How To Create a Social Media Strategy for Cannabis Brands

Traditional businesses use social media marketing to their advantage every day. For cannabis businesses, advertising on social media isn’t quite as straightforward.

Cannabis businesses have to worry about being shadow-banned, restricted, or, worst of all, completely shut down. Keep reading to not only learn about a successful social media marketing framework, but also tips to navigate the most popular platforms’ restrictions.

How to Create a Social Media Strategy, Cannabis Style

First, we’ll introduce you to a framework to build your strategy. After that, the dos and don’ts of social media and cannabis.

Step 1: Define Your Goals

What do you want to achieve by marketing your cannabis business on social media? No plan is complete without clearly defined goals.

Step 2: Outline Your Ideal Audience

Who do you want to engage with and attract on social media? Take into account demographics like age, location, interests, education level, average income, and careers.

Step 3: Choose What Social Channels You’ll Use

Don’t spread yourself too thin. When you’re in the beginning phases, start with one or two social channels and concentrate your efforts there. (Instagram and LinkedIn are good places to start, depending on your goals!)

Each platform requires a different strategy and energy from you, which is why it’s a good idea to start slow and grow as you feel ready.

Step 4: Create Your Accounts

Every account should be consistent with your company’s branding, logo, font, voice, and images. Your accounts should be recognizable across all platforms.

Step 5: Craft Your Social Calendar

Creating a month-long social calendar organizes your content and makes it so you can create posts ahead of time. When you create a calendar in its entirety, posts are always timely and relevant! Using a calendar will also help you visualize when you’re posting – the days and times that work best for your audience.

Step 6: Determine How Often You Post

As you move forward, analyze your calendars to see what days and times garner the most involvement and engagement. Every business is different and, not only that, each social media platform is different as well.

You should be posting regularly, but not overdoing it. We recommend 3-4 posts a week on each platform you use.

Step 7: Start Posting!

Now it’s time for the fun part. Since engagement is key on social media, be careful to avoid sounding too salesy (also the sale of cannabis on social media is a surefire way to get shut down – more on that later). Instead, focus on engaging your community by using the 80-20 rule. 80% of your posts should inform, educate, or entertain your audience, while 20% of them can promote your business (but not sell products — think about employee spotlights and other topics like that).

Step 8: Analyze

By tracking your post performance and all-around engagements, you’ll be able to see what’s working and what’s not in terms of your social posts. Make adjustments where you see fit to see more success with your socials.

Platform Guidelines and Tips

Now that you’ve got the framework in mind, let’s discuss three popular social platforms and how to navigate their rules surrounding cannabis.

LinkedIn boasts a network of 900 million professionals and it creates the perfect environment for retail dispensaries. Many people don’t know that it’s one of the most cannabis-friendly social platforms out there! It does not censor cannabis content, unlike many other channels.

When you post on LinkedIn, you can include photos of cannabis products and even copy that directly references promotions and sales. When cannabis professionals ask what social platform they should start with, we always recommend LinkedIn to businesses who want to connect with business owners and professionals.

Instagram

Instagram has over 2 billion monthly users and most of them (60%) are in the cannabis-user demographic of 18-34-year-olds. That’s great!

What’s not great is that Instagram loves to shut down cannabis business accounts, sometimes even without warning (and with no way to get the account back).

Don’t let that scare you too badly, though. There are ways to keep your cannabis business relevant on Instagram without getting your page banned forever. Instagram allows for cannabis education and advocacy, just be sure to follow these rules:

NEVER promote the sale of cannabis on Instagram.
Only post links to educational articles in your story/bio.
Limit posts that include images of the cannabis flower.
Create a backup account just in case you do get shut down.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to post “21+, No Sales” in every post caption or in your bio. In fact, this could harm your page.

Stay safe by spotlighting your brand’s mission, talking about what sets you apart from the competition, and how you add to cannabis culture. Use high-quality images (UGC is great for this), create Reels, and geotag your posts to reach local audiences.

Instagram has a huge user base and, in our opinion, is worth the risk – because you know how to use it correctly in terms of cannabis posting.

Facebook

Facebook, while great for other types of businesses, is not known for being kind to cannabis businesses. Many cannabis pros have seen their pages shut down for what seems like no reason. But as long as you navigate the waters carefully, you can share your cannabis brand on the most popular social network in the world.

Like Instagram, you want to avoid the outright sale of cannabis products – and that includes listing prices. You also should steer clear of telling people how to cultivate/grow cannabis, sharing any medical claims, or pushing contact information to aid the sale of cannabis. If you keep one rule in mind, be it this: avoid anything having to do with selling cannabis on Facebook to keep your page safe!

Instead, focus on engaging your audience. Engagement is your new best friend when it comes to your cannabis business on Facebook. Instead of leaning on selling cannabis, focus on the lifestyle surrounding it. You’ll find that you won’t even have to mention the words “cannabis” or “marijuana” at all.

Use the right branding tactics and other pertinent language, and your audience will understand the business you do. Start conversations with them, get to know them (and let them get to know you), and build relationships. That’s what Facebook is meant to do and how it can help your business!

General Strategy Tips

Here are a few quick tips on how to use social media to your advantage as a cannabis pro:

Put your time and energy into cannabis-friendly platforms that will benefit your business.
Ask open-ended questions to encourage comments from your audience (then make sure to respond to them!).
Partner with influencers who have experience in the cannabis AND social media industries.
Stick to a regular posting schedule.
Use social media for customer service by answering DMs from customers who have questions.

Performing Your Best On Social Media

Marketing your cannabis business on social media takes more thought than a traditional business would, but it’s not an impossible task. Once you get the hang of things, you’ll discover that being active on your page is not only beneficial for your business, it’s fun, too!

To learn more about social media marketing in regards to cannabis, or to get started on your strategy, get in touch with us at Cannabis Digital Solutions.

Krystal Vivian

Krystal Vivian is the Director of Social Media and Content Marketing at Cannabis Digital Solutions. She has more than 10 years of experience using written content, podcasts, and social media to help businesses build trust and deep relationships with their audiences. A former journalist turned digital marketer, Krystal is passionate about powerful storytelling and great user experiences. She specializes in creating compelling content that educates, entertains, and engages people.