How to Market A Vape Shop Online

Here at 1Digital Agency we know that entrepreneurs that sell vape juice and vape equipment online are up against unique challenges. They’re in a competitive market, that’s made even more so by Google’s advertising policies. This challenge is compounded by the reality that this is an extremely new industry, one without tried and true tactics. Almost everyone out there is fumbling in the dark when it comes to how to market a vape shop online.

That’s why 1Digital Agency has made it a priority to develop a three-pronged strategy that can help vape and vape juice entrepreneurs navigate an overtly hostile online environment. This three pronged attack coordinates:

• Building visibility through aggressive SEO marketing.
• Building credibility through video product reviews.
• Building brand identity through meaningful social media engagement.

These are the pillars on which we build our temple, but first, a little background.

The Landscape of Vape Marketing Today

The geology of the vape marketing landscape can be traced back to one particular tectonic shift, called Google’s advertising policy. Both Google Ad Words and Google Shopping lump vapes and vape juice into their Dangerous Products and Services policy, stating specifically that they prohibit “products designed to simulate tobacco smoking,” including electronic or e cigarettes, from participating in paid advertising on their service.

(I should note here that while researching this article I was able to find examples of e cigarettes and e juice that came up on Google Shopping. I was informed by a Google employee that these listings sometimes slip through the cracks, and are taken down once reported. Though circumventing Google’s rules may work for a little while, we at 1Digital do not endorse it as a long term marketing strategy.)

This policy has made SEO the one and only way to market a vape retailer on Google, which has created fierce competition for those coveted top ten positions. Organic search results couldn’t be more crucial. There were 8.5 million searches for vape related information in 2014, and researchers have estimated that that number grew by 62% in 2015. The vast majority of those searches were related to shopping.

Furthermore, the industry is currently prohibited from making any claims about the potential health benefits of vaping until an official FDA review process is complete. The funds for said process have yet to be allocated by the Office of Management and Budget. It may be years before this strategy is available to the industry.

There are plenty of reasons to be excited, too. Vape and vape juice sales are a multi billion-dollar industry. Some Wall Street analysts expect that revenue from electronic cigarettes will outpace the revenue of traditional cigarettes within 10 years. So, how do you ride that wave, and make your online vape shop a success? 1Digital Agency is uniquely positioned to help market a vape shop online.

1Digital’s Vape Marketing Expertise

1Digital Agency has designed and marketed several vape web stores, both retail and wholesale. We have been successful in these projects because we looked at the limitations that this industry had thrust onto it, and saw opportunity. The opportunity to help merchants who were being held back by forces beyond their control, and create a unique strategy for their unique challenges. That strategy is as follows:

Building visibility through aggressive SEO marketing: Because PPC is not an option for vape retailers; SEO is doubly important, and doubly competitive. 1Digital recommends an SEO campaign that targets a high number of keywords. We start with long tail keywords and move to more popular search terms as page authority builds. We optimize every corner of a web store to make it a lean mean organic search ranking machine, and employ only white hat link building tactics. This process is not quick and it is not easy, but it’s the number one most important thing that you can do to market your vape shop online.

Building credibility through video product reviews: YouTube is the world’s second most used search engine, and yet only 9% of small businesses maintain an active YouTube channel. At 1Digital, we think every online vape shop should have one. Vape mods are products that are extremely variable and customizable, not to mention the ever-increasing variety of vape juice flavors. This industry is tailor made for review content. A YouTube channel will not only help your organic search visibility, but it will show your customers that you share in their interest. That your business is not a faceless moneymaking conglomerate, but is an authority and an influencer in the world of their hobby.

Building brand identity through meaningful social media engagement: The vape industry, in particular, relies on repeat customers. You don’t want to sell a starter kit, and never here from that customer again. You want to be their go-to shop for every juice refill and every atomizer replacement. To do that you have to engage with your customers, and build a lasting relationship with them. An effective social media campaign is the tool for building this relationship. 1Digital will craft a brand story for your web store, which will run through your social media presence so that your customers will know your personality, and enjoy keeping up with what their vape shop is up to.

Marketing a vape shop online is an unexplored wilderness at the moment, but 1Digital is excited to be blazing a trail, along with our vape industry partners. If you have an online vape shop, and could use  help getting your marketing campaign off the ground, don’t hesitate to give us a call.