Cannabidiol (CBD), a substance with the ability to relieve the body aches and pain without getting us “stoned” was explored thoroughly last year on The Dr. Oz Show. Sanjay Gupta, an American neurosurgeon, and medical reporter gave his professional recommendation on the show saying that “I think there is a legitimate medicine here. We’re talking about something that could really help people.”
With Trump signing the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, Cannabidiol (CBD) is now in the spotlight of the beverage business in the US. Being underlined by the scientific and medical communities, CBD is now tying threads with the alcohol, tea, coffee, juice, and even the water industry. According to estimates by analysts at Canaccord Genuity, the marijuana-infused drinks sector is on track to become a $600m market in the US till 2022, among which the CBD beverages alone are calculated to hit $260 million.
Data source: Business Insider
If you are thinking to launch a CBD-infused drinks company or just want to redefine your already existing CBD business, then here are some digital marketing strategies which will help you market your CBD infused beverages.
Lead Magnets
One very effective digital marketing strategy to increase your consumer base is to attract them by offering a lead magnet in exchange for an email address.
If you already don’t know what a lead magnet is, then in simple words, a lead magnet is a kind of incentive that the marketers offer to motivate the potential buyers in exchange for their emails, or other contact data. What lead magnets usually offer is a piece of digital content which is downloadable, such as free PDFs, ebooks, reports, and videos.
For example, if you want to create a lead magnet to market your CBD infused drinks, you can offer them a content based on “10 CBD Drinks To Reduce Your Anxiety”, or “5 Ways To Overcome Insomnia”. The purpose of Lead Magnets is to provide valuable information to potential future customers. The idea behind this to give them useful information to convince them to purchase your product.
The next step is to promote this lead magnet to a suitable audience using Organic Social Media or Paid Advertising on Social Media or Google Search.
Top three benefits of using Lead Magnets to promote your CBD infused drinks
1. To spread awareness of your CBD Drinks.
2. To build your brand credibility.
3. To increase your email marketing list.
SEO based Content Marketing
Even after the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, advertising CBD products online has its limitations. Creating relevant content can attract targeted consumers to buy your products. By using content marketing tactic for your product, you interact with your potential customer digitally and build their interest in your CBD drinks.
The content should have SEO keywords targeted to potential buyers. SEO Optimization for blog content marketing is one of the effective strategies to be on page 1 for relevant CBD related search queries.
For example, CBD infused drinks brand can create content based on topics that many people are actively searching for:
Insights on CBD products
Information on different types of CBD drinks
Health benefits of CBD infused drinks
Where to buy CBD drinks near them
How to order CBD infused drinks online
Top three benefits of Digital Content Marketing to promote your CBD infused drinks
1. Don’t have to spend on paid advertising campaigns with social media.
2. To increase the online visibility of your CBD brand.
3. Spread the word by increasing the website traffic from organic search results on Google and Bing.
Social Networking Sites
Unfortunately, the big players of digital marketing such as Google and Facebook (who also own Instagram) have strict restrictions on advertising CBD products online. They tag CBD as a “dangerous product” in alignment with the DEA. Along with Google, Facebook and Instagram, other major ad platforms such as Amazon, Pinterest and Twitter also have to follow these regulations. So, if you advertise your CBD products on these platforms, huge chances are they will shut down the accounts that are promoting CBD products.
Severe CBD policies have reduced e-commerce CBD sales worldwide. The estimated percentage of tech startups failing in their first year goes up to 97%, and according to Brian Macmohan, who has an L.A based startup center ‘Expert DOJO,’ the numbers are estimated to get even worse in the cannabis industry.
Mantis Ad Network, Traffic Roots, and Adloop are the three alternative ad networks where you can advertise your CBD drinks.
Although there are restrictions to promote your CBD products on Facebook and Instagram using the Facebook Advertising Tool, the Influencer Marketing for CBD products is legal and very powerful.
Choose the Right Influencers and Affiliate Marketing
Affiliates help in marketing a brand on their website and get paid a profit share of the sale they made. This arrangement makes affiliate marketing one of the most cost-effective medium. Whereas, in influencer marketing, the influencers get paid a certain amount to help in promoting the brand.
Affiliate marketing strategies target customer purchase and incremental revenue growth. Whereas, influencer marketing is more targeted towards brand awareness.
Reports from Statista.com (January 2018) says that 78% of social media influencers collaborated with the brands globally on Instagram.
Happy Tea (@happytea), a CBD tea made of natural hemp CBD ingredients, collaborated with big influencers like @krisjenner & @sommeray to promote their brand.
Here is a list of some of the influencers who promote CBD beverages on Instagram:
CBD infused beverage industry has a promising future where you can get established if you know how to leverage your brand through digital marketing. While Facebook, Google and the rest have strict regulations to promote CBD products, the influencers have opened new doors for the CBD industry on social media.
About Cannabis Drinks Expo
Cannabis Drinks Expo is a must-attend event for those curiously eying the future of the burgeoning U.S. cannabis industry.
We also cover the key issues surrounding the likelihood and timescale for legalization to other countries, as well as the impact of legalized cannabis on the traditional alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks markets globally.
Who should Visit?
Cannabis Drinks Expo promises to be relevant for anyone involved in the development, production, distribution and retailing of cannabis and related products. It will also provide a vital networking opportunity for political analysts, medical experts and those involved in the development and implementation of legalized cannabis into new markets.
Attend Cannabis Drinks Expo in preferred city
If you’re serious about the cannabis drinks category, we’re still keeping it as real as ever. At Cannabis Drinks Expo, our goal is to empower you with knowledge, network, and platform so you can grow and build your cannabis drinks business. CDE is where you will find cannabis brands and suppliers who are serious about building their business in this category exhibit.
Exhibit in preferred city
Potential exhibitors include (but not limited to): Medical marijuana producers, Cannabis growers, Cannabis producers/ product developers, Cannabis processors, Cannabis distributors/transporters, Wineries, Breweries, Distilleries, Branded drinks companies, Drinks manufacturers/producers, Pharma companies, Equipments and service providers, CBD manufacturers, Marijuana-Infused products and edibles providers, Testing and laboratory services, Logistics and supply chain operators, Drinks distributors/wholesalers, Drinks importers, Lobbyists/ public affairs businesses, Political advisors, and more.
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