The vaping industry is primed to grow to be worth approximately $61 billion in 2025.
Vapes have become an extremely popular replacement for conventional cigarettes and even non-smokers are getting in on the industry by buying vape juices that contain no nicotine.
For an industry that would be worth billions, advertising should be easy, right?
As it turns out, conventional advertising on Google or on Facebook is a no-go because these platforms lump vaporizers and vape products in with tobacco.
Since they do not allow for paid advertising, a vape shop owner must seek out other strategies when it comes to marketing.
1. SEO keyword optimization
Since vape shops cannot pay for ads on Google or Facebook, one key to getting people to find your site in the first place is going to be keyword optimization.
Utilizing the right keywords can help raise your ranking in Google searches. While conventional keywords work well, the more descriptive and narrow the search becomes, the better.
Try including phrases such as “best breakfast vape juice” or “best touch screen vape mod” in your content. This will help customers who want something specific to find your shop.
2. Facebook company pages and groups for vaping
While Facebook may not want to take your money for advertising, they don’t stop you from having a company page and cultivating a following.
Since you are trying to cultivate a relationship with your customers, keep your content relevant and fun on this platform. Engage the audience with new product launches, polls, games, and giveaways.
Joining a vaping group on Facebook can also put you in contact with your customers. They also usually allow for promotional posts.
3. Reddit
Reddit has an active community of posters called subreddits for just about any subculture.
This includes the vaping community. There are several subreddits that include keywords such as vapes and vaping, vape juice, vape tricks.
Several vape shop owners have found that hosting a giveaway or marketing in subreddits has helped them in the early days of growing their business.
4. Print media
Print media is not dead, contrary to popular belief. The new industry of vaping and cannabis has made print advertising and marketing especially essential to vape shop owners.
Once considered taboo for print ads, they are now a welcome change. A well-placed ad or content about a new product can make a major impact on your brand.
Many vape reviewers on YouTube are also willing to write reviews for blog content in exchange for free products or samples.
5. Contribute to a vaping magazine
The vaping industry has grown to the point that it supports many print and online magazines.
Many of these publications have an audience of thousands and are free.
Advertising revenue helps to fund these vaping magazines; hence they often cannot afford to pay their writers much.
This means that they love to receive free content.
Contributing to a vaping magazine is a great way to get the word out about your shop and establish yourself as a community vaping expert.
6. Utilize YouTube for promotions and content
If you consider how many times a day you get asked how to clean a vape or the difference between sub-ohm and other kinds of vaping, you can spend a lot of time educating customers on their choices.
Consider making a YouTube channel dedicated to your store.
You can cover topics such as equipment reviews, vape juice reviews, and educational how-tos that can both benefit your customers and drive them to your shop.
If you do not feel comfortable in front of the camera yourself, perhaps you have an employee who doesn’t mind creating the content.
You can also offer free vape mods and e-juices to established reviewers who will plug your shop in their review.
7. Consider affiliate marketing
If you sell your vape products online, launching an affiliate program could generate business for your shop. This will give you access to people across the globe.
The way it works is that an affiliate will place a link to your shop on their website. If a customer follows the link and buys a product, they get a portion of the revenue from the sale.
Affiliate marketers are very self-motivated because their income is directly tied to their performance.
8. Email marketing
With the advent of social media, email marketing may seem a bit dated. However, don’t write off this venue as passe just yet.
Consider that people abandon their online carts on a daily basis. Having a reminder email can bring them back to make that purchase.
Customers are also more than willing to provide an email address at checkout, especially if it is utilized to let them know about sales, new products, and giveaways.
An engaging email campaign can also drive traffic to your content.
9. Optimize the design of your website
Does your website’s design put the user first? More importantly, does it cater to mobile users? Most of Google’s search traffic now comes from mobile devices.
Because of this, it has transitioned to a mobile-first search index. For the best possible performance, your website needs to be mobile-friendly.
If your website is already optimized for mobile devices, it’s time to look at the layout and design. Make sure that text can be easily read on all screen sizes.
Can your interface be used by tapping? Removing unnecessary links can also help to funnel your sales as prominently as possible.
10. Do not discount offline marketing opportunities
Consider that it can take 90 days or longer for an SEO campaign to begin producing a viable return. Offline marketing can help you keep your doors open by producing results more quickly.
Offline marketing can also increase your online marketing reach by increasing engagement, which leads to more organic links, shares, and likes.
Consider advertising on a local radio station. Radio ads are surprisingly affordable and even with the rise of streaming music, radio remains an important part of people’s daily commutes.
Another option is attending a vape expo. A vape expo can help get your name out there to the masses of vapers and bring traffic to your shop.
You might also want to consider the old-fashioned method of printing out flyers. Physical flyers, either mailed out or handed out in person can often promote a better response than email marketing.
11. Cash in on the quit smoking niche
Smokers who are looking to quit need to know that vaping can help them.
You can create content about the benefits of vaping over smoking, such as saving money and it being potentially healthier than smoking.
You can produce blog content dedicated to this and participate in panels. Staying close to your target group can help market your business to this niche of potential customers.
Final thoughts
Whether you offer products solely online or have a brick and mortar shop, marketing is going to be key to your success.
The vape industry is growing and that generally means that there is a lot of competition.
Making your shop stand out among others through various marketing strategies is going to be key to the success of your business.
Taking the time to create an effective, engaging, and creative marketing campaign will ensure that your shop is a success.
Michael is the marketing and creative content specialist at GotVape.com with a primary focus on customer satisfaction. Technology and fitness combined with a healthy lifestyle obsession are his main talking points.
