Even in states where cannabis has been legalized for both medical and recreational use, advertising can be a challenge. It’s certainly still possible to achieve success...but to get there, you’ll have to overcome some obstacles. As of January 2020, some of the most common obstacles you’ll encounter include:
Many how-to guides will tell you that if you stick to educational messages rather than pushing purchase or consumption, you’ll be fine. However, the NFL famously rejected an educational medical marijuana advertising spot for Super Bowl LIII, even though medical marijuana is legal in 33 states — including the home states of both teams (though it wouldn’t become legal in Georgia, where the game was played, until two months later). So even with purely scientific content, you’re still likely to face scrutiny from the gatekeepers.
Not every business in the cannabis space is tied exclusively to the plant. For instance, if you sell hydroponic equipment or fertilizer, you can advertise your broadly-applicable product without ever mentioning cannabis (even if that’s the market you’re primarily targeting). You can bet that young cannabusinesses who need resources for their grow houses will be searching with relevant keywords.
All of the promoted ads at the top of the search are from companies that could provide B2B assistance in the cannabis industry — but it isn’t stated. And folks are looking for this, as you can see from the 1,300 monthly search volume my Keywords Everywhere plugin is showing beneath the search bar.