CBD Advertising: Best Practices to Get it Right in 2024!

Introduction 

It’s rare for a product to capture the interest of a worldwide consumer base in such a short time. But cannabidiol, or “CBD” as most people refer to it, has helped fuel a wave of excitement in the medical industry.

CBD, one of the most commonly discussed cannabinoids, has a separate industry and is projected to generate $16.32 billion in the United States by 2026 with almost 40 percent of adults expressing interest in trying CBD products.

Pretty fascinating, right?

The product is on the rise but the industry is getting competitive. So, you need to stand out from the crowd with a unique CBD advertising strategy. 

But, it is not that easy. CBD is legalized after 2018 but is quite a restrictive industry in all ways and marketing is not an exception.

So, you need to curate a creative advertising strategy to attract an audience and boost conversions while also staying with from legal consequences.

If you are cashing in on the “Green Rush” and are probably wondering about how to market CBD products effectively and legally, then we have curated this guide with the best CBD advertising practices. So, let’s get started.

Also Read: Marketing Ideas for CBD Business

The Ultimate Guide to Get Your CBD Advertising Right!

1. Check the CBD Legal Landscape:

Navigating the complex legal landscape of CBD marketing is essential for firms trying to advertise their CBD products/services effectively. The 2018 Farm Bill approved hemp-derived CBD products, but this does not always mean that CBD distribution and promotion are permitted in all countries and states.

• Federal Laws: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees CBD products. These restrictions make it illegal to add CBD to food products or label them as dietary supplements. While discussing CBD’s potential medical advantages is acceptable, it is completely forbidden to make unapproved medical claims.
• State-Specific Regulations: CBD advertising rules vary widely between states, making it difficult for marketers to verify compliance. Proof of third-party testing or preapproval are prerequisite for CBD advertising in certain states.
• International Regulations: Businesses must take into account the rules and restrictions of any nation they target when marketing CBD goods and services abroad. While some nations have more liberal regulations, others have more stringent laws pertaining to CBD.

Also Read: How to Get a CBD License?

Here are some tips to ensure compliance: 

• Examine the particular laws and rules of the states and nations where they intend to sell to make sure their goods satisfy the legal standards for THC content and other requirements.
• Collaborate with regional legal professionals to guarantee adherence to all relevant legislation.
• Adapt their marketing methods to line with the cultural and legal standards of each country or state.

CBD businesses can efficiently manage the complexity of marketing their products while staying compliant with federal, state, and international rules by staying current on the ever-changing legal landscape and collaborating with proficient legal professionals.

2. Sort out Your CBD Packaging:

Remember that the way your brand looks is also a type of advertising in and of itself. Your brand’s image and packaging will speak louder than social media postings and YouTube videos, so make sure you get them right.

So, if you have not started it – get it right. And, if it’s already done – find out how you can improve it with some tweaks. Even if the complete makeover is needed – budget for it and if everything seems well – go ahead with that.

Here are some additional suggestions for your thought process:

• Don’t make any medical claims at all of your CBD products or services, but feel free to promote your product.
• To increase consumer trust and sales, get medical experts to support the advantages of your product and emphasize them in your packaging and marketing campaigns.
• Protects products from harmful elements with durable and trendy packaging.

To put it briefly, attractive packaging triggers neuronal reward pathways and makes customers want to buy your product. On top of it, good packaging also builds up trust in your products and brand as a whole.

Also Read: How to Start a CBD Dispensary in California?

3. Don’t Stay Away from the Affiliate Marketing:

CBD is a tough industry and there are certain misconceptions and confusions which lead to a lack of trust and loyalty. That’s when affiliate marketing comes to the rescue and you shouldn’t stay away from it.

It will instill trust among your customers and boost revenue. Affiliate marketing includes allowing any third party to advertise your CBD products on their own website, and when clients come from their referral, you must pay a commission to the third party as agreed.

• Website & blogs: Firstly, you can connect with a popular blogger or blog company to advertise your products or brand on a popular website with all the details. Make sure to provide the details with the link in the advertisement that takes customers to your website, where they can buy your stuff.
• Email marketing: It is yet another popular form of advertising as well. By means of a newsletter, you can offer comprehensive details about your product as well as purchasing instructions. This is quite an effective method, as nine out of every ten people use email. So, through e-mail marketing, you can attract a large audience and boost conversions. 
• YouTube videos or social media videos: Also, you can connect with a popular YouTuber or influencer, maybe in the health, sports, or relevant industry to advertise your products to boost sales, credibility, and trust.

Also Read: How to Market CBD Business on Social Media? 

4. Native Advertising:

Native advertising is a type of online advertising that integrates with the surrounding information. It may be a powerful tool for promoting your CBD products and is frequently utilized on news websites and social media.

• Subtle & Effective: The secret to successful native advertising is creating advertisements that are relevant to the journal or website on which they will appear.  It educates audiences about the benefits, uses, and safety of its products, addressing customer concerns while subtly promoting its brand. 

For example, if you’re running an ad on a health and wellness website, you should promote CBD products and their health benefits.

• High Engagement: Right now, this is one of the most successful ways to advertise CBD because it matches the format of the content around it and tends to receive higher engagement rates. The audience is engaged, and millions of views are generated daily!
• Avoids Platform Restrictions: Native advertising allows businesses to work around CBD advertising limitations by embedding promotional content into approved formats like blogs or sponsored posts.
• Builds Trust and Credibility: When native ads appear on reputable platforms, they inherit credibility. 
• Targets Relevant Audiences: Native advertising enables precise targeting by appearing on platforms visited by CBD consumers, such as health, fitness, or lifestyle websites.

Also Read: Best Ecommerce Platform for CBD in 2024

5. Metaverse of Programmatic Marketing:

Programmatic marketing allows you to target your desired audience.

Although “algorithm” and “data” are now considered buzzwords, it doesn’t mean they are any less important. Actually, programmatic marketing, a very successful technique for focusing on your target demographic, is built on algorithms and data collection.

With programmatic marketing, you can practically hand-deliver your CBD ads to people who are in a certain geographic area, are on a relevant website, or have even previously searched for data on CBD or cannabis-related topics. This makes it easier to choose when and where to display your ads.

As a CBD business owner, you are already familiar with the challenge of adhering to legal CBD marketing guidelines. There is a limited amount of ad space, so you must be very careful about where and when your ads appear.

Programmatic marketing services not only provide you with a better understanding of who is viewing your ads (for compliance purposes), but they also allow you to get the most bang for your buck with your marketing expenditure.

Also Read: How to Market your CBD Business on Facebook?

6. Leverage the Newly Gained Popularity of Influencer Marketing:

If you are already in the CBD industry – you might be aware of the fact that – all popular social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc have banned the paid ads on their paid ads. So, CBD businesses have no other options than to the organic way.

And, one of the effective organic ways to build your brand presence and boost conversions is through Influencer Marketing.

Did you know that businesses make an average of $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, with the top-performing campaigns generating as much as $18 per $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective advertising strategies

Why it is increasingly effective for CBD businesses? 

• Consumers are most of the time reluctant to purchase CBD products right away, but when their favorite influencer markets it – it will build credibility and boost conversions. 
• Influencer marketing enables marketers to reach a larger yet targeted audience who are interested in purchasing your products – which in turn boosts your conversions and sales ultimately. 
• Influencers have developed a trusting relationship with their followers, which your brand may use to organically market its products.

Quick-Tip: You need to select the right influencers for your brand. You can’t just choose any influencer with millions of followers. Partner with influencers in your audience and have a similar target audience that you are targeting!

7. Podcasts can be your Best Friend: 

Podcasts are gaining popularity as customers find them more educational and convenient to access. It’s simple to produce high-quality, content-specific podcasts for CBD marketing. The best part is that you may even collaborate with well-known podcasters who specialize in health and lifestyle to market your goods and services.

It helps CBD companies get their brand in front of potential clients. This CBD marketing approach is less saturated, resulting in fewer competitors for CBD business owners. Through podcasts, you may provide information about CBD legislation, important news, breakthroughs in the sector, and real-time reviews about your CBD products.

Here are some pointers for starting a CBD podcast:

• Stick to the subject
• Making the purpose of the podcast clear
• Share the right and relevant information 
• Be informative, yet engaging and interesting
• Don’t keep it too long. 
• Build the hyper before and after the launch through different marketing channels. 
• Add CTAs in between and at the end as well. 
• If you have your podcast, partner with leading health professionals, lifestyle influencers, or experts to build trust and an audience.

So, if you are a podcast person and would like to broaden your brand and product/service awareness – podcasts can be your best friend.

8. Don’t You Skip on Offline Advertising at All: 

Definitely, we are living in the digital era, and it’s the dawn of digital marketing – but that doesn’t mean that the effectiveness of offline advertising is over. It is still among the popular and result-driven marketing strategies, especially when it comes to CBD businesses where establishing trust and credibility are most important.

Integrating offline marketing channels alongside digital efforts can significantly enhance your reach and brand visibility. While online channels like social media and PPC ads dominate, offline strategies are crucial for building local awareness and trust.

Here are some of the common yet effective Offline Marketing Channels for CBD Businesses:

• Local Events and Sponsorships: One of the effective local and offline marketing tactics for CBD businesses is partnering with local wellness fairs, farmers’ markets, or fitness events to increase awareness regarding the CBD benefits and showcase your products. Plus, it helps you directly engage with your end customers further building and establishing trust and brand credibility. 
• In-Store Promotions and Signage: Eye-catching in-store displays, promotional flyers, and posters are also quite beneficial as they help CBD businesses effectively communicate product benefits and special offers to walk-in customers. They still appeal to the huge market and influence their purchase decisions. 
• Print Advertising: You can advertise your CBD brand and products in local newspapers, wellness magazines, or CBD-specific publications to reach niche audiences. You can even highlight the special benefits they can get when they show the cutout or highlight the discount you have currently to encourage them to come to your store or check our website. 
• Networking and Partnerships: Another effective online marketing method for CBD businesses is networking and partnerships with complementary businesses like yoga studios, health food stores, spas, and medical stores to cross-promote each other’s services. helps you cater to a large market and even builds trust among the audience. 
• Community Engagement: Customers are still skeptical about CBD businesses and products. So, CBD businesses need to build awareness around it. So, you can host educational workshops or Q&A sessions about CBD’s benefits and safe usage to establish authority and build trust within your community.

9. How a CBD POS System Helps with Targeted Advertising:

A CBD-compliant POS system doesn’t just help you with managing transactions or managing inventory – it goes beyond it. It keeps track of all the transactions and customer activity which helps CBD businesses with effective and targeted advertising. Let’s find out more about it:

• Personalized Marketing: A CBD POS system tracks individual customer purchases, helping you identify their preferences. For example, if a customer frequently buys CBD oils, you can send them tailored promotions for similar products or new releases, increasing the chances of repeat purchases.  
• Loyalty Program Integration: A CBD POS system helps track customer behavior to offer personalized loyalty rewards, such as points for each purchase that can be redeemed for discounts. This encourages repeat purchases and builds customer loyalty over time.
• Localized Advertising: The system can leverage location-based data to create region-specific ads, promoting store events or local product deals. This makes campaigns more relevant and boosts conversions. 
• Omnichannel Engagement: Syncing data across online and in-store purchases ensures consistent messaging. For example, if a customer buys a product online, they can receive personalized offers or promotions when they visit your store, enhancing customer retention.  
• Inventory-focused marketing: A CBD POS system tracks real-time inventory and leverages this data to drive marketing campaigns. It can identify overstocked items and create promotions to move them. Additionally, it ensures that marketing aligns with stock availability as well.

The real challenge comes with choosing the best and most compliant CBD pos system – while we are here to simplify that as well with the CBD Merchant Solutions POS system. It is a one-of-a-kind, functional, cost-effective, and compliant POS system for CBD businesses. To know more, you can book a free demo right away. 

To Wrap Up! 

The CBD industry has grown dramatically in recent years, thanks to increased public acceptance, continued research into its potential benefits, and favorable laws. However, because of the stringent laws and intense competition, selling and advertising CBD products poses special difficulties.

But, with all the best practices that we have mentioned above – right from adhering to the legal requirements and focusing on the packaging to offline marketing, native advertising, and everything in between – you can ensure the best-in-class results for your CBD advertising.

Also, how can be forget about getting the compliant CBD POS system that helps your CBD business with effective and compliant CBD marketing?

While you are here and are looking for CBD compliant POS system to streamline your transactions along with marketing, then you can book a free demo with CBD Merchant Solutions.

So, what are waiting for? Book a free demo now & let’s get started.