When advertising vape products, it’s not enough to simply put your stock on display onsite or online with a price tag. Advertising is a major part of your marketing campaign, which means that as an entrepreneur, you should invest in it and ensure you have the right strategies for it. The goal of advertising is to persuade your target market to buy your products.
Generally, advertising also includes the payment for media space. This means that you must ensure your ads are effective to enjoy high return on investment.
Social media ads
In this digital era, online marketing channels are becoming popular platforms for running ads. Whether you have an online vape shop or a brick-and-mortar one, you can benefit from investing in online ads if done right. Moreover, online ad platforms often provide metrics, which provide valuable data to help you assess your ads performance and further understand your target customers.
Social media platforms are integrated with features that enable you to run paid ads. Unfortunately, these platforms have too many restrictions when it comes to advertising vape products.
- Facebook Ads prohibits the promotion of the sale and use of tobacco-related paraphernalia including vaporisers and e-cigs.
- Instagram prohibits branded content that promote vape products.
- Twitter Ads prohibits the promotion of cigarettes and “alternatives that stimulate the act of smoking.”
Despite these restrictions on social media ads, you can still use the social platforms to raise brand awareness and retention by regularly publishing text, photos and videos about your shop, products and special deals with captions that don’t explicitly say you’re selling. Make sure to include links to your online shop or information on where your audience can order your products.
Search ads
Search ads are also popular digital marketing channels. Unfortunately, advertising vaping products is generally prohibited.
- Google Ads specifically disallows advertising products simulating tobacco smoking like e-cigarettes.
- Bing Ads and other entities under the Microsoft Search Network prohibit advertising electronic cigarettes and any of its components even if promoted as a smoking cessation product.
Fortunately, while search platforms prohibit ads on vaping products, you can still get your business, brand and products organically listed on search results pages. With the proper implementation of search engine optimisation strategies on your online vape shop, you can ensure your business is highly visible to people who searches for vape products, eliquids and other targeted keywords.
Ads through traditional and other channels
Email marketing remains one of the best tools for promoting and advertising your vape products. They’re perfect to use when you have fresh, new inventory that you want to sell as soon as possible. They’re also effective in updating your existing and target customers with special deals that your shop is offering. Most importantly, the contacts in your mailing lists are from people who consented to receive your updates, and thus, you’re sure that you’re sending your ads and promotions to those who are truly interested in your offers.
You can also advertise your products within your physical shop. For example, you can put up a “menu” board where customers can see a list of eliquid flavours available. You can use a chalkboard or a laminated paper to conveniently change the menu as new flavours come and go.
You can also consider traditional advertising channels such as newspapers, magazines and outdoor signage. However, legislations governing advertising of vape products in Australia and in New Zealand are still currently evolving, so make sure to stay updated with these rules and regulations.
For more insights on marketing your vape shop, make sure to check out our other blog posts.
