Marketing a controversial or misunderstood product can certainly be challenging.

Inaccurate stigmas prevent your target audience from truly understanding the services and/or products that your brand provides, creating a bridge that can feel impossible to cross. Fortunately, with a little help along the way, marketing can become a powerful and successful tool in conveying your brand’s benefits, values and goals, bringing your product to the market in a compelling and genuine way.

Debunking these myths isn’t an impossible task; this is something I know from personal experience.

My name is Alex and as the founder of Behind This Wall, a London-based brand which has introduced the UK’s very first CBD-infused hard seltzers to the British market, I have come to appreciate the difficulty in transforming widespread misconceptions. CBD is a product which is of course surrounded by a degree of controversy; for years it has been emptily connected with ‘weed’ and the risks which surround wider drug use.

Only now are the benefits of CBD being more broadly recognised… slowly but surely people are beginning to understand that CBD actually boasts a number of proposed health benefits – it’s good for you, not bad. However, more work of course needs to be done; lots of people continue to believe that CBD is negative, something that I’ve had to address through Behind This Wall’s own marketing strategy.

I am proud to have successfully created a fun, engaging brand which communicates the proposed benefits of CBD. I’ve had fantastic feedback from consumers and despite the unprecedented repercussions of COVID-19, particularly within the realms of retail, I’ve found great success thus far – something I attribute to our detailed marketing strategy.

I am now passionate about supporting fellow businesses while I continue to develop the ‘Behind This Wall’ brand; as a community mutual support is incredibly important. Therefore, to help you debunk the myths that surround your misunderstood product, I have outlined my top tips below:

1. Use your platform to educate

As a business you have an invaluable platform from which you can educate consumers. You are experts in your field, so use your voice!

As part of your ongoing marketing strategy, create content which highlights your expertise, simultaneously offering insight into the realities of your product or service. For example, you could create videos for your social channels, including YouTube and IGTV, addressing the misconceptions which surround your business. This personable approach shows that you’re ready and willing to be accountable; you believe in what you’re saying and you’re proudly putting a face (or faces) to the brand. This is an invaluable way to build trust and sway consumers who might be sitting on the fence.

2. Communicate with your audience

Communication is key – really! Nothing says shady like silence or inconsistency. If you’re marketing a misunderstood or controversial product, then it’s important that you consistently engage with your target audience. Take to social media, replying to comments and messages. Meanwhile, consider hosting Q&A sessions or, when COVID-19 has settled, events to showcase your product in a more friendly and relatable environment. Your communications and public relations should never be underestimated; it’s important to show that your brand is very much an open book.

3. Create a powerful campaign

If there’s a misconception or myth that you want to address head on then create a powerful campaign. Consider doing a media drop, sending samples of your product to journalists so that they can, hopefully, help you spread the word! Or, if you have the resources, then do something that’ll really resonate with your audience; for example, you could create some powerful imagery to share across social media or organise a pop-up event in the city centre which promises to grab attention and spark conversation online. No matter what you do, be sure to give it a powerful message and a catchy hashtag!

4. Embrace social media

When it comes to debunking myths, social media is your best friend. Although, you need to be careful which platforms you choose to embrace. For example, Twitter, while loved by many, can foster negativity. It’s often the breeding ground for complaints and debates, without giving brands much of an opportunity to speak up.

Instead, take to channels like Instagram which allow you to visually showcase your brand’s vibrancy and positivity in a more welcoming space. Consider organising collaborations with influencers, experts and celebrities who are trusted by your target audience, having them support your venture and its credibility. We’re living in a social media obsessed world so ignoring it, or underestimating it, certainly won’t get you very far!

• Behind This Wall is a London-based brand, which has introduced the UK’s very first CBD-infused hard seltzers to the British market.