CBD Marketing with Informed SEO

Since it emerged as a commercial product, the CBD industry has exploded. With new products emerging every day and new users trying them daily, businesses are rushing to meet the demand for CBD based products. The market for these products has surpassed brick and mortar stores and has quickly moved to a heavily online presence. Here at 1Digital, we understand the importance of making sure your business reaches these online CBD shoppers.

The best way to reach this online market, considering the restrictions of paid CBD advertising, is by having targeted SEO content to draw users in. We understand this need, and we pride ourselves in our understanding of the industry. By providing well-researched content, it becomes much easier to draw clients to your stores and collect on the overwhelming demand for CBD products.

The most important part of producing good digital content for CBD businesses is understanding the products and the types of consumers. With all of the testimonials, products, and claims about CBD, it’s easy for customers to get lost in the weeds when trying to find accurate information.

Understanding CBD

We understand and highlight the differences between hemp-based CBD products and THC cannabis products. Expanding your CBD market means informing users that these products are very different, and highlighting these differences can assist in expanding your customer base beyond cannabis users, who already have an interest in these types of products.

Many consumers are already familiar with THC, the chemical that produces cannabis’ signature high. Though these chemicals are similar, many consumers don’t really understand the difference. The main draw of CBD is that it produces a relaxing effect. This has been used to relieve pain and as a remedy for insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It can also be marketing as a smoking cessation aid.

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• While CBD, also known as cannabidiol, can be found in cannabis, commercially available CBD is a hemp product. After a positive correlation was found between CBD oil usage and decreased seizures for certain types of epilepsy, a push was made to make the product legal. Because this CBD was derived from cannabis, a schedule 1 substance, breeders produced cannabis plants that produced negligible levels of THC. These plants were then reclassified as hemp, making the CBD they produce legal.

Appealing to Different Users

For users uninterested in cannabis, this distinction is important for marketing CBD as a legal and natural source of pain and anxiety relief. For many consumers, the idea of using a cannabis product invokes a negative connotation. This is because THC can cause some users to become paranoid, uncomfortable, and dizzy. THC effects on the brain’s reward center also lead some to become lazy or overeat. These aspects of THC use do not appeal to users who want full control of their faculties.

CBD, on the other hand, does not cause the same effects as THC. Both chemicals interact with the brain’s endocannabinoid system, a series of two neural receptors which bond with cannabis-based chemicals. While THC reacts with both the CB1 and CB2 receptors in this system, CBD only affects the CB2 receptor. This means that while it provides aspects of a THC high, it does not leave the user intoxicated.

While this lack of a high might not appeal to THC users, it can be a huge selling point to the right market. For these users, online shopping is the most likely avenue. This is because CBD products are often found in physical businesses that appeal to THC users. These curious consumers tend to turn to the internet to try CBD without needing to go to a physical shop filled with paraphernalia that holds no interest for them. Utilizing SEO is more effective to draw these curious users to your business.

Users who enjoy the effects of THC tend to need no convincing to try these products. For these cannabis users, simply marketing products as a higher functioning equivalent of the THC high can draw in business. While CBD may not leave users intoxicated, the relaxing feel and the pain relief it provides is an ideal choice for users who can’t use THC all day, but still would like some level of relief.

Informing Users about the Types of Products

When highlighting CBD products, there are two main groups. Products designed for immediate relief, and products with a slow-acting effect. Immediate relief products are more closely associated with cannabis products. They include pre-rolls, smokable buds, and concentrates. All of these products fit into the lifestyle of cannabis users, and the oil vaporizers also appeal to e-cig vape users. By entering the body through the lungs, these products can be touted for their near immediate relief of pain and stress.

• The other class of CBD products is much more diverse, and they appeal to a wider base of users. Infused products are extremely diverse and include tinctures, beverages, food, topical applications, and even dog treats. These products not only appeal to cannabis users but offer a much wider appeal to those who have no interest in smoking or vaporizing. By simply having a drink, eating a snack, or applying lotion, users absorb CBD slowly through the stomach or skin. This method is slower to onset but can provide users with a naturally mellow feeling throughout the day.
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SEO and your CBD Business

Informing users and potential users about these types of products is an excellent way to draw business to your website. When consumers turn to search engines, making sure your website has content which highlights information that appeals to a wide user base is crucial. The right content can make your website stand out amidst the many online vendors of CBD products.

Paid advertising for CBD is extremely difficult due to many platforms, such as facebook and google, not allowing paid ads. Physical advertising for it is possible but is severely limited to cannabis-based markets which are extremely oversaturated with this type of content. In an increasingly digital world, the best way to reach users is by using SEO to make yourself easier for them to find.

Since our inception, 1Digital has specialized in SEO. With CBD becoming a hot button topic, the number of searches for it has been climbing steadily for years. By knowing the right keywords to target, understanding the CBD products being sold and the customer base, we can generate the type of content needed to turn curious consumers into your informed customers. For more information on utilizing SEO for eCommerce CBD, give us a call at 215-809-1567.