How to Market Your CBD Business on Facebook?

Introduction  

The market for CBD is undoubtedly expanding and shows no signs of slowing down, with projections putting its value at $22 billion by 2030. Still, it’s critical to get out there and leave an impression in this fiercely competitive and rapidly expanding business.

While we are talking about having an effect, Facebook(meta) is an excellent platform for doing so. Facebook advertising seems like the ideal way to market your CBD brand, with over 2.41 billion monthly active users on Facebook and over 1 billion monthly users on Instagram. 

However, there are certain restrictions to it. Despite the introduction of the bill, Facebook has neglected to change its advertisements policy, leaving us with only a small and specialized selection of ads that make it through.  Meta relaxed its rules on CBD product advertising in 2021. However, certain major limits in their advertising rules have not yet been revised to reflect the positive improvements in legal and social views about CBD products.

Well, don’t worry. In this blog, we will be covering comprehensive insights on how to do marketing on Facebook. Well, let’s dig in!

Also Read: Marketing Ideas for CBD Business

Does Facebook Allow CBD Ads? 

Will My Facebook Ads Ever Be Able to Mention CBD?

With cannabis becoming completely and medically legal in the US, Facebook is under growing pressure to relax its ban on CBD advertisements. We think Facebook will eventually give in and somewhat simplify the marketing for CBD businesses.

In order to comprehend where Facebook stands on cannabis-related advertising, start by reviewing the company’s policies:

“Cannabidiol (CBD) or other related cannabinoid products may not be advertised or offered for sale. Advertisements that support or advertise the sale of hemp products must abide by all relevant local laws and any mandated or established industry regulations and guidelines. For additional information, see our Business Help Center.”

To make it easier for you, let’s understand what Facebook has to say about marketing CBD products on their products in their business help center: 

Facebook states that you CANNOT 

• Use your advertising to sell or promote cannabidiol (CBD) or any other kind of edible or indigestible cannabis product (such as CBG or cannabigerol).
• Promote or sell goods that include psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabis-related products that have psychoactive ingredients in both edible and non-edible forms.
• Express or indicate that THC or CBD can be used for curing, preventing, diagnosing, or treating a medical condition or illness in humans or animals.

With Facebook advertising, you can 

• Encourage the sale of hemp products, hemp seed, and hemp fiber that do not contain more than 0.3% THC or CBD.
• Promote, educate, and make advertisements on hemp and related products (such as CBD), as long as they don’t promote the sale of any illegal goods.

By adhering to these advertising criteria, you can market your CBD-related business in accordance with Meta’s advertising policy. Even if everything is done exactly right, the platform could nevertheless reject your advertisement. 

Not even Facebook moderators (assuming you can get through to them) can explain why some ads are accepted while others are rejected. Facebook’s ad standards are still mostly enforced automatically, which makes it inconsistent and often confusing. The good news is that human moderators almost always approve rejected advertising for CBD topicals when they are reviewed.

Also Read: How to Market CBD Business on Social Media

Here are some things to do while advertising on Facebook! 

Did you know, in order to get the most out of your Facebook marketing efforts, you need to follow all the best practices, and policies while also understanding your target audience to get the best results with Facebook advertising? By strategically combining these elements, you can create effective and impactful Facebook ads that resonate with your audience and drive your business goals. We’ll be covering everything important in detail, so keep on reading! 

Get LegitScript Certification To Market on Facebook. 

To be eligible to market CBD on Facebook, you must first obtain LegitScript certification. The organization conducts audits of CBD companies to ensure that their operations and products are in compliance with all applicable rules.

The steps in the LegitScript certification procedure are: 

• The LegitScript certification procedure includes submitting label information, licensing, and credentials for assessment.
• Providing CBD product samples for independent laboratory testing.
• an examination of the payment methods, content of your website, etc. to make sure you’re not selling any illegal products.
• Continuous monitoring, audits, and retesting are required to maintain certification.

Also Read: Guide to Start a CBD Business

LegitScript certification is not cheap; it costs roughly $2,000 initially and $1,000 per year to renew. The approval process can potentially take a few weeks.

But making this time and financial commitment upfront increases your chances of getting approved to advertise CBD on Facebook afterward. It is not required for other channels such as Google or programmatic ads, but Facebook expressly requires it.

After completing the requirements for LegitScript certification, you’ll obtain credentials and a badge for your website that you can use to verify that your CBD business is compliant and apply to run Facebook advertisements.

What if I don’t get a LegitScript Certification? 

Yes, you can market CBD on Facebook even without LegitScript accreditation. You simply cannot promote the sale of your products. However, you can still utilize Facebook for educational content and focus on building your brand.

As per the support document provided by Meta, these companies are allowed to carry out advocacy, educational initiatives, and public service announcements concerning CBD and its associated goods.

However, it is vital to highlight that such advertisements must not promote or sell forbidden products for sale.

Also Read: How to Get a CBD License? 

Hence, rather than concentrating on product sales in your CBD Facebook advertisements, concentrate on informing your target audience about the health advantages of CBD while still adhering to advertising laws, as this will help to build brand trust.

This will persuade individuals who are already considering purchasing CBD to click on your Facebook ad, visit your website, and discover more about the benefits of your product. In the end, this will increase online sales and help your CBD company expand.

Establish a Different E-Commerce Website to Display Your CBD Topicals

Since most transparent brands find it problematic that their ads cannot mention CBD or hemp anywhere on the landing page they refer people to, many Facebook marketers build a landing page that is distinct from their website but may still direct users there as part of their campaign.

This allows you to continue running paid ads on Facebook and possibly guide potential customers to your own website–or to have all Facebook traffic arrive on a secondary, topical-focused webpage. Even while clients won’t see your complete line of non-topical products, this will probably still boost your campaign’s conversion rate.

Moreover, as long as you haven’t mentioned hemp or CBD on the page, you are protected from being reported and having your advertisement declined.

Also Read: Secure Payment Processing for CBD Ecommerce

Leverage the Power of Facebook Groups 

Creating a Facebook Group for your CBD business can help you connect with customers and share valuable information while following Facebook’s rules. Start by naming the group clearly, and write a description that focuses on education and helps you build a successful community. Also, make sure to use a branded cover photo and relevant keywords to make it easy to find.

If you are thinking about what you should do, then here’s the list:  

• Share informative blog posts about CBD benefits and usage tips regularly. 
• Encourage discussions on CBD topics and host live Q&A sessions with experts. Mention your products subtly in educational content, encourage members to share their experiences, and offer exclusive discounts and giveaways to group members. Follow Facebook’s policies by focusing on education and avoiding being too salesy. 
• And, a very important one – set clear group rules to keep the environment respectful. 
• Invite customers and followers to join the group, post regularly, engage with members, and use interactive content like polls and quizzes. 

Gather feedback to improve your products and show that you value members’ input. This way, your CBD business can build a strong and engaged community.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy for promoting CBD products on Facebook, particularly given the platform’s strict advertising regulations. Leveraging influencers allows CBD brands to reach broader and more targeted audiences, build trust, and drive sales without violating Facebook’s policies. 

Did you know that businesses can earn an average of $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing? 

Influencers have established trust with their followers, making their endorsements significantly boost a brand’s credibility. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust individual recommendations over brands. This trust translates into higher engagement, as influencer posts often receive more likes, shares, and comments compared to traditional ads. 

This is crucial for CBD products, as direct advertising is heavily restricted. By collaborating with health, wellness, fitness, and lifestyle influencers, CBD brands can ensure their products are promoted to an audience already interested in such offerings. 

Here’s the tip: You don’t have to choose an influencer with a big fan following. Also, you can’t just choose anyone. Make sure they align with your requirements and are in touch with the audience, that you are targeting.

On top of it, you can track performance through metrics like engagement rates, click-through rates, and sales conversions to measure ROI. It helps you analyze what is working and what you can do better. 

How to Run & Manage Paid Ads on Facebook

Running paid ads on Facebook for CBD products can be challenging due to strict advertising policies. However, with careful planning and strategic approaches, you can still effectively promote your CBD business. Let’s understand the how. 

Before getting started, familiarize yourself with Facebook’s advertising policies regarding CBD. Facebook typically prohibits ads that directly promote the sale of CBD products. This means you cannot explicitly advertise CBD oils, edibles, or other CBD-infused items. 

• Create a Facebook Business Page: Create a professional and compliant Facebook Business Page. Fill out all necessary details, including your website, contact information, and a detailed description of your business.
• Develop High-Quality Content: Create high-quality, informative content related to hemp and wellness, so which users can check out what your CBD products has to offer and how it can benefits to get the maximum ROI on your paid ads. You need to keep in mind that your landing pages should not explicitly mention or sell CBD products.   
• Use Facebook Ads Manager: Navigate to Facebook Ads Manager to create your campaign. Choose objectives like “Brand Awareness” or “Traffic” rather than “Conversions” to focus on bringing people to your content without directly selling products. 
• Target Your Audience: Utilize Facebook’s robust targeting options to reach your ideal audience. Target based on demographics, interests related to wellness and health, and behaviors that align with your customer profile.
• Design Compliant Ad Creatives: Create ad visuals and copy that comply with Facebook’s policies. Avoid direct mentions of CBD, and instead use terms like “hemp” or “wellness.” Focus on the benefits and lifestyle aspects of your brand to avoid getting in trouble and generate the results you want. 
• Constantly review & optimize: Use Facebook’s analytics tools to monitor the performance of your ads through metrics like click-through rates (CTR), engagement, and traffic to your landing pages. It helps you understand which ads perform best and which require further optimization to ensure the best results. adjust your targeting, ad creatives, and content strategy based on these insights.

Don’t Forget the UGC Content(Ever)

On social media, where a lot of brands are consistently advertising and posting on social media, the users want to connect with something that’s real yet relevant. Well, that’s when User-generated content (UGC) comes into the picture. It is a highly effective way to market your CBD products on Facebook, while also connecting and communicating with your customers. It leverages the authentic experiences of your customers, builds trust, and encourages community engagement. 

Here’s how to utilize UGC to promote your CBD brand:

• • Encourage Customer to share their reviews, testimonials, and also their experiences with your CBD products on your Facebook page. You can offer incentives like discounts or giveaways to motivate participation.
  • Organize contests where customers can submit photos or videos of themselves using your CBD products in exchange for special rewards and the rules and prizes. 
  • Use Facebook Stories and create highlights on your FB page to showcase the UGC content and make it easily accessible to new visitors.

• Develop UGC campaigns specifically focused on collecting and sharing UGC. For example

#MyCBDStory: Launch a campaign encouraging users to share their CBD experiences using a unique hashtag. 

Feature a “Customer of the Month” who shares their story. Highlight their journey, the products they use, and how it’s benefited them. 

• While direct ads for CBD products may be restricted, you can create ads that feature UGC to promote brand awareness rather than direct product promotion. 
• Start conversations around the UGC you share. Ask questions in your captions to encourage more engagement. 

To Conclude 

Marketing CBD products on Facebook can be tricky due to Meta’s strict rules, but it’s definitely possible with the right approach. In this blog, we’ve covered everything from understanding Facebook’s advertising restrictions to creative ways you can promote your brand and engage your audience.

We hope you found these tips helpful and that you’re feeling more confident about navigating Facebook’s policies. To make your marketing even easier, consider using CBD Merchant Solution’s POS system.

It integrates seamlessly with Facebook and other platforms, helping you gather valuable data from different sources. This way, you can create a targeted marketing plan that reaches the right audience and boosts your sales.

In short, while Facebook’s rules can be challenging, they also push you to find innovative ways to connect with your audience. With the right strategies and tools like the CBD Merchant Solution’s POS system, you can take your CBD business to new heights. To know more it and how it can benefit your business and marketing, book a free consultation call now!