Here at FieldTest we love to talk about how powerful and easy to use our Digital Ad Platform tools are, but we also think it’s important that our clients know just how to use them to their full potential in order to be successful marketers.

Last week, we kicked off our FieldTest 101 series with a step by step guide into how to use our self-serve platform, but for some clients that’s not going to be the full story. Brands who sell CBD will find themselves with a couple extra hoops to jump through, but don’t get discouraged, we’re here to help! This week we are going to continue our introductory series to talk about CBD, the nuances around marketing it that exist for that industry and how to navigate it. The good news? We’ve made it incredibly simple. Let’s jump in.

The CBD industry is one of the fastest growing retail industries around, with more than $11 billion in worldwide sales occurring in 2018 alone. Still, some regulators and industries who rely on them for guidance (yes, advertising is one of them) have been slow to see the light. Don’t get discouraged, all this means is that there are a few guidelines as to how you present your brand and your products.

First, do yourself a favor and do a thorough review of your website for any health or medical claims that might be made. One of the most strict regulations we have to follow is not making any concrete health claims not backed by a government stamp of approval. This means no claims of curing anxiety, healing nerve damage or treating chronic diseases like asthma or cancer. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t extol the benefits of using CBD, brands advertise these every day! You just have to be careful with your language and use softer versions of the same claims that don't read as an absolute.

Here’s an example of the wrong way to do it followed by the fix:

“CBD All-Star Organic Gummies will help you with your insomnia.”

Instead say:

“CBD All-Star Organic Gummies may help you get a more restful sleep.”

It’s that easy! If you do this prior to moving forward with setting up your first campaign, it will ensure your one time CBD client review process, a mandatory step to set up your first campaign, will be completed as quickly as possible. 

So, now that you have reviewed all of your product pages, blog posts, customer reviews, etc. and updated them with the soft language around claims, what comes next?  Now you are ready to get started in the FieldTest self serve platform!

From here, most of what we talked about in last week’s FieldTest Platform guide still stands, from placing pixels to creating your messaging for each area of your sales funnel. The one important piece of advice we can add for CBD clients is to make sure your story is as unique as possible, especially in the Awareness stage. This might sound like stock advice but it’s truly one of the most important pieces of guidance we give to our CBD clients, and with good reason. 

You see, while CBD is currently an industry with a lot of potential for new brands to grow, it is also one of the most crowded. It seems like dozens of new CBD brands are popping up every week and there is no sign it will be slowing down any time in the near future. This makes it all that much more important that you stand out from the crowd so you are able to secure your segment of the CBD-buying public and aren’t lost in the barrage of options consumers are inundated with.

So how do you stand out? It’s not as complicated as it may sound. Start off by making your marketing as specific and personal as possible. Most successful CBD brands have a unique story that makes potential customers remember them through Awareness, Consideration and Action. Whether this is a specific way that you make your product, a great founder story or a niche in the market that you’ve cornered, communicating how your brand is special is going to go an incredibly long way in making sure you are connecting with the right audience.

If you follow these steps and use the FieldTest platform guide we’re confident you’ll get your CBD campaigns up and running and be scaling your business in no time!

Get in touch below to find out how FieldTest can help your CBD brand set up high performing, full-funnel ad campaigns