Are You Advertising and Marketing Your Brand?
In 2014 vape advertising spending equalled to approximately 300 thousand U.S. dollars, according to Statista. It’s quite agreeable among many that some type of advertising is a must. The vaping industry is quite a bit different from other industry types, it’s very unique, and vape advertising isn’t used quite as often as it should be.
If you don’t have an advertising budget for your vape business, you’re doing it wrong.
I’ve had the chance to speak with hundreds of vape store owners all over the United States and each time I’ve asked them “who handles your advertising and marketing needs, and where do you advertise your brand”, about 90% of them reply with the same response: “we handle our advertising in house, on Instagram, and Facebook”. If this is the type of advertising and marketing you’re doing to build your brand, you’re greatly limiting yourself and your company. I received many responses and they were all the same, so if they’re using the same exact strategy as many other competing brands (aka Instagram and Facebook), how do they expect to differentiate themselves in a–what we’ve already covered–already saturated market? Advertising is used to expose your brand, it’s used to differentiate you and your company, and if you aren’t using advanced techniques and unique strategies, you’ll never get ahead of those brands that are.
“Posting regularly on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are great methods to use on a daily basis. It feeds your base with the relevant content they have come to expect from you. Don’t quit that! But how do you reach the vapers that have never heard of you? How do you reach the vapers that do not use social media? How do you rise above the brand bubble you have created for yourselves and reach beyond the extent of your limited audience walls? We have the answer! Our internet advertising team can place your ads on websites that vapers are on right now, and with a single click they can be on your website learning about your products and buying them. FDA regulations do not need to be an obstacle between you and new customers! Take advantage of the stability that the market freeze has created and begin taking market share from your competitors.” — Steve Mac, Ecig Advertising Group
The issue here is that vapor products are banned from most of the online advertising platforms that millions of other businesses use on a daily basis to grow their market share, increase sales, and brand their business.
You’ve already experienced the frustration of creating ads only to learn that they are disapproved for violating TOS. Google says that they don’t allow the promotion of “electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes”, Facebook prohibits “tobacco products and related paraphernalia”, and even Yahoo has restricted “tobacco and electronic cigarettes.”
“If you have a business page on Facebook with 10,000 likes, every time you post to that page you are reaching less than 7% of the people who want to see that information as a result of the algorithms used. Increasing your reach is all but impossible, because your aren’t allowed to advertise your tobacco product on Facebook. Facebook will provide you with leads, but it is a very narrow focus as less than 10% of vapers are actively social in vaping circles. Instagram on the other-hand is an over saturated platform for those using it, but once again it is a very narrow field, especially when you consider the average age of a vaper is 5 to 10 years outside of Instagram’s main populace. Targeting your advertising budget in places that vapers are going to look at and buy vapor products can ensure that you are putting your companies name in a place where the people wanting to buy them will be looking.” — Daniel Hall, GuideToVaping
What it ultimately comes down to is that you must advertise and market your brand, your company, and/or your store. Do not let the FDA Deeming Regulations stop you from continuing to progress in this industry, because there are no restrictions that limit you from gaining the exposure you brand deserves, except for yourself.
