5 Tested CBD Marketing Agency eCommerce Tips and Tricks
Use our CBD marketing agency tips and tricks to successfully and purposefully break into this growing market rife with opportunity. According to Market Watch’s 2020 study, the global value for the CBD marketplace will grow to over $1.2 billion by 2024, up from 2019’s value of $311 million. Some optimistic analysts predict even higher growth. Still, a CBD marketing agency would advise any new brands to prepare for challenges. For instance, startup companies need to focus on product differentiation in a competitive marketplace. Also, many consumers still don’t really understand how CBD might benefit them or even exactly what it is. Consider some informed CBD eCommerce tips to help inspire a robust, effective, and safe marketing plan. The CBD marketing agency guide for eCommerce Even though CBD comes from cannabis, it’s not psychoactive, like THC. Also, unlike THC, another cannabis extract, the 2018 Farm Bill made CBD legal federally and in most states. Studies have offered support for claims that it can help relieve a range of health issues, including seizures, migraines, insomnia, inflammation, poor appetite, and anxiety in both people and animals. With all of these benefits, it’s important to understand that the growing popularity of the product and ease of entering the market have generated plenty of competition and more than a little scrutiny from the government. Five ways to improve CBD product sales These five CBD advertising and marketing suggestions can help a new or struggling CBD business meet competition and stay out of trouble with regulators: 1. Define the Product’s Market It’s impossible to give a one-size-fits-all solution for CBD advertising because businesses might deliver their offers as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, pet, or other kinds of products. That’s why it’s important for businesses to map out specific benefits they hope to promote. Then, they can offer this solution to the best audience. For instance, one company may promote a high-grade pharma product to help reduce seizures. Another brand may have a topical solution to ease skin flareups. Still, another business may offer pet supplements that they promote to help reduce anxiety or joint issues in aging dogs. Obviously, these very different products will need specific buyer personas and marketing approaches. They may also need to meet different standards for the sorts of claims that can be made to stay within legal restrictions for medical vs. consumer advertising. Mostly, it’s helpful to market to people with problems the product might solve and not just look for consumers with an existing interest in CBD. 2. Explore Alternative Programmatic Advertising for CBD Programmatic advertising refers to buying ad slots with bids on an automated system. They can benefit marketers because they keep a lot of information about their audience. That allows advertisers to use very specific attributes, like age, location, or even past viewing habits, to select who will see the ads. Obviously, this kind of advertising can offer value to CBD advertisers who understand their market. Some of the most common platforms that use this kind of bidding platform include Facebook and Google. These are mentioned because they’re familiar to most marketers. At the same time, these and other common platforms impose restrictions on the way companies can promote any cannabis product, including CBD. As a note, these kinds of platforms tend to get associated mostly with internet marketing. It’s also possible to find programmatic advertising for TV, radio, and other kinds of media. Either alone or with the help of a CBD marketing agency, businesses can also explore some programmatic advertising advertising platforms that offer more flexibility for both products and the way companies advertise them. As an example, Cannabis Creative, a marketing agency. mentioned that Facebook and Google account for a large share of total advertising spend on programmatic ad platforms. At the same time, other paid platforms still attract very large audiences can can open up less-restricted promotions on such large and well-known outlets as ESPN, USA Today, and Politico. 3. Remain aware of legal and platform CBD advertising restrictions Even though CBD doesn’t have the psychoactive effects that some people may associate with cannabis products, it hasn’t been legal in most places for very long. Brands need to take care to conform with marketing regulations, both at the federal and sometimes, at different state or local levels. In order to maintain accounts with various marketing platforms, companies also must take the time to understand the terms of service. And sometimes, these can prove hard to understand because the language isn’t direct. Avoiding legal problems According to Bradley, a media law firm, the growth of consumer protection regulations has paralleled the overall expansion of the CBD market. As an example, both the FTC and FDA have sent warning letters to companies that didn’t exercise enough caution when making claims that their products could treat various medical issues. As a general rule, neither CBD packaging design or advertising should not: Mention specific diseases Cite dubious sources to backup explicit or inferred claims Use words like treat, cure, or prevent Guarantee results Obviously, marketers need to promote potential benefits in order to attract the attention of customers. Doing this well without attracting negative attention from the government takes some craft and attention to only linking to or mentioning credible studies or professionals. For instance, it’ might be fine to claim that a CBD cream may help soothe skin but not that it cures eczema. Notice that the page for a pet product called Calming Chews does not feature another mention of that benefit. The list of features simply talks about the product’s purity, that it doesn’t contain THC, and that it was grown organically. It also mentioned that the product was tested in a lab for safety and effectiveness, but it never says what it was tested to be effective for. Further down, they offer some vague language that says the product combines CBD with some calming herbs. They’re implying their benefits, but they’re probably avoiding a direct statement to remain in compliance. That’s why startups
Rules for CBD Advertising on Social Media
CBD advertising rules and even laws are evolving, so a CBD marketing plan has to exercise caution. Learn the safe way to market CBD. With the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018, the federal and almost all state governments consider CBD legal in at least one form or another. While the government has relaxed its stance on this non-psychoactive component of cannabis, some social sites have remained unfriendly to products that contain CBD. As a CBD marketing agency or business, you must navigate some tricky rules for CBD advertising on social sites. Rules for CBD advertising on social media sites According to Search Engine Journal, CBD products will generate billions in revenue while remaining extremely profitable over the next few years. Despite the apparent legality and profitability of this sector, most social networks have either restricted or forbidden advertising. This includes such large players as Snapchat, Google, Instagram, and even Facebook. Can you run CBD advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and other big social media sites? Even though Facebook’s policies didn’t specifically mention CBD as banned from the site, some advertisers have reported warnings and even account terminations over their promoted posts and feed ads. At first, these restrictions even applied to ads that didn’t mention CBD but pointed to landing pages with these products. According to Digiday, Facebook may have relaxed this restriction on topical products or any ads that point to landing pages with either topical or ingestible CBD products. Even so, at least one legal firm in the CBD industry, Harris Bricken, says that it’s probably wise to confirm this with your Facebook account rep as even Digiday reported getting this information from an inside source. According to these legal CBD experts, no business or CBD marketing agency can afford to lose their investment in growing a social presence by having their account abruptly closed. Harris Bricken also mentioned that Twitter has published somewhat more straightforward policies, though they’re still fairly restrictive. Basically, they advise advertisers to get advance authorization before running ads, which is what the law firm advised Facebook marketers to do. In general, advertisers also must only promote topical products. Twitter will also forbid ads targeting a handful of CBD-unfriendly states and anybody under 21. It looks like social site policies for CBD advertising are still evolving and typically murky. Other platforms, like Google and Instagram, also have restrictions. As a general rule, do your homework before setting up any advertising campaigns to ensure you don’t waste time and worse, risk losing your valuable account. General rules for CBD product marketing While you may want to tread carefully to comply with an advertising platform’s terms of service, you particularly don’t want your CBD product marketing to run afoul of the law. For example, South Dakota has not yet legalized CBD at all, and some other states impose restrictions on the percentage of THC that might be found in any legal CBD products. Selling illegal products in these states could potentially result in felony charges. As with various ad platform’s terms of service, state laws might change rapidly too, so your wise to stay updated. Besides state laws, the FDA has published fairly clear restrictions about the types of advertising they allow, and apparently, these rules are in a state a flux as well. The Broadcast Law Blog issued some commentary about recent updates to CBD advertising rules that my provide some clarity: Don’t make any specific health claims in CBD advertising. Don’t advertise to children or in states where your product might be illegal. Unless you’re marketing an FDA-approved medication, be specifically wary about advertising ingested products. With all these CBD advertising restrictions, how can you market? If you’re starting a CBD brand, all of the restrictions on social media posts and other ads can prove quite restrictive. Still, plenty of CBD companies have found channels to help improve awareness of CBD, their products, and their businesses. Big Commerce studied some CBD marketing experts to determine which tactics that have been proven most effective and safe: Generate plenty of content: While you need to tread carefully when making an specific medical claims about CBD that haven’t been approved by the FDA, you can certainly produce content that relies upon medical studies or testimonials to help educate consumers about your product’s benefits. This sort of content can help raise awareness of both your product and your brand. Focus on organic reach: Since you’re developing content, you might as well use it to your benefit. Some social sites may disallow paid CBD ads, but they might not impose such restrictions upon non-promoted posts on your page. Good keyword research to use in your content can also help you craft articles, graphics, and videos that will be likely to rank organically in search engines. Conduct old-fashioned, in-person social outreach: Even though digital marketers tend to think of digital social networking, trade show marketing still provides an important source of marketing to many companies. You’ll have the chance to engage in word-of-mouth marketing, generate buzz, hand out samples, and of course, take some orders. Consider affiliate marketing: If you have an affiliate program, you can offer some percentage of sales to other marketers in exchange for their contribution to your revenue and attention. Some affiliates may already have the kinds of websites, social platforms, and blogs that will work well with your product. Rely upon influencers: By having influencers spotlight your products, you have a chance to greatly increase awareness of your brand. Even though you might hesitate to tell people your CBD cream helps relieve pain, influencers in the wellness or fitness category can provide their own testimonials. Start a subscriber list: You can offer discounts, samples, or other promotional offers to attract subscribers to your email or text messaging list. If these subscribers find their subscriptions valuable, you’re likely to retain them and even encourage them to pass along your message. The future of CBD marketing Right now, social media rules, laws, and even interpretations
Using Geo-Fencing for Your CBD Product
Cannabidiol has become one of the hottest product categories in years. Geo-fencing can be a powerful tool to help you gain market share in a crowded space. Few recent products have captured the world’s imagination like CBD. In just a few short years, CBD has gone from largely unheard-of to a staple of retailers across North America. Consumers can buy CBD oils and gummies, or have their food and beverages (or even their pet treats) infused with CBD. With extraordinary growth comes significant competition, however. One of the core challenges for any CBD brand is competitive differentiation. Marketing, of course, is one of the most tried-and-true methods for differentiating your brand and acquiring new business. There’s another tool in the modern marketing arsenal that can pay significant dividends for CBD brands: Geo-fencing. Let’s take a closer look at what geo-fencing is, how it works and why geo-fencing for CBD can be a game-changer for your brand. A Crash Course in Geo-fencing Technology CBD may be the buzziest product category in years, but mobile technology is certainly no stranger to world-shaking hype and impact. Geo-fencing takes mobile marketing to the next level. It allows businesses to advertise to customers within a pre-defined geographic boundary by harnessing GPS satellite data and radio frequencies. GPS satellites communicate with Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices. These devices contain computer chips that use radio waves to connect. When a potential customer enters a pre-defined area (within one mile from a shop, for example), her precise location is pegged via communication between her smartphone and orbiting GPS satellites. Once this occurs, and a prospective consumer is within range, push notifications and tailored ads can be transmitted to that user’s device. The Benefits of Geo-fencing Geo-fencing allows for hyper-targeted marketing messages delivered to consumers who are in proximity to the businesses targeting them. Because of this, it is a highly effective tool, and one that can drive an enormous amount of foot traffic when deployed properly. In addition to boosting foot traffic and sales, geo-fencing helps brands develop more personalized marketing messages, engage with consumers when they are ready to buy and derive key analytical insights. Geo-fencing data can reveal who enters your business, how long they spend inside, their sales, how often they visit and other important metrics. One tip: Brands should remember to keep their geo-fending boundaries fairly limited (no more than a five-minute travel radius). The effectiveness of this technique drops the further out the boundary is drawn, for obvious reasons. Why Geo-fencing for CBD Brands is a Natural Fit Because CBD sales were only made legal in 2018, many CBD brands are still very small and may not have vast resources available for marketing and advertising. Fortunately, the barrier to entry for geo-fencing is quite low, both in terms of financials and required expertise. This makes it a strong fit for many CBD firms still in the bootstrapping phase. Additionally, as mentioned above, CBD is a fragmented market. There has not been enough time for consumer loyalty to truly develop, which means that market share is very up for grabs. Given the power of geo-fencing to create personalized and relevant content and drive foot traffic and sales, it serves as an ideal tool for CBD companies seeking to establish early market positioning, grab market share and start building consumer loyalty. Finding the Right CBD Marketing Partner At Bigeye, we have a sophisticated understanding of how to apply geo-fencing for CBD brands, and we have the tools to help you develop your next great marketing campaign. Don’t hesitate to contact us today to learn more about how we can help you develop a cutting-edge geo-fencing for CBD campaign.
Five Tips for Improving Your CBD Cosmetic Marketing
Have you recently started a CBD beauty brand? Here are a few things you need to consider for your next CBD cosmetic marketing campaign. The CBD beauty business is booming, projected to reach $1.8 million by 2025 — not bad for an industry that is still in its infancy. With great opportunity comes tough competition, however. Every day, it seems like several new CBD beauty brands pop up, ready to take their slice of the pie. Fortunately, we’re here to help you send the competition home hungry by delivering some smart CBD cosmetic marketing tips. Tip One: Take Advantage of Digital Marketing For more than a year, CBD products were persona non grata on Facebook. The social giant had what amounted to an informal blanket ban on CBD products. That, however, has recently changed — Facebook has relaxed its restrictions and now allows certain hemp/CBD brands to advertise under a narrow list of qualifying conditions. It’s likely that your brand doesn’t meet these conditions. Yet the odds are even better that your brand will have broader access to the Facebook platform in the near-term future. Many observers feel Facebook’s tentative move toward looser restrictions is a harbinger of much more significant moves to come. After all, CBD is one of the most lucrative and fastest-growing product spaces, and it’s a natural for digital ads. It’s unlikely that Facebook will cede this ground to its rivals long-term. With that in mind, be prepared for the inevitable shift — and move in with force once you have the opportunity. Tip Two: Ensure Your CBD Cosmetic Marketing Takes an Inclusive Approach Does your marketing reflect every possible buyer of your product? Are you using models that the whole spectrum of your audience can identify with and relate to? If not, it’s important to make an effort to be more inclusive. Inclusivity within the beauty space also includes showing a diversity of body tapes, including those that do not conform to traditional standards of beauty. For the broadest possible impact, CBD cosmetic marketing should be calibrated to resonate with the broadest possible audience. Tip Three: Highlight the Evidence Those marketing CBD beauty products have an ace in the hole: There is significant research that attests to the efficacy of CBD within cosmetics. When used within products for the skin, CBD has been shown to lessen inflammation and breakouts, smooth pores and help reduce redness. CBD oils and other cosmetic products are also full of essential oils, which can help stimulate collagen production and keep skin glowing and healthy. These are all critically important attributes for consumers seeking beauty products. As such, they should be a key area of focus when creating CBD cosmetic marketing. Outline these powerful benefits, show examples of how they work in action and emphasize the specific advantages that CBD cosmetics bring to bear relative to conventional beauty merchandise. Tip Four: Ask for a Premium All of those benefits we just discussed are a significant value add for consumers. As such, CBD cosmetics brands can be positioned as premium products that return higher market prices. When creating marketing content, be explicit about the key differentiators between CBD-infused products and traditional cosmetics. Make the case that these differentiators justify a premium brand position and, possibly, higher margins. Given CBD’s explosive popularity within the beauty market, premium differentiation can play an important role in allowing your brand to carve out a significant slice of market share. Tip Five: Segment Your Audience CBD cosmetic product marketing is most effective when brands segment their market. First, identify who buys your products, in terms of demographics and attributes — the usual brand persona process. For greater impact, however, it makes sense to really drill down on your customer identification. For example, a smart brand might create targeted marketing content that is calibrated specifically for people who already use CBD in one aspect of their lives (dog treats, wellness etc.), and may be open to trying it within the context of beauty products. Such consumers generally already have built in goodwill for CBD products and are easily persuadable. Finding the Right CBD Cosmetic Agency At Bigeye we’ve got the knowledge and experience to help your CBD beauty brand create its next great marketing campaign. Contact us today for more information and learn what Bigeye can do for you.
Four Can’t Miss CBD Pet Product Marketing Techniques
Today’s pet owners are willing to go to extraordinary lengths — and spend staggering amounts of money — for their animals. This presents a significant opportunity for those who can market CBD pet products in the right way. Pet owners are still learning the ropes when it comes to CBD-infused animal products — “ways to use CBD on my pet” is one of the most common search queries within the industry. So how can CBD brands take that curiosity and transform it into a loyal customer base who loves their products almost as much as they love their pets? It all starts with well-executed advertising and marketing. With that in mind, let’s look at four tips for your next CBD pet product campaign. Emphasize the Cost Benefits People are incredibly passionate about their animals. Yet millions of those pet lovers can’t afford to pay for their own medical insurance, let alone foot the bill for frequent vet trips. Even the most tenderhearted dog or cat lover might be forced to skip regular vet visits if their budget simply won’t stretch. Given that CBD pet products are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased without any need for a veterinary prescription, they present an intriguing option for consumers without sufficient spending power. And that’s a broad category — currently 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck; 50% of Americans earn fewer than $30k annually and 38% earn fewer than $20k annually. By creating marketing messages that emphasizing the reasonable cost of most CBD products, consumers will be more inclined to use them as a supplement to regular animal care under a vet’s supervision. Segment Your Pet CBD Audience Audience segmentation is critical for virtually all brands, and it can be practiced in a way within the CBD space that allows you to target specific breed owners. For example, bulldogs and Dalmatians are genetically pre-disposed to suffer from the painful condition of hip dysplasia. CBD products have been demonstrated to help with hip and joint issues — the kind of serious issues that often plague purebred puppies. CBD products can also be targeted toward owners of breeds that tend toward anxiety, and of course older dogs and cats who suffer from a range of common maladies. By segmenting your audience in this fashion, you can deliver more relevant messages and generate a higher ROI. Emphasize Quality Control Pet owners have become as concerned about what they put into their animals’ bodies as they are about what they put into their own. This is doubly so for newer products such as CBD, without an extensive track record to examine. In order to reassure consumers about the naturalness and quality of your CBD pet products, it’s important to stress that your brand uses top quality raw materials and (ideally) operates on a farm to shelf basis. Offer a Real World Window Into Common CBD Uses for Pets A pit bull might be the most fearsome looking family protector on his block, but one stray thunderstorm can have him quivering in the corner. It’s a funny image, but it also speaks to something every pet owner understands: Even the most loyal, brave and protective animals still need human love, care and attention. Pet products for CBD curious buyers can help provide that nurturing care. A marketing campaign that shows real world examples of CBD pet products alleviating thunderstorm stress is a compelling way to illustrate how CBD can help improve an animal’s mental state. That same campaign could also show older dogs and cats benefiting from the pain-relief and inflammation effects offered through CBD ingestion. The idea is simple: Provide an authentic, unmediated look at how CBD pet products are helping real animals live better lives. There’s also one more advantage to taking a documentary approach: Pets don’t exhibit the placebo effect or show off for camera lenses, so they make fairly credible case studies — even though they don’t have much to say. Working With the Right CBD Pet Product Marketing Agency At Bigeye, we’ve established ourselves as one of North America’s leading creative agencies for CBD brands. Few of our competitors have the domain expertise needed to create credible, compelling and strategically executed CBD pet products campaigns. If you need help with CBD pet marketing, we urge you to reach out to Bigeye today.
How to Build a CBD Brand That Appeals to New Consumers
Cannabidiol use is booming, and brands that can reach the “CBD curious” audience are in the best position to profit. Let’s take a closer look at how your CBD branding can appeal to new consumers. As seen with many markets that were once of questionable legality, CBD brands must convert skeptical or ill-informed consumers in order to flourish. While many of these consumers are “CBD curious,” they often need a push to fully commit. That push comes in the form of highly persuasive CBD branding and advertising that still plays by today’s CBD marketing rules. Let’s review some of the most crucial things to know when designing a CBD marketing campaign designed to hit all the right notes with new audiences. 1. Develop proper branding and product design Because CBD is an emerging product in a once-illegal market, there is still a lot of misinformation circulating among the public. Some consumers mistakenly believe CBD is intoxicating; others believe it has no established medical value, and some can’t distinguish it from cannabis. Smart CBD branding and CBD packaging can help minimize such confusion. Brands, in many cases, will want to avoid any branding or package elements that tie in too closely with the cliched “420” culture elements so often seen with cannabis branding. Instead, it’s often a better idea to opt for a more refined aesthetic. Use neutral and elevated packaging designs and position your brand not as something to be enjoyed, but rather something that helps you feel better. 2. Position your CBD product as a tool for self-care and optimization Do you know what’s even more popular than CBD products right now? The concepts of self-care and optimization. Consumers are feverishly trying to optimize their sleep, diets and workouts and using products to help relax and take better care of their bodies. It’s a multi-billion dollar business. Fortunately, these concepts dovetail perfectly with CBD products. Smart marketers should emphasize the ways by which their CBD products can help new consumers. These include: Optimize their sleep by reducing insomnia Optimize performance and facilitate self-care through the reduction of anxiety Improve their appearance by using CBD-enriched skin care products These are merely three examples of the myriad ways CBD branding and marketing can highlight and surface the optimization and self-care properties of products within the space. 3. Reassure new consumers with regard to legality Remember how we discussed the misinformation floating in the air with regard to CBD products? Many consumers still believe that CBD is illegal, and that belief persists because of a confusing patchwork of statewide regulations governing the sale of CBD products. Most consumers won’t give a new product a chance unless they are convinced that it’s legal. While state regulations regarding commercial use may vary, CBD has been legal to manufacture on a federal level since 2018. Your marketing should help clear up any lingering confusion for new consumers. 4. Convince new consumers it isn’t an empty trend When something attains the cultural status of “gluten-free” or “zero carb,” pushback is inevitable. Consumers who aren’t participating in the newest trends will often dismiss them as being driven by a herd mentality — or they will have doubts about the underlying value of the products that are generating such immense consumer interest. CBD marketers should anticipate this and answer these doubts with the most compelling thing in their arsenal: Proven research that establishes the value of CBD in a clinical setting. While the average person may not feel many benefits from eliminating gluten, CBD products have a near-universal range of benefits and applications. By focusing on the data that attests to the efficacy of the product — and mixing in real-world anecdotal examples — CBD branding and marketing pros can overcome the natural skepticism that accompanies new products and intensely popular products. Why Work With Bigeye? At Bigeye, we have more expertise and experience with the CBD industry than any agency that is remotely close to our size. We’ve been at the forefront of this emerging trend, and we can use our experience to help you create CBD branding and marketing that connects with new consumers.
Creating CBD Pet Product Marketing That Speaks to Pet Owners
If you want to move CBD-infused pet products, you need to get inside the heads of pet owners. Here are a few ideas for you to consider when creating your next CBD pet product marketing push. The days of a Milkbone and a pat on the head are long gone for today’s pets, who are now being treated like pampered and beloved family members. This transition is underscored within the cannabidiol industry, with CBD-infused pet treats booming in popularity. It’s estimated that CBD pet products will become a $1.16 billion market by 2022. So how do you create CBD pet product marketing that gets the ears of pet parents to perk up? Let’s take a closer look at a few our of our favorite tricks. Focus on Downstream Effects When Targeting CBD Pet Owners Great advertising and marketing activates an emotional response — and people get highly emotional about their pets. So, when marketing to pet owners, it’s a smart idea to focus on the impact your CBD product can have on the underlying issues that many pets struggle with. One example: Dogs who exhibit amazing bravery when protecting the family from strangers are often end up cowering in the corner as soon as a thunderstorm strikes. The sound of storms can be overwhelming — and dogs simply don’t understand what’s happening. By creating marketing content that underlines how CBD can be effective in the treatment of storm-related anxiety, you provide a powerful use case — and an emotionally resonant experience — for pet owners to chew on. Stress the Anecdotal Research may not be the plural of anecdote, but for those engaged in CBD pet product marketing, that’s all we really have. While there is considerable scientific literature on the impact of CBD on the human body, research on CBD in dogs, cats and other animals is scant. Given this paucity of scientific data, CBD pet product marketing is better focused on anecdotal experiences. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; anecdotes can be quite powerful, given the shared experiences of pet owners. A marketing video with four or five pet owners who have administered CBD pet products to their animals is one strategy you can employ to help audiences connect with your campaign. Stress the Safety and Naturalness of Your CBD Product Pet owners today are nothing like the pet owners of a generation or two ago, many of whom wouldn’t dream of checking the ingredient list in their pet’s can of Alpo. Today, you can set pet owners scanning pet food ingredients with the same intensity they’d show when signing mortgage documents. In other words, healthy, clean and natural ingredients are very important to today’s pet owners. This, of course, extends to CBD consumables as well. Pet owners will want to be reassured that the CBD-based dog treats won’t feature elevated levels of THC or anything that might cause their beloved pet to have an adverse reaction. This means that CBD pet product marketers should make an effort to emphasize the natural and safe status of their products. Before pet owners will trust you to help their animals feel better, they need to be convinced that the product will do no harm. Emphasize the Quality It’s a widely accepted fact that quality can be somewhat variable in the cannabidiol industry. Pet owners, once again, are demanding the best for their animals. If they are willing to spend $80 on a bag of grain-free dog food that has boar meat as the first ingredient, they are also going to be willing to pay more for the highest quality CBD pet products they can find. This means that marketers should position their products as premium if possible, and take pains to reassure consumers that quality is standardized and not subject to the industry’s checkered record of variance. How BIGEYE Helps CBD Pet Marketers At Bigeye, we have the domain expertise to help you create a CBD pet marketing campaign that truly resonates with pet owners. Contact us today for more information about how we can help.
Why Client Education is Essential in CBD Marketing
If you’ve never had a client question the legality or the psychoactivity of CBD products, consider yourself fortunate. Here’s why CBD education should be the first step with clients. When you work in an industry, you often acquire the “curse of knowledge.” This means that because you spend all day knee-deep in the ins and out of your business, you often begin to assume that people know much more about your industry than they actually do. The CBD business is not immune to this, and it’s something that often adversely affects CBD marketing. Here’s the truth: Most consumers know much less about CBD products that you may imagine. By at least one recent estimate, 35% of men and 49% of women interviewed said they had less than “some” familiarity with CBD. Another 15% reported never having heard of CBD. Those numbers should give pause to anyone involved with CBD marketing. Why? Because those numbers mean about 50 million Americans have yet to even hear about CBD products, while another 125 million or so are relatively clueless about CBD. Many confuse it with cannabis, think it is illegal or are unaware of its benefits and applications. Smart marketers aren’t going to simply sit back and wait for these consumers to type “CBD legal” or “CBD law” into their search engines. Instead, they will take an active role in addressing client education. Why Client Education is Crucial An absence of knowledge isn’t the only reason why education is critical — the other key factor is the nature of the product. The cannabis industry has taken an extremely aggressive approach in terms of providing potential customers with education about their products. Today’s cannabis dispensaries hire qualified “budtenders” who gently walk new consumers through the various strains of their products and the effects they have on the human body. Consumers can also scan bar codes from packages into kiosks to get self-serve educational information. While CBD and cannabis are distinct products retailed in different contexts, education should also play a key role within this category. Though CBD is not psychoactive, many consumers do not know this. Many others don’t believe it entirely, until they’ve experienced it themselves. The association with cannabis remains at the front of their mind. By taking an equally aggressive approach to product education via marketing and branding, it’s possible to put the minds of the “CBD curious” at ease and convince them to try products in this space for the first time. It’s also important, however, to proceed with all due caution, given the state of CBD marketing rules. What to Know About CBD Marketing and Educational Awareness When using CBD product marketing or branding to educate consumers, it’s essential to do this in a manner that comports with all relevant laws and regulations. One key example: Brands cannot advertise their products in a way that makes illegal health claims. The FDA has cracked down on dozens of CBD brands that have made unsupported health claims when marketing their products. It’s more than possible to educate and market while remaining on the right side of federal regulators, as there is a plethora of valid scientific data available that attests to the clinical performance of CBD. Brands should reference this data and carefully outline educational information that is supported by the scientific literature, rather than making hyperbolic health claims that have no basis in medically established fact. A well-designed and smartly executed educational component that stays on the right side of existing rules can be a powerful marketing tool, as it will resolve many of the lingering doubts CBD curious consumers may have. Once these consumers understand that CBD is non-intoxicating, federally legal in 50 states and comes with a variety of medically validated benefits, any hesitance to try CBD products may quickly dry up. Why Bigeye is the Preferred CBD Marketing Agency At Bigeye, we were developing compelling cannabidiol marketing campaigns before most other agencies had even heard the letters “CBD.” If you’d like to work with true domain experts, we encourage you to reach out to Bigeye today.
How CBD is Gaining Traction in These Five Industries
The CBD gold rush is in full effect, with new businesses and new uses appearing for the compound. Read where CBD products are gaining the most traction. Say “CBD” to average consumers, and they’ll probably tell you about tinctures, balms, and gummies — and maybe the CBD-infused beverages they see retailed at the local gas station or pharmacy. That’s a massive leap over just a year or two ago, when the letters CBD would likely just elicit a puzzled stare. Today, CBD products are being developed in a variety of new verticals. If you’re the owner of a company in this space, it pays to know which sectors are transforming into true CBD industries. Let’s take a closer look at some of the newest industries where CBD products are beginning to reach critical mass, and how the right CBD product agency can help your brand take advantage. CBD and the Pet Industry The rate of growth of CBD-infused products in the pet industry is nothing short of staggering, surging from virtually nothing in 2017 to $125 million in 2018. The industry is projected to reach $1 billion by 2022 recording compound annual growth of roughly 57%. Today, CBD-infused pet products are omnipresent and marketed to address some of the most common problems that plague pets (anxiety, pain and inflammation, etc.). This makes the pet industry a perfect match for CBD products, as pet owners who suffer from many of these same issues may choose to treat their pets with CBD after finding success with it in their own lives. CBD and the Beauty Industry The beauty and cosmetics space is a natural home for CBD brands. The reason why is simple: CBD oil has a variety of benefits in terms of skin care; it reduces swelling and inflammation and promotes healthier skin by facilitating collagen production. Reducing inflammation is critical in terms of good skin care, as inflammation is one of the key processes involved with acne breakouts and other skin issues. Given these benefits, it’s hardly surprising that beauty is one of the most popular new CBD industries. The CBD cosmetics market is projected to reach $1.7 billion by 2025, outpacing even the CBD pet market. The CBD Beverage Market Drinks infused with CBD have taken the market by storm over the last year. In total, CBD-infused beverages are projected to reach $1.4 billion in annual value by 2023, a figure nearly 20x higher than the market’s value in 2017. CBD is being infused in beer, wine, soda, coffee, tea and many other beverages, giving this space the potential to be among the most lucrative and largest of all CBD industries. Beverages are popular because they are one of the easiest forms by which to consume CBD. People who do not wish to apply or inhale CBD can simply ingest it by ordering one of the many popular new CBD beverages. Drinking your CBD has a few added benefits: The dosing is more precise when dealing with water-soluble CBD, as most cannabinoids are absorbed by the body Soft drinks are retailed almost everywhere, making them convenient There is some evidence that CBD can counteract the effects of caffeine if you’re over-stimulated CBD and the Restaurant Industry While CBD within prepared dishes isn’t as popular as CBD infused into common beverages, it is a fast-growing trend. Many higher-end eateries are experimenting with adding CBD to popular recipes. In fact, a National Restaurant Association survey found that three-in-four chefs believe CBD will be among the top new restaurant trends in the near-term future. While some municipalities have outlawed the addition of CBD into plated dishes, the practice has been widely adopted in places such as Colorado and California. CBD Tampons and Other Wellness Products Given its reported ability to staunch the flow of common body pain, it’s unsurprising that CBD is finding its way into feminine care products. CBD tampons are being marketed as a “20-minute cure” for the cramps that often accompany menstruation. CBD protein powders, muscle rubs, and other wellness products are also taking the industry by storm, becoming a popular option for people seeking pain and inflammation relief without having to resort to pharmaceuticals. Why Bigeye is the Leading CBD Marketing Agency You can’t market effectively if you don’t understand the industry. At Bigeye, we’ve been creating compelling CBD marketing campaigns for CBD industries nearly as long as the market has existed. Contact us today to learn what Bigeye can do for your CBD brand.
Why Package Design is a Critical Decision for CBD Brands
Your CBD package design could be the difference between a lawsuit and increased profits. Work with our creative & production team and save your chances. Think package design is relatively unimportant? One billion unboxing videos on YouTube would beg to differ. Great packaging has become an ever more important differentiator — and CBD package design is no exception. Why brands need to get CBD package design right The CBD market is experiencing propulsive growth, as consumers use oil-infused products for everything from health and wellness applications to beauty and skin regimens. As one of the fastest-growing consumer markets, many businesses are eager to jump into the fray and claim a slice of that ever-growing pie. While that urgency is understandable, elements such as package design should not be de-emphasized in the race to get to market. Why? It’s simple: Great CBD package design is a competitive differentiator in a highly crowded market. CBD marketing ideas are subject to laws and CBD marketing regulations, and all designs must stay compliant. For years, CBD sat inside a “gray area” in terms of legality. The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill provided more clarity, legalizing CBD products on the federal level. Yet many restrictions remain in place, and some of these restrictions involve marketing and advertising. First, it’s important to understand that CBD companies are under much greater regulatory scrutiny. If there is a misstep, fines and penalties may be assessed. This means that brands must exercise caution when determining what to include on their packaging. CBD products need to be designated as either a food item or a health supplement. This may sound straightforward, but it’s not — many CBD products exist in the space where foods and supplements overlap. Once this determination is made, an FDA-approved food or supplement label needs to be affixed to each package. Sellers must also include many of the standard labeling items: Product volume Ingredient list Nutritional breakdown Potency Brand information It’s also important to be aware that packaging and labeling requirements vary by jurisdiction. Indiana, for example, requires CBD package design to contain QR codes that can be used to reveal information about batch numbers, lab results, expiration dates, CBD / THC content, etc. One more critical consideration: Brands need to be exceedingly cautious about making medical claims. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission have been cracking down on CBD brands that make unsupported health or medical claims about their products. The FDA alone targeted more than 450 CBD websites in 2018 for making unsupported marketing claims. This means any claims found on packaging need to be fully vetted and beyond dispute. Language that emphasizes words such as “natural,” “sustainable,” “healing,” etc. is far less likely to draw regulatory attention than language that makes a claim such as “CBD oil can be used to treat / cure” a specific disease. CBD package design aesthetics In addition to compliance, it’s also important to consider aesthetics. In this case, it’s essential to consider your audience. CBD brands that target a market where there is significant carryover with cannabis use will generally use product designs that are established within that space — think aggressive, not especially refined, and full of cannabis-related puns. On the other hand, brands that incorporate CBD within their existing product line tend to follow current designs. An upscale skincare brand may use elevated design elements with an understated “infused with CBD oil” tagline included at the bottom. For brands targeting a more general market, it’s advisable to avoid design elements or language that ties too closely to “4/20” culture, as this will have negative connotations for a sizable audience segment. Instead, focus on natural and sustainable themes and a premium feel, as these elements are aligned with current consumer preferences. The takeaway Great CBD package design is an imperative for brands, both in terms of compliance and aesthetics. Our experts help clients realize their marketing objectives by creating visually stunning product designs, supported by innovative ad campaigns. Ready to take the next marketing step for your business? Reach out to us today!
