Tips for Marketing Cannabis on TikTok and Instagram

Using Social Media to Enter the Cannabis Market

Cannabis-related radio and television ads are currently prohibited by the FCC, email marketing campaigns take careful curation and dedicated writers, and SEO is an extremely powerful but long-term solution to getting your business attention. That leaves social media as the next best tool to getting your business out quickly and to the right people. Using social media for cannabis marketing is one of the quickest way you an get early success in your marketing strategies.

Social media marketing is not an easy world to navigate, here are some tips for marketing cannabis on TikTok and Instagram

Getting Around the Social Media Algorithm

Unfortunately, META and TikTok have strict restrictions on cannabis-related accounts and content. That being said, it does not mean it is impossible to get your account traction on these platforms.

Using Proper Hashtags and Algo-Speak

META and TikTok have bans on popular cannabis-related hashtags and terms like  “cannabis”, “weed”, “420”, and “stoner”. Using these could spell disaster for your business as it puts a target on you to be banned. Instead, you have to find browsable workarounds like “#budtender” which have yet to catch the attention of META or TikTok.

Using Proper Slang, and Visuals

You can’t even type “weed” let alone show weed flowers on TikTok. Instagram is sometimes more lenient with cannabis pictures but could take down photos and accounts for no known reason. So how do you get around TikTok and Instagram’s harsh restrictions?

Some creators opt for using community-known and accepted slang and visuals to get around the bans. In videos or educational posts, creators will choose to show broccoli or herbs in place real cannabis flowers.

When putting captions and titles on videos and posts, instead of typing “weed”, creators might choose to put a leaf and smoke emoji. Here are some tips on how to get around using cannabis-related terms in your marketing strategy

Prepare for Bans

The most important thing to keep in mind is that social media is unpredictable and you may get banned from marketing cannabis on tiktok and instagram even if you’ve tried your hardest to follow all guidelines. Administrators can choose to remove posts or content and even ban your account for posts you might see other accounts doing. The best thing for you to do is create backup accounts in case anything happens to your main one. Make sure to have activity on backup accounts to get users to come to the new page if the main one gets banned.

Ensure you follow social media platform’s terms of service as best you can to prevent your account from being targeted.

Move your audience off the platforms

With how unpredictable these platforms can be, the best thing you can do is make your audience take action elsewhere off of these platforms. Incentivize your audience to sign-up for newsletters, email campaigns, and follow your other social media accounts to make sure you do not lose them if you lose an account. Social media is not your product, it is a tool to get prospective customers to your products.

Hiring WJ Media Group For Your Cannabis Marketing

Hire professionals here at WJ Media Group to help with your cannabis marketing with our top of the line cannabis marketing services in New Jersey. We are currently working with numerous cannabis companies, building their websites, and social media presence, and further boosting their SEO and web presence. We provide a secure and trusted service, contact us here.

Marketing Cannabis on Tiktok and Instagram FAQs

Can I legally market cannabis products on TikTok and Instagram?

Marketing cannabis products on TikTok and Instagram is subject to the platforms’ guidelines and the legal regulations of your region. Both platforms have restrictions on promoting drugs, including cannabis. Before you start, ensure your content complies with the platforms’ policies and the laws applicable to your location. You can also reach out to the professionals at WJ Media Group to learn about how we can help with social media management for your cannabis brand.

How can I creatively showcase cannabis-related content while adhering to platform guidelines?

Creatively showcasing cannabis-related content requires a balanced approach:

• Avoid promoting consumption or medical claims.
• Focus on educational and informative content about cannabis.
• Highlight lifestyle aspects, such as cannabis culture, accessories, and trends.
• Incorporate engaging storytelling and visual elements to captivate your audience.

How can I measure the effectiveness of my cannabis marketing efforts on TikTok and Instagram?

Measuring the effectiveness of your marketing efforts involves tracking key engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments which show how users interact with your content. You can also track follower growth rate, conversion tracking and monitoring reach and impressions to gauge content visibility.