The Ad Ban & Best Marketing Channels for E-cigs

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The TPD regulations that came into force in 2016 laid down restrictions on the advertising of e-cigs and e-liquids. The vape advertising ban is far reaching – including TV, radio and Internet display advertising. As a result of the ad ban, vape businesses must work harder and smarter to rise above the competition and get exposure. Here, we explore some of the best online marketing channels for vape products.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What are the TPD e-cig advertising rules?

Article 20.5 of the TPD relates to advertising of e-cigs and e-liquids. In summary, the rules mean TV, radio, newspaper, magazine (except trade mags) and Internet display advertising is banned. So what is permitted?  The TPD allows for the promotion via posters, explainer videos, blogs and tweets, among other things (rules vary country to country).

Although strict rules apply to vape advertising, they are not as extreme as those applied to tobacco where no advertising is allowed.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Best Online Vape Marketing Channels

1) YouTube

YouTube has been growing in popularity since 2008 and with almost 50 million channels and more than 30 million visitors a day it is the most-watched social platform. Opportunities for vape-related content include product reviews and explainer ‘how to’ videos. Video content is becoming a crucial marketing tool for vape businesses as online competition increases and ever more businesses compete for the top positions in Internet search rankings.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1524495447252{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: rgba(38,208,242,0.44) !important;*background-color: rgb(38,208,242) !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”]

Video Beginner Guides

For smokers looking to switch to vaping sometimes need a little help to guide them through the myriad of devices and configurations. While vape companies with physical vape stores can guide a newbie with in-store assistants what do online-only businesses do? Answer: video beginner guides. A beginners guide running through the basics of setting up a device, changing a coil or discussing which nicotine strength to buy are just some examples.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

2) Blog posts

A blog post is a relatively cheap but effective way to draw visitors to your website. A monthly post helps to grow the website’s authority, which in turn, helps to move the site up the search ranks. Some of the key areas that can be covered in blog posts include general vape industry news, ‘how to’ guides, vaping advice and product reviews.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1585225896663{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: rgba(132,239,74,0.68) !important;*background-color: rgb(132,239,74) !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”]

Blog Posts and SEO

While posting a monthly blog can draw attention in the short term, to really capitalise on their capabilities, posts should be optimised for SEO. An optimised blog post will work over the long term by adding to the list of keywords for which your site ranks and so increasing visibility.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

3) Online Competitions

Running competitions from your vape website is another way to grab an audience and draw them to the site. With some e-liquid give-away competitions visitors can leave comments – this consumer engagement helps to keep the visitor on the page making it more likely they browse through the product range while they are there.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

4) Social Media

The top social media platforms include:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• LinkedIn (B2B)

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter are the most popular social media platforms used by vape companies to get exposure. Ads are banned on all platforms so regular company posts, followed by fan comments and sharing are crucial.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1524494663617{padding: 20px !important;background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.1) !important;*background-color: rgb(0,0,0) !important;border: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.66) !important;}”]Tip: Keep up to date with current vaping trends. Comment, share and bring attention to such trends.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Facebook Company Pages and Groups

Although Facebook enforces the restrictions on advertising they do allow vape brands to have Facebook company pages which paves the way for company announcements (product launches, product reviews, competitions etc) and customer engagement (commenting and sharing). Facebook groups are also permitted where vapers can discuss products, share stories and tips, among other things.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Which social media platforms to focus on?

While being active on all social media platforms is ideal, it can be time consuming and difficult to maintain over the long term, especially for small businesses without a dedicated marketing team. In these cases, it is better to be active on a few key platforms than relatively inactive on all.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1524494902126{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.1) !important;*background-color: rgb(0,0,0) !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”]Tip: Research which platforms are best for your business and post regular engaging and high quality content.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Short fills and advertising

The TPD rules only apply to nicotine-containing e-liquids which means short fills (‘shake n vapes’) are out of scope of the TPD. However, because short fills are intended to be used with nicotine-containing ‘nic shots’ the advertising of them would be indirectly promoting nicotine-containing products and so short-fill advertising is prohibited. In addition, specific regulations apply to short fills – namely the GPSR.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

In Summary

Despite the advertising ban, there are still many effective ways to promote vape products online. In many ways, the advertising ban actually helps small business because vape companies with big marketing budgets can’t simply put up vape ads wherever. The ban effectively levels the playing field – it means that provided you have engaging, original and high quality content, which is relatively cheap to create, you can get exposure and reach your target audience.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1524495703232{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: rgba(89,216,67,0.35) !important;*background-color: rgb(89,216,67) !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”]

Responsible Marketing

Medic Pro supports responsible vape marketing strategies that help smokers switch to less harmful nicotine products. If you have any questions with any aspect of this article or require support please do not hesitate to contact us.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Get Support” style=”flat” shape=”square” color=”danger” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fmedicpro.london%2Fcontact-us%2F|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]