Why You Can’t Afford To Overlook Video Marketing
Videos can convert to sales for your cannabis company
Making an impact in the digital marketplace means building content that fits into every channel, draws in your audience, keeps them engaged, and funnels your customers towards a solution. One of the best ways to drive multi-channel engagement is integrating video marketing, which drives sales and ensures that your business doesn’t just go up in smoke.
Why should your cannabis brand choose video for marketing?
Video marketing allows you to tell your brand’s story. Video has become the predominant form of marketing online. Today, 86 percent of businesses use video marketing, and 73 percent of consumers say they’d rather watch a short video to learn about a brand or product than read an article or infographic.
Video can also benefit your SEO. A new report indicates that less than half of cannabis businesses are profitable, so using video to improve “dwell time” on your page can naturally drive up your websites’ rankings.
Increased views also mean increased conversion. Videos are a great way to guide users to make a purchase or further engage with your brand.
Finally, video marketing strengthens brand loyalty, allowing you to connect with customers in a way that text and photos simply can’t. All of these factors together make video a potent strain of marketing.
How to build a great video
Video marketing can seem daunting at first, but it becomes easier if you create sales enablement content that speaks to your audience. So what kind of content works best?
Product demonstrations
A product demo can show viewers how your product solves a need or fills a niche. By educating your audience about how your product works, you create content they crave.
Brand story
Increasingly, consumers turn to brands that they feel emotionally attached to. A brand story video can help create that emotional bond. Build that connection by sharing who your brand is with your audience and telling a story while you do it.
Thought leadership interviews
Video is a great way to showcase the creative minds at your company. If you leverage video, you can give your audience an inside look at how the best thinkers at your company are growing the cannabis industry. For example, Mo Isern, female Co-Founder / Brand & Marketing VP of cannabis brand Perfect, recently discussed some of the obstacles she faced as a woman in cannabis.
Testimonials and education
One of the best areas to use video is with customer testimonials and education. Customer testimonials give your audience feedback about how great your product is. Educational content is another huge area. It can cover topics about how the industry works or the impacts of certain products over others.
Livestreaming
Livestreaming isn’t necessarily a video category in its own right but rather a method for how your video reaches your audience. The great thing about live video is that it allows you to interact directly with your fans. Many of the algorithms that underpin social media favor live video, so it’s a chance to expand your audience. Livestreams are also a great way to recycle content. You can record the stream and then edit it down into other videos for later.
Check Community Guidelines
The cannabis industry does not show signs of slowing down. More and more states are adopting “green” legislation, so video marketing is a great way to continue to grow your business. You have multiple options when it comes to posting video content. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have different communities and viewers.
But it’s no secret that the cannabis industry faces an uphill battle regarding regulations. In addition to its legal hurdles, there are also many stigmas against enjoying a toke. As a result, you need to be mindful of community guidelines for sharing videos on social media.
Here are some things to watch for on the most popular social media apps and video platforms.
Facebook: Facebook ads can’t promote recreational drugs, and companies are prohibited from displaying ads even in parts of the US where cannabis is legal. You can, however, get away with organic content if you refrain from using too risky hashtags or promote cannabis too explicitly.
Instagram: Instagram prohibits “buying or selling non-medical or pharmaceutical drugs.” However, cannabis-related products can still advertise on the platform. For example, Thistle and Spire, a lingerie brand, touts many of its products that feature embroidered marijuana leaves on them.
TikTok: TikTok has similar rules regarding controlled substances. However, like Instagram, it is limited to the substances themselves and not other adjacent products.
In late 2021, YouTube finally updated its ad guidelines, allowing “expanded monetization” on videos about cannabis-related content. That said, strict rules exist about what is and is not permitted, i.e., discussing health benefits, publishing testimonials, direct promotions, scenes of product consumption, and more.
If your cannabis business is looking to turn over a new leaf and expand its marketing, then video is probably the best way to go. Video boosts your audience, improves SEO, and helps you better connect with people. Once you jump in, you’ll be sure to see results. Just be careful to follow community guidelines when promoting your products.
Source: Green Entrepreneur – Click Here
