Gaining a social media presence when you are in the cannabis industry has proven to be challenging. Many businesses are struggling to gain an online presence, or are struggling to keep their social media account from being shut down. The cannabis social media challenges (along with other challenges in the industry) can be attributed to cannabis being federally illegal.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, federal regulations ban cannabis marketing activities, particularly if they cross state lines, and thus include little, if any, guidance regarding paid advertising in traditional media (e.g., billboards, newspaper) or new media (e.g., online, social media).
Federal Trade Commission. .com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising [Internet]. Available from: https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-staff-revises-online-advertising-disclosure-guidelines/130312dotcomdisclosures.pdf. 2013
Although cannabis may be legal at the state level, federal regulations of cannabis marketing influences what social media platforms will allow on their servers.
Solutions To Cannabis Social Media Challenges
Any photos or captions that contain the word cannabis or marijuana will most likely be flagged, or shadow banned. Shadow banned means that your social content has been blocked or restricted in some capacity without you receiving any notice. There are several other reasons for shadow bans but that is for another post.
Instead of using marijuana and cannabis, try using m@riju@na or [@nn@bi$ in your description. Also, using terms that could apply to any business, but including the plant emoji may help with your social media strategy. Lastly, use hashtags that are relevant to your post, but may not be cannabis specific. Such hashtags may include #SOP or #employeetraining and even #wednesdaywisdom. For even more, check out The Helpful Content’s Instagram or Facebook page.
Photos of cannabis can be offensive to some people. Remember, your social media page can reach areas where cannabis is not socially acceptable and may still be illegal. For this reason, you should use photos that have minimal cannabis relation if possible. If you absolutely have to have cannabis in the image, including a disclaimer that the content is for educational purposes only may be helpful. Most importantly, social media is not for selling cannabis. It can however, be for spreading educational content about cannabis to users all over the world if leveraged correctly.
We currently operate on Facebook and Instagram. Follow us @thehelpfulcontent for more helpful content specific to the cannabis industry. You will also find out more about how we work through these Cannabis Social Media Challenges.
If you are working on your online presence, or are interested in starting a cannabis business, let us help you with your business and marketing plans. Find out more by using the button below.
