude, and style. When done
right, the result is a cohesive image that answers the question: “What does this
company look like?”. In other words, your brand is the experience people have
when they interact with your business– online, offline, or in person.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 7
With the constant stream of new entrants, the CBD market is becoming increasingly more
saturated, making the appeal to your target audience that much more integral to the suc-
cess of your brand. Given that CBD is so versatile, new products are constantly being add-
ed to the thousands of already established product lines and saturating the market. Brands
have CBD-infused everything– from facial scrubs and hand lotions to CBD beverages and
chocolate. Developing a product that fits your customers’ needs and marketing it accord-
ingly is therefore key to building your brand identity.
Through consistent messag-
ing and visuals, brands need to
When it comes to CBD brands,
confirm their credibility over the
the most important thing to alternatives, making engagement
communicate is trustworthiness. through design an important
element of branding. In this way,
differentiation is also critical to
keeping your CBD brand at the
forefront of consumers’ minds, especially given the saturated market. The health benefits
of CBD are incredibly diverse, and many brands are tempted to create catch-all products.
However, the market should reflect this diversity, and a brand should aim to differentiate in
a specific benefit or set of benefits.
Audience is also important to consider, particularly
for the cannabis and CBD industries. If your brand is
targeting mothers or seniors, perhaps you have to
invest in educating your audience through your mar-
keting strategies to overcome any potential stigmas
surrounding cannabis and CBD. If you are targeting
Millennials or Gen Z users, then instead you might
focus on portraying a certain lifestyle visual.
There are several ways to communicate to your
consumer –no matter who they are– all the ways that
your brand stands out from the competition. From a
marketing perspective, there are three areas you can
differentiate your brand in: logo design, content, and
user experience.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 8
LOGO DESIGN A logo is an easily recognizable design element that typically contains letterforms (logo- type), symbols/icons (logomark), or both. It is essentially a quick, visual representation of your brand’s message and position. Your CBD brand’s logo will impact how customers per- ceive the brand, and while there are many additional factors, the logo and packaging is often- times the first messenger of this perception. Your logo is one of the most important elements when building a success- ful brand. It represents the face of your company and should evoke some memory or emotion from the viewer depending upon their relationship with the brand. The right combination of basic design elements, such as shape/ form, color, line, scale, space, unity, and harmony, can help achieve this. To illustrate this, circular shapes could reflect community or unity, while a square might suggest stability, balance or power. The feelings and meanings people often associate with particular colors is an important aspect of your CBD logo design. For instance, while green may be the most obvious choice, a warm pastel peach color may evoke a feeling of calm- ness and serenity, something your brand could encompass. Combining colors for schemes or palettes can add a whole new meaning. For example, yellow with black suggests atten- tion, school mascot colors or something bee-like, while yellow and green in a logo may represent happiness and health. Some or all of these elements are thoughtfully combined to create a logo that resonates with your audience. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 9
A well-planned logo, combined with a brand strat-
egy helps you effectively reach your audience,
communicate your message, your value, and ben-
efits, and visually attract more attention. With the
CBD market becoming oversaturated quickly, it’s
TWISTED important to have a logo as original and unique as
possible.
WHISTLE
CONTENT
Creating content is arguably the main technique used to build a brand. Whether it is a blog
post, a social media post, or a physical brochure, all content created for your brand should
represent and reflect your brand consistently. Anything you create provides your audience
with useful information, attracts them to your website, and even retains existing customers
through quality engagement. In fact, these websites, posts, and pages should all be opti-
mized with keywords that drive traffic to the content you create, especially for e-commerce
websites that sell CBD products.
Therefore, your content
should set you apart from
your competitors. Develop-
ing branded content about
the specific benefits and
appeals of your CBD product
will help identify your brand
as different from the rest,
while also improving both
conversations and search
engine rankings.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 10USER EXPERIENCE
Ultimately, what a user experiences when engaging with your CBD brand is what deter-
mines your brand positioning. Therefore, branding should influence the user experience
design in a way that bridges the gap between the intended effect you want your brand to
have on a consumer and the actual experience they have when interacting with your brand.
A brand is built and positioned based on many
factors, particularly in the CBD industry where
there is much room for growth and opportu-
nity. For instance, given the gaps in knowl-
edge about the differences between THC and
CBD, user experience can be strengthened
by a brand that educates its consumer base
about its products. Explicit information such as
where a tincture is sourced from or what the
ingredients are allowed customers to make
informed and conscious purchase decisions.
Implicit information such as the quality can
also contribute to a brand. An example is the
price of a product; a customer can assume
that the higher the price, the higher the quali-
ty. A brand that is consistent in its positioning
based on quality and price is one that is de-
signing a strong user experience.
Brand engagement and user experience should,
therefore, work simultaneously to attract customers.
You should aim to communicate your intended brand
perception with your consumers by differentiating
aspects of your products accordingly.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 11Though brand differentiation is invaluable for any brand, there are major challenges when it comes to getting a CBD brand off the ground. As an up and coming industry, many people are not well-educated about the differences between cannabis and CBD. There is a stigma that remains associated with CBD products because of the relation to hemp and canna- bis, making people hesitant towards adopting CBD products into their lifestyle. This gap in knowledge additionally creates unique challenges for successfully marketing a CBD brand with strong brand identity and awareness. PRINT & MEDIA CBD products are an inherently sensory experience, particularly as it grows to become increasingly linked with health and wellness. Visual content is essential in elevating your brand and drawing customers to your products. With unique, eye-catching print and me- dia assets, your brand will be able to showcase your products and services, engage your audience, and stand out from the competition. Some forms of print and media to consider include: promotional materials & marketing collateral, product packaging, video & photogra- phy, and display marketing. PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, COLLATERAL, & PRODUCT PACKAGING Digital marketing with quality visual assets are inte- gral to the success of your marketing mix. However, print marketing is not a thing of the past. Particularly with CBD products and all the surrounding legisla- tion, the original methods of print advertising from packaging design to promotional materials and marketing collateral can greatly boost the way you showcase your brand. Promotional materials and other collateral, such as business cards, brochures, direct mailings, flyers, posters, stationary, among many others are useful for building the brand at special events. For instance, THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING WORK WITH US 12
the cannabis and CBD industry achieve a lot of exposure at tradeshows and conferences where professionals can share their work with one another. Events like these can leverage promotional materials, such as brochures and business cards, to increase brand awareness among their network. Industry events are also particularly useful for displaying physical products for potential partners or customers to interact with. Product packaging is one of the only tangible ways a consumer can engage with your brand. In the case of products that are sold in retail stores, it is also one of the most obvi- ous ways for customers to identify your product. Creating packaging designs that feature a logo front and center or have a unique quality to the packaging itself is a great way to help consumers recognize your brand in the future. For instance, brands like Apple produce a one-of-a-kind packaging design with minimal de- sign, die-cut windows, and so on to make their products stand out in their stores (which are also branded accordingly). However, brands like Coca Cola have a more simple, templat- ed package that still achieves its own voice through unique graphics. Similarly, your CBD brand’s product packaging design should fold into the ultimate message you wish to send. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 13
Something for CBD brands to pay particular attention to is the legislation surrounding cannabis and cannabis-related product packaging. States that allow for the sale of legal cannabis or CBD products have restrictions regarding their packaging and promotion. For instance, most states require certain warning labels and text to be legible on product pack- aging, with some laws being as specific as font type and size. Other states also prohibit neon or bright-colored packaging or imagery that appeals to children. In general, it is a good idea to check the legislation in your state or consult the National Cannabis Industry Association’s literature to understand the best practices for packaging your CBD products in your state. Ultimately, popular brands from Apple to Coca Cola are all sold in unique and recognizable packaging. Although these brands may have made minor changes to their packaging, they have ultimately stayed true to their original brand identity– both online and off. Similarly, your CBD business should aim to showcase the brand consistently across both digital and print media. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 14
VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY
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Media trends show that consumers
Stay Chill, CBD Drops have a preference for
content that is quick and
-Undergone vapor distillation to
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a full profile
binoids to promote relaxation.
digest or understand. For
instance, most peopleLet’swould rather
be real who doesn’t want to watch a video than read a
feel relaxed? Our #3 Tincture is
full page of text as they can
made using receive
our high CBD distil- the same amount of infor-
late. This full spectrum CBD oil
mation in less time. binoids in addition to beneficial
delivers a full profile of canna-
terpenes. We Take our #5 whole
plant extract and run it through
a purification process to remove
waxes, and fats leaving behind all
A successful digital media strategy, therefore, relies on much
the good stuff.
more than written content alone. With the worldwide web at
our fingertips, people will search Clientto see how your CBD prod-
photos:
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ucts can fit into their lives. Your_DSC0193.jpg
brand needs to tell a story that
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customers can relate to and engage with in order to actual-
ly grab their attention– instead of losing them to the infinite
Shutterstock options:
streams of media from the competition.
Working with a professional photographer to capture your own products beyond product
images (i.e. lifestyle images, photos of where products are sourced from, etc.) can also go a
long way in enticing those potential customers to purchase your products.
With the cannabis industry being a
fairly new frontier, stock images are
limited, overused, and duplicated by
multiple brands. Therefore, profession-
al photo and video shoots are essential
in setting your CBD apart and creating
a unique look and feel.
Having a quality creative team for video
production, editing, and optimization is
another way to provide your brand with
the inspiring visual assets you need to
stand out in the industry and ultimately
boost your bottom line.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING WORK WITH US 15DISPLAY MARKETING
Whether you are looking to build your brand or generate leads, display advertising can
help contribute to your overall business growth and digital marketing objectives.
Display marketing is the use of media such as text-based images, videos or animations
which are advertised on various end devices such as desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or
smartphones that encourage a user to click-through to a landing page and take action,
such as purchasing a product or signing up for a newsletter.
The great thing about display advertising is the diversity: from banner ads to video ads,
you can present your advertising in a number of formats that help you best achieve your
goals for your target audience. Because of Google Display Network’s extensive reach, you
can access millions of sites and place your ads on the right ones. This includes targeting
by demographic and geographic characteristics, as well as by the specific interests of your
customer base.
Having an attractive and eye-catching display ad compels a user to take an ac-
tion (i.e. clicking the ad). However, display ads alone may not always be effec-
tive. In fact, on average, for every thousand times your ad is shown, only one
person clicks it. Even then, according to Perfect Audience, 98% of your website
visitors will leave without ever converting4.
This makes display advertising a tool in the larger machine known as retargeting. Retar-
geting is what brings your website visitors back to you, even when they leave. Essentially,
retargeting tags your visitors and is able to find them across the web to display your ads to
them in real-time, no matter where they are. Companies like Perfect Audience that special-
ize in retargeting make this process easier for your brand by having partnerships with all
the major ad networks on the internet, such as Facebook, Google Marketing, OpenX, and
more.
4
“What is Retargeting?”, Perfect Audience
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 16WEB Designing and developing a website can be a time consuming and expensive investment for a company, but it is one that serves as the four walls of a brand. A website is an invita- tion for people to explore the foundation of your brand and everything about it: mission, personality, products, services, and so on. Therefore, building a beautiful website that is mobile-ready, user-friendly, and on-brand keeps customers engaged with your brand’s story as they interact with your products and services. Some key elements of website design for your CBD brand include: e-commerce, mobile design, and landing pages. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING WORK WITH US 17
E-COMMERCE E-commerce capacity is everything for a CBD brand. In addition to communicating your brand values, a website is in large a platform for your customers to purchase your products. To truly encourage a purchase decision, the e-commerce layouts on your website should be easy to use with eye-catching designs that provide your customers with a unique and personalized shopping experience. They should also feel that their data and sensitive infor- mation are secure. In a way, this goes hand in hand with the user-friendliness on your site, making it look professional and clean. A positive and seamless user experience is proven to lead to more return-shoppers and by extension, a better return on investment. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 18
MOBILE DESIGN
As consumers develop more ‘on-the-go’ habits, they are
increasingly spending more time on wireless devices, like
tablets and smartphones. In fact, according to Google, there
are 27.8 billion more search queries performed on mobile
devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) than on desktop5. It is,
therefore, critical for your website to be accessible and beau-
tiful, anywhere, on any device. Developing a website that ‘re-
sponds’ to fit the size of any mobile device without sacrificing
the aesthetic feel or functionality will greatly enhance your
customers’ user experience.
GLOBAL MOBILE PHONE WEBSITE
TRAFFIC SHARE FROM 2011 TO 2020
60
51.56% 52.03%
49.98%
50.75%
40.6%
40
Share of traffic
20
4.7%
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Source: Gs.statcounter.com
5
Mobile SEO Guide, backlinko
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 19LANDING PAGE Although paid advertising has its restrictions for CBD products, conversion-focused landing pag- es can still be crafted to appear in response to clicking on a search engine organic search result, search ad, display ad, social media post or market- ing email. These pages should act as an extension of your website, as they have the capacity to make a lasting brand impression and encourage users to dive deeper and explore your brand and web- site even further. The pages users are sent to after clicking an or- ganic result, such as an informational blog post, a resource page, a product page, or even just your site’s homepage, are still considered landing pages. However, a brand has less control over the messaging here because the content is focused on maintaining and increasing your rankings rath- er than converting users with the conversion-fo- cused landing page. A unique conversion-focused landing page is, therefore, designed with the customer’s point-of- view in mind can increase conversions for your business while also collecting valuable information about your customers. Moreover, both mobile-re- sponsive websites and landing pages will greatly benefit your mobile marketing strategy implemen- tation and ultimately enhance your consumers’ experience with your brand. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 20
SEARCH/SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is one of the more neglected branches of marketing
that can organically grow your return on investment (ROI) and completely transform your
conversion rates if executed properly. The main goal with SEO is to increase organic web-
site traffic to your site and encourage visitors to move into that next phase of conversion.
In general, there are three pillars of SEO to focus on in developing the strategies outlined
below: technical SEO (crawlability, indexation, incomplete or duplicate metadata, broken
links, etc.), on-page SEO (keyword research, keyword optimization, content creation that
encourages back-links and avoids bounces, etc.), and off-page SEO (quality and higher-vol-
ume back-link profiles).
With time, these pillars can certainly be managed and fully understood by your brand on
your own. However, a team of SEO professionals can get the best results and truly reap the
benefits of an effective SEO strategy, particularly for a CBD brand.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 21Given the legislative obstacles in the industry, these brands cannot increase exposure through sponsored ads in search engine results. However, CBD brands can optimize web- site content to more effectively reach their target customers. The idea is to be at the top of the search engine results page (SERP), so when people search for CBD and anything related to your brand, your products are easily found. This is where the concept of ‘keywords’ comes into play, in tandem with website design and devel- opment as it relates to the user experience. Overall, a comprehensive SEO strategy is one that takes mobile and local SEO into consid- eration, and even incorporates social media optimization. MOBILE SEO Content and on-page elements play a large role in the user experience for mobile SEO. Pages that are optimized for mo- bile should employ CBD keywords that are local-centric (e.g. CBD in Massachusetts) and encourage immediate action from the user for your website and store. As of November 2017, Google looks at the mobile version of your website before the desktop version. This means your mobile site is now the primary indicator for which pages are indexed and how your website ranks. If you have pages that are not mobile-friendly, you could miss out on ranking benefits for each page that does not meet Google’s best practices for load time. A mobile experience should also eliminate unnecessary ele- ments that slow down the load time or interfere with a smooth transition from one-page element to the next. Elements such as images, animations, and other rich media should be scaled down or eliminated to ensure speed is the primary metric being optimized. When these elements are optimized, the result is a mobile page that loads quickly and still conveys professionalism and security to the user. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 22
LOCAL SEO
Practicing local SEO is particularly useful for CBD brands with a brick-and-mortar retail
location. Optimizing your website to rank for a local audience that is physically near you will
allow you to ensure that potential customers are able to find your store. In fact, according
to Hubspot, 88% of local searches for businesses on a mobile device either call or visit that
business within the same day6.
A strong website is, therefore, one that is optimized for both your customers and search
engines. This means incorporating relevant keywords into the meta tags and body copy of
your website, in addition to ensuring that your business information matches everywhere it
is posted. For instance, you may write out your address with “Road” instead of “Rd”; make
sure it is consistent across platforms. From your address to your phone number, pick a
standard way to list all the information about your business. Strategies such as these allow
you to develop effective SEO for your brand and website so that potential and existing cus-
tomers can find you in their web searches.
Having a local search strategy is cru-
cial when increasing the visibility of
your site in search results on mobile
devices to attract in-person cus-
tomers. The intent of a local search
tends to be on-the-go in nature (e.g.
CBD store near me) but has a higher
purchase intent than that of an in-
formational search (e.g. what is CBD
oil?).
The keywords you focus on and the
citations (mentions of your business
on other websites) you receive have
a strong influence on how you ap-
pear in search results.
6
“16 Stats that Prove the Importance of Local SEO”, Hubspot
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 23One specific technique to improve your local SEO to drive foot traffic to your location is to have an optimized Google My Business page. Google My Business is a free tool for busi- ness owners to manage the way their business listing appears in search results. With this tool, you can manage your location on Google maps, online reviews, hours, and so on. Google My Business is also useful to businesses that do not have a physical location. When you first set up your account, you will be asked if you want to add a location for customers to visit or if you would like to list your business as a ‘service area business’ and simply indi- cate which cities or postal codes you serve. Although there are drug policies for Google’s paid advertising, their Google My Business guidelines indicate that regulated goods are allowed as long as geographic and age restric- tions are set. Due to the federal legal status of cannabis, the internet has restrictions on paid advertising for cannabis-related or CBD products. For instance, Google has drug policies for pay-per- click ads, shopping ads, in-app ads, video ads, and so on. These restrictions make it both difficult and risky to use paid advertising for CBD brands. However, some advertisers have gotten creative and been able to skirt banned terms and drive traffic by substituting prohib- ited keywords such as “THC” and “cannabis” for words like “herb” and “greens”. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 24
SEO & SOCIAL MEDIA Maintaining a strong presence on social media, with the use of keywords, creation of qual- ity content, and links to your website, can work in a mutually beneficial way with your SEO strategies. Optimizing and sharing social content about your brand, products, and services, all while linking back to your website allows both these gears of your marketing mix machine to work smoothly together. Social posts are key components of your social network and organic search presence as they encourage interaction and serve as the most effective channel for presenting CBD content. AFFILIATE MARKETING Affiliate marketing is essentially the process of spreading product marketing efforts across different participating companies, or “affiliates”, where each one earns a share of the reve- nue made from that marketing according to their contribution. An affiliate promotes one or multiple products from another company or individual and shares the value of the product to convince potential customers to purchase or try it. One popular method of doing this includes a blog post reviewing the product. In this way, affili- ate marketing is similar to influencer marketing. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING WORK WITH US 25
SOCIAL
Facebook. Instagram. YouTube. LinkedIn. Pinterest. Social media has trans-
formed the way businesses and customers interact since its inception. Then,
with trends like Snapchat and TikTok, emerging social platforms and features
continue to change that landscape through which individuals express them-
selves and identify with communities.
Keeping up with legislation surrounding these platforms is hard enough with
cannabis advertising being currently restricted on Facebook, Twitter, and Goo-
gle ad networks due to federal restrictions. For instance, Facebook and Insta-
gram allow advertisement of CBD products that are topical (i.e. hand creams,
face washes, bath bombs, etc.). However, if these advertisements link to your
main product page that features other non-topical lines, the ad will not be run.
Best practice for social media paid advertising in these cases is to create
a separate landing page for your ads to link to that feature only the topical
CBD products on your website. It is, therefore, key to be innovative and for-
ward-thinking to thrive on social media.
According to eMarketer, the average US adult spent 3 hours and 6 minutes
a day on a mobile device in 20207. Targeting and connecting with customers
where they are already spending time makes social media a powerful tool in
the marketing mix. This is particularly true when it comes to the CBD or canna-
bis industry since paid advertising cannot be run about these products.
Social media is sustained by the generation of consistent and quality content. Therefore,
there are some best practices that should be implemented to make this channel an effec-
tive part of your CBD brand’s digital marketing strategy.
7
eMarketer: US Mobile Time Spent 2020
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 26Social media platforms can operate like their own microcosms within online communities. Identifying keywords, like you would when implementing SEO strategies for your website or blog posts, and using them in your social posts helps users find exactly what they are looking for. This could be through the plain text caption, but it could also be via hashtags or even alt text on images. These techniques of optimization can help attract potential custom- ers that are already looking for you, or for related content, without them even knowing it. POST REGULARLY Audiences of all ages and niches are active on social media, posting content to others within the community as it relates to them. Any user on these platforms, therefore, needs to identify the best time to post and how often to do so to avoid getting lost in the wrong crowd. For instance, a restaurant is likely going to post on Instagram between one to three times a day, everyday, around times when their audience begins to get hungry and think about their next meal. Likewise, a CBD brand needs to analyze when their particular consumer base is on a given social platform and how often it makes sense to push out content. DIVERSIFY YOUR CONTENT As with anything, your CBD brand will not see the desired return on investment without spending a substantial amount of time and resources to create social content. Tempting as it may be, depending on sharing only one form of content to educate and promote your audience is not the best use of social media. Instead, use other formats, such as videos, podcasts, ephemeral content (like ‘stories’), gifs/boomerangs, etc. Communicating your mes- sage through diverse forms of media will make a greater impact on your audience, providing your business with the engagement and buzz you want for a CBD brand. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 27
MAKE USE OF INFLUENCERS With all the restrictions on cannabis marketing, most methods of advertising cannot be used for CBD brands. With traditional marketing efforts out of the picture, your CBD brand has to be incredibly creative to really leverage the use of social media advertising. One of the loopholes to all these restrictions is the use of influencers. An influencer is any person or platform that has influence over an audience. These influencers tend to be con- tent creators in some way, and many become brand ambassadors. In doing so, they are not directly working for or representing the brand or company, but instead acting as an individ- ual recommending a product or brand. Influencer marketing lets cannabis and CBD brands promote their products without getting tangled up in the mess of marketing legalities. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING WORK WITH US 28
EMAIL Due to the number of restrictions on advertising opportunities, such as paid search, for cannabis or cannabis-related brands, email marketing tends to be one of the more popular ways to reach your customers. (It should, however, be noted that many of the prominent platforms have policies against using their platform to market federally banned substanc- es, such as cannabis.) Email campaigns are also inexpensive compared to other marketing strategies and allow businesses to communicate directly with their audience and keep them both informed and engaged. Newsletters and emails should be used to highlight whatever aspect of your business is critical for your success. For instance, if attending trade shows and expos are driving leads, send emails to promote your attendance and booth presence at those events. If you have a successful hero product, focus on the appeal of that product to make customers reach for it on shelves or online. If it is knowledge and experience that your brand brings to the indus- try, share blog posts and news articles via links to blog posts or credible resources. Like other branches of marketing, email campaigns should be designed strategically. You’ll want to follow a number of best practices to ensure that you are maximizing the benefits of your email campaign. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 29
BUILD A LIST Collecting and documenting all the necessary and important information about a contact is key to building a meaningful contact list. A great way to gather information from new and potential customers is by giving them something for free. With the cannabis and CBD industry being so new, knowledge is one of the best things to entice people to sign up for newsletters or provide their information. An example might be including offers on your website for a free e-book about the differences between CBD and cannabis when people sign up to receive your emails. Allowing users to subscribe to a newsletter of choice (weekly/monthly or by topic, etc) is another way to build your list while collecting valuable information, such as the topics of interest of any given potential custom- ers. This type of specific information also enables you to cater your emails for each segment of your audience. SEGMENT YOUR AUDIENCE CBD products have a variety of benefits and appeal to a variety of different people. Your customers are not all going to be responsive to the same type of product or appeal, the same way not everyone in your email list is going to react the same to the content you send out. Tailoring email content and communication based on a set of traits, such as age, location, job position, status, etc. is a sure-fire way to get the types of responses you want, such as a purchase decision or membership sign up. Segmenting your email audience according to the interests of your audience makes it eas- ier to determine what type of content and offers to send out. It also enables you to connect with them directly and therefore, drastically improve your open and click rates. FIND YOUR RHYTHM Some people may find monthly newsletters a nuisance and would rather only receive short email notifications about important information and updates or sales and exclusive deals. Others may want more frequent emails, such as a weekly news article or highlight of a prod- uct. Sending out different emails for each of these segments is an important way of showing THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING WORK WITH US 30
your customer base that you are paying attention to their interests and, therefore, are truly
aiming to serve them.
Finding the right rhythm for your business and your audience is an important way to actu-
ally retain that actively engaged customer base. As a brand, you will want these customers
to actually open and click through your emails, or even potentially purchase products as
a result of the email. Think about your specific audience and their preferences, and match
your rhythm to theirs.
MAKE IT CATCHY!
From your subject line to the email preview to the actual message content itself, your email
should be written in an engaging manner.
The subject line is particularly important as it is one of the first impressions your email has
on its recipients. Crafting a catchy subject line can determine whether or not your contact is
compelled enough to click through. A good rule of thumb when thinking of a subject line is
to use concise language that makes some indication about the content of the email.
Beyond that, your email should
be timely and relevant to the
According to Hubspot, “up to 77% audience while also creating
of email opens taking place on mo- a sense of importance that
bile” , so using subject lines with few-
8
makes them feel special. A
er than 50 characters ensures that great way to accomplish this
the people viewing your emails are is by using personalization
able to read the entire subject line in tokens, such as a name or a
a glance. location, in parts of the email
to forge a stronger connection.
Proper phrasing can also go
a long way in building loyalty
amongst your customers. For instance, an email about “an exclusive offer for you” is far
more likely to perform better than one that is about “a sitewide offer”. The exclusivity felt
from certain phrases compels readers to convert better on your emails.
8
19 Tips to Write Catchy Email Subject Lines, Hubspot
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 31SUMMARY
Combined, all the different umbrellas of marketing provide the perfect opportunity for CBD
brands to educate their audience and build brand awareness, without using marketing
techniques that could get you in legal trouble.
Branding, print, media, web design and development, SEO, social media, and email all work
together to create a holistic marketing strategy. Consistency across all these channels not
only builds the trust and persona of your CBD brand, but also enhances your customers’
experience as they interact with your brand in all areas of their lives. From finding out about
your latest product through an Instagram story to searching their email for a discount code
to visiting your site to actually purchase that product, a customer should feel that they are
walking with the same you every step of the way.
While it is certainly doable to manage all these areas of
marketing within your own business, it takes a profes-
sional to produce the results you want to see. Cannabis
Creative’s Boston-based team has decades of expe-
rience in web design & development, SEO, branding,
email and social media marketing, and content strategy.
We have boosted exposure, both locally and nationally,
and can help CBD businesses of all kinds reach a broad-
er market and succeed in this ever-expanding field.
CONTACT US TODAY TO GET STARTED!
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CONTACT US TODAY 32Sources:
Allen, O. (2019, November 3). Hubspot: 19 Tips to Write Catchy Email Subject Lines. Retrieved
from https://bit.ly/3c2bo7M
BACKLINKO. (n.d.). Mobile SEO: The Definitive Guide. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3c2Ynv1
DISA. (2020, April 2). Map of Marijuana Legality by State. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3aM3CPu
Kolowich, L. (2019, June 25). Hubspot: 16 Stats That Prove the Importance of Local SEO.
Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Xon0hH
Leafly. (February 2021). Leafly Jobs Report 2021. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2P3XY53
Levesque, E. (2019, May 9). BDS Analytics: U.S. CBD Market Anticipated to Reach $20 Billion in
Sales by 2024. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3aJdkSB
Perfect Audience. (n.d.). What is retargeting?. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2RzPVM3
Wurmser, Y. (2020, June 04). eMarketer: US Mobile Time Spent 2020. Retrieved from https://
www.emarketer.com/content/us-mobile-time-spent-2020
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CBD MARKETING CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE 33You can also read
