Video marketing has officially gone viral. With the onset of TikTok during the pandemic, short-form video content has rocket-launched into popularity with nearly every app coming up with some version of it: Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest Idea Pins, and so on.
As video becomes entrenched in marketing, brands are feeling the pressure to churn out quality video content. Not to mention, it improves SEO, enables easy content repurposing, and increases customer engagement.
For cannabis businesses, in particular, video marketing comes with unease. If social media antagonizes brands for images of flower or people smoking, how can video be safely used?
That’s where cannabis-specific video marketing strategy comes in. Whether you’re working as a direct-to-consumer brand or a business-to-business (B2B) brand, video content is an essential part of building trust with your potential customers and clients.
We’ve rounded up the three types of video your cannabis business needs ASAP:
1. Educational Videos
The cannabis industry is complex. Everything from the anatomy of a vape pen to what to expect when visiting a dispensary is met with consumer uncertainty. These things not only vary by state but oftentimes are culturally or even internally stigmatized.
Educational videos are a great way to help destigmatize cannabis by spreading legitimate information. Videos with Q&As or product demonstrations allow you to lower that barrier of uncertainty by sharing exactly what customers can expect.
Moreover, educational videos are one of the best ways to build a strong relationship with your customers over time. As you continue to put out helpful content, your audience will slowly associate you with all their cannabis needs.
You’ll go from being the go-to source for their questions to being their top choice on the market when they’re ready to shop.
Overall, educational videos are essential when you’re looking to level up your cannabis video marketing game because they naturally help establish your brand as knowledgeable and slowly, but steadily, build the foundation of the relationship with your customer.
2. Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials are perhaps the most underrated type of video in the cannabis industry. While other markets, like beauty and skincare, thrive with customer testimonials and have flourishing user-generated content communities, cannabis is behind.
Think of customer testimonials as brand ambassadorships or influencer partnerships, but with your real-life, everyday, loyal customers. Featuring client testimonials or transformations helps humanize your brand and also takes on-the-fence or first-time customers, well, off the fence.
The cold hard truth is that no one wants to buy your product or service. They want to buy your outcome, your transformation. Whatever story you can share to show what your exact outcome is will get people through the door faster than any full-blown marketing campaign ever could.
3. Behind-the-Scenes Videos
Lastly, you need BTS videos. No, not the K-pop group, but the intimate, sneak peek into a day in the life of being on your team.
When users online can put a face to your brand name – or a few faces – and form a genuine connection, they are more likely to feel a sense of loyalty. For instance, a dispensary sharing the cannabis journey of its budtenders may spark some viewers to say “I would love to be their friend,” or even better, “I have a similar journey; I want to buy from them.”
Behind-the-scenes videos showcase your brand with transparency and authenticity that gives your customers the feeling that they are in the know with you.
The Time for Video is Now
If you’re a cannabis brand that hasn’t jumped on the video marketing train yet, it’s not too late to start. You don’t need an entire team of producers, directors, videographers, and editors to get started.
With cannabis becoming such a saturated market, video could be your key to standing out from the crowd. Begin today just by picking up your cell phone! Experiment with creative approaches to educational videos, customer testimonials, and behind-the-scenes content to organically establish thought leadership, reduce sales friction, and build brand loyalty.
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