CBD Marketing For Pets: How To Stand Out From The Crowd
Thousands of companies offer CBD for pets.
Yet the vast majority of marketing efforts simplistically revolve around “Oh, we’ve got stuff for pets, too.”
On the contrary, industry leaders in the marketing of CBD for pets have figured out how to overcome the fray.
They have done this by focusing on one of the most powerful principles of persuasion in human history.
The good news is that invoking this principle is quite simple.
It is based on following a few simple steps, as I explain below.
As a bonus, these steps also circumvent restrictive advertising regulations that currently plague the entire CBD industry.
DOGS WHO TALK ABOUT CBD
Dog lovers know that our furry friends speak to us. Not with words, of course.
Instead, they send us clear messages with tail wags, deep stares, smiles, bounces, you name it.
If Anthony Robbins is right about the definition of communication (and I think he is), it’s the results you get.
Dogs get results. And they are telling us a lot about CBD oil.
Carole Jarvis got the message from 3-year-old Coco, her former English Mastiff.
In Carol’s words,
“[Coco] he has hip dysplasia in both hips and severe arthritis in both knees. He can no longer take anti-inflammatory drugs and was taking Tramadol 150mg twice a day. I can’t afford all the operations he needs and as a last resort I tried CBD oil. She’s been on it for a month now and she’s a totally different dog. She is no longer in pain and is not distracted all the time. Can’t praise CBD oil more highly…”
Lori Dzingala also received clear communication from her 12-year-old Leonberger.
According to Lori,
“[She] he started having seizures. She had a massive seizure and we were losing her. A client of mine suggested CBD, so we gave it a try. Within 3 days she was walking and even jogging. We were able to control the seizures.”
These are just two of thousands of examples of how dogs communicate their health outcomes thanks to CBD.
They have let their humans know how they feel about a whole range of health issues: cancer, anxiety, sleep disorders, epilepsy, joint problems, and many more.
WHAT ABOUT THE CATS?
Our feline friends are no different. (Aside from their famous indifference and pickiness with food, my feline companions know what I’m talking about.)
Alicia Antonio “heard” her older tabby, Charli, loud and clear.
As Alice explains,
“We had a sunny Wednesday afternoon last month, [Charli] he lost the ability to walk. By afternoon she was completely paralyzed and I rushed her to see the vet.
“Prognosis? Not good.
“Definitely neurological. Cause undetermined.
“Could [CBD] work for my cat? What did he have to lose?
“I agreed to give him the weekend to try to rest and recover, as long as he wasn’t in too much pain, and I considered CBD oil as a treatment alternative.
“I have to say the results were AMAZING. Her right pupil was dilated for days (a possible indicator of a brain tumor) and returned to normal the day after she started the CBD oil. Within four days of starting the the CBD oil twice a day, Charli started eating and drinking on her own again.Before that, she had refused to eat and drink and I had to keep her hydrated (and alive) using a baby syringe to get the water down down his throat.
“Five days after starting the CBD oil, she was able to use her front legs again and was able to sit up slowly and lean against walls and furniture, although her hind legs still didn’t work. The next day, her hind legs began to work. again, but he was weak and unsteady and had trouble taking more than a few steps.
“Cannabis saved his life.”
WHO IS TRAINING WHO?
Every morning our two little terrier mixes allow me to “allow” a sip of coffee, just one, before demanding their morning walk.
What they want is very clear to me. They have trained me well.
After her walk, it’s time for her morning dental treatment before I can finally get back to my cup of coffee.
(Oh, and our young orange tabby “talks” me into giving him treats at the same time, too. Apparently I’m easily trained by canines and felines. Aren’t we all?)
In other words, I am very in tune with what our furry family members want and need because they tell me to.
This is why the experiences of Carole, Lori, and Alicia, and many others like them, draw me to CBD for pet health.
THE UNDERLYING POWER OF MARKETING
Good storytelling draws and holds attention.
That’s just the beginning.
The real power behind CBD storytelling for pets is shared hopes and experiences.
Marketers call it “social proof.”
It puts real power behind the marketing of CBD for pets.
Simply put, social proof means that people decide what to believe or how to act based on what others believe or say.
Social proof is a principle of persuasion as old as the hills.
Its power has not diminished one bit over the centuries. It is as irresistible now as it was since before the time of the pharaohs.
Pet CBD marketing in particular lends itself to this principle. it’s like a social proof accelerator.
HARNESS THE POWER OF PETS
Three simple strategies from top CBD companies show how to harness the power of social proof for pet marketing.
1) First, they gather a steady stream of satisfied pet-owning customers.
Then they give people a chance to brag about their pets on social media. They’re going to do it anyway. You could also have them do it on your company’s social media pages.
Social media is a big driver here.
Videos and images from pet owners are a key source of engaging content.
All you have to do is heal it.
Satisfied customers showing off their little friends online attract the attention of any business.
2) Second, they climb the social proof ladder by partnering with influencers.
Influencers bring a lot of social credibility. It’s like a rocket booster for social proof.
We are not talking about ‘ordinary’ influencers. We are talking about real pet influencers.
Imagine being associated with Mannie the French Bulldog. At last count, he had 1.1 million Instagram followers, 7,600 YouTube channel subscribers, and 1.7 million Facebook followers.
A word from Mannie has tremendous ‘canine’ social proof of the top dog online.
Mannie covers a wide variety of products. His own website offers drinks, clothing, art, and face masks. She’s also promoting supplements online, CBD products, and even a car wash.
He is not alone. A quick search for other pet marketing influencers gives us quite a list on Twitter. The big ones right now include @remixthedog, @tinkandmeek, @milliegthegolden and @coconutricebear.
Note that although I’ve been talking about dogs so far, the same strategies work with cats.
To see what I mean, just check out Instagram for ThatLittlePuff, Nala Cat, Venus the Two Face Cat, and Smoothie the Cat to see some of the influential big cats.
3) Third, since company leaders are pet owners, they actively engage in dialogue with other pet owners.
A simple but invaluable strategy for building credibility and trust online, from pet lover to pet lover, is to answer questions on forums and comment on blog posts. All niches have forums and blog comments.
If done well, the interaction generated there attracts responses from others. The more, the better.
Ready! More social proof.
FIRST, “PRE-SUASION”
Influencer researcher Dr. Roberth Cialdini describes in great detail how and why persuasion marketing works.
His book, “Presuasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade,” delves further into why the best persuasion salespeople are so successful.
In short, they arrange to make a target audience receptive to a marketing message before it is delivered. Hence, “pre-suasion.”
With regards to marketing CBD for pets, this means creating marketing materials to establish KLT, i.e. know, like and trust.
The role of such materials is to persuade potential customers to dig into all the social evidence about CBD for pets. In other words, it draws attention to the marketing message.
Although social proof itself is mostly user- or influencer-generated, KLT development depends on well-crafted professional copywriting.
This is where all the other attention-grabbing strategies come into play: blog posts, email series, free reports, magalogs, brochures, press releases, website SEO, and more.
Writing to build KLT puts people at the top of the sales funnel. Start a natural flow towards social proof and ultimately more sales.
That’s where I can help. I am an expert writer of “pressing” (and persuasive) marketing copy.
