Caution! Don't Use The Word Cannabis

Or Weed, Marijuana Or Any Other Derivative of Cannabis On Social Media

Don’t think about cannabis. Don’t smoke or ingest cannabis. Don’t even write about it on social media - lest you run the risk of your posts being taken down or your account being deleted. We know that sounds extreme, but in all fairness there is some truth to that. Reefer Madness used scare tactics to deter people from smoking cannabis and swayed the opinions of Americans to justify the devil’s lettuce as being viewed in a negative light. The same has been happening through social media, but in a different way. It is ruining the opportunity to spread positive opinion of cannabis. There have been several occasions when cannabis blogs or cannabis-related posts shared on social media were swiftly taken down with zero warning. 

This just proves that the stigma surrounding cannabis is still running rampant; no doubt because it is federally illegal in America. With regulations in place legally speaking, popular social media platforms keep a tight grip on what cannabis content can be shared or even stay published. In several instances, accounts were deleted due to going against community standards. So how can you stay in compliance while sharing the good word of cannabis on social media?

Steer Clear of “Selling” Cannabis

Since many companies use social media as a way to sell new products and services, it is not advisable to use that same strategy when it comes to the cannabis industry. It starts to get a bit murky when you are showcasing new products available at your dispensary. The best way to approach social media as a cannabis brand is to focus on building connections. Which in all honesty, is the best way to utilize social media for any industry - period. Social media followers are not owned by your company. With the risk of getting shut down, or as in the case of a few months ago, having an all day outage, it’s best to treat social media as a tool that can lend itself to build your email list or any other tactic that gives you a direct link to your customers such as text messaging, loyalty programs and owned apps. 

Another effective way to utilize social media for your cannabis business is by treating it as a tool to educate your followers. Many social media marketers will tell you that social media posts generally follow three content pillars, which are: Entertainment, Connection and Education. That being said, there is a great opportunity to educate your social media followers on cannabis laws, cannabis varieties, cannabis effects, etc. This opens up the discussion more and allows for more social media engagement to take place. 

Additionally, your company can showcase distinctive qualities through connection and entertainment by focusing on what you are doing in your community, any sustainability practices that are in place, and what sets you apart from your competitors. One really great resource that touches on all of those areas are your employees. 

Cannabis Employees Know What’s Up

Your company culture is most definitely comprised of your employees. They are the ones who have a direct hand on the pulse of what’s happening in your business, what customers are seeking, what questions are being asked and what are the most popular products being sold. They are also a great way to tap into education, entertainment and connection as well as create the difference between your brand and another’s. All of those components are a great way to share on social media in a way that isn’t going to get you flagged by the bots or the powers that be. “Rather than sales and marketing material, Grasslands CMO Burns suggested focusing on behind-the-scenes looks and company values. He recommends focusing on Linktree, blogs, web content and experiential activations as more concrete ways of attracting and converting business.” (Ward, 2021).

Cannabis Disclaimers Galore

One of the best ways to avoid getting flagged is by using disclaimers on your posts. With all those tight regulations in place, overly communicating to your followers is your safest bet. “‘If you are promoting cannabis, always put that there’s nothing for sale. It’s something we didn’t do enough of with all of our posts. … Be over-communicative about how you’re not selling anything. It may be redundant. It may look like, ‘Why are they always saying this?’ It may take away from the integrity of the content, but you have to do it if you want to keep your page up.’” (Frankie Segal as quoted in Schiller, 2021). When in doubt, spell it out. Your followers will understand that it’s not your business’ fault, but the platforms your business is on. 

We aren’t saying all of this to scare you, but to keep you informed about the community standards of social media and how your cannabis brand can stay as safe as possible. Without cannabis becoming federally legal, social media platforms can really regulate your posts and account as much as they would like. Learning how to navigate this wild west of the internet can be cumbersome, especially with its ever-changing landscape. However, there are some tried and true routes to take without needing to reach too far outside of your comfort zone. And if you really want to be certain you’re in compliance, speak to a marketing agency that specializes in the cannabis industry such as us.

Resources:

Schiller, Melissa. Social Media and the Cannabis Industry: Tips and Lessons Learned. Cannabis Business Times. 2021, November 2. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/social-media-cannabis-industry-tips-lessons-learned/.

Ward, Andrew. Social Media Shut Down My Cannabis Business Account. Now What?. Green Entrepreneur. 2021, July 21.https://www.greenentrepreneur.com/article/377798.