With over 756 million members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn is far and away the largest social networking site for business professionals. It is known for being a productive platform for job seekers, recruiters, and employers. Besides a source for corporate connections, it is also a place where professionals engage in valuable content across all industries.
When utilizing social media marketing, many agencies and businesses focus primarily on Instagram and Facebook. This is understandable because of the broad reach of these image-based platforms. Unfortunately, cannabis businesses don’t have the same freedom.
Cannabis Marketing on Social Media
Facebook and Google have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to advertising products or businesses related to cannabis. Facebook policy states explicitly: “Ads must not constitute, facilitate, or promote illegal products, services or activities. Ads targeted to minors must not promote products, services, or content that are inappropriate, illegal, or unsafe, or that exploit, mislead, or exert undue pressure on the age groups targeted.”
Cannabis business owners and marketers have been faced with many obstacles regardless of how strategically they word their ads. The good news is that LinkedIn is a social network that is fully open to helping the cannabis industry grow and expand.
LinkedIn policy states: “Ads for illegal products, services and activities are prohibited. Ads must comply with all applicable laws, including laws covering what content is allowed in ads and how ads are targeted.” This means that while advertising specific products isn’t allowed, cannabis businesses can still promote events, dispensary openings, and most importantly, publish valuable content that will engage their audience.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Marketing
LinkedIn has a wide demographic of highly educated, high-earning professionals that align well with the average cannabis user. This is an audience you can easily engage with through curated content, eventually converting them into high-quality leads and sales.
When marketing your cannabis business on LinkedIn, keep the following best practices in mind:
1. Create High-Quality Content
Your published content directly demonstrates your expertise in the industry. Represent yourself well, and you’ll be attracting droves of new customers in no time.
One of LinkedIn’s best features is that businesses can publish articles directly on the platform. This means that when you post highly valuable, engaging content and use industry-specific keywords to draw in your target audience, you will likely see an increase in sales conversions. Remember to include an imperative call to action at the end of every post, directing readers to your website and online store.
2. Participate in LinkedIn Groups
There are hundreds of cannabis-related groups on LinkedIn, and they cover a wide range of sub-categories and regions. Participating and being active in a cannabis LinkedIn group that closely matches your business niche ensures your content’s visibility to an interested audience. Remember to post according to the group’s rules or risk getting banned and smearing your online reputation.
3. Use LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator
Sales Navigator is a paid service on LinkedIn where you can take your lead generation strategy to the next level. You can use its advanced search features to find your target audience. The robust filters can get you leads depending on the industry, function, region, seniority level, and more.
When you have a list of warm leads, you can connect with them through an email outreach campaign or contact them directly through LinkedIn.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a popular social platform that has cannabis-friendly advertising policies if you know your way around the network’s guidelines. Your cannabis business can benefit greatly from leveraging its top-notch features and diverse user base. If you don’t have a handle on how to make LinkedIn work for you, it’s worth hiring professionals to lend you a helping hand.
Cannabud Marketing offers digital marketing services for cannabis businesses. Our goal is to deliver you the best results and drive more sales to your business. We provide social media management services that help businesses get high levels of engagement from the right audience. Schedule a free strategy session with our digital marketing experts today!
