Thousands of companies offer CBD for pets.
Yet the vast majority of marketing efforts simplistically revolve around “Oh, we’ve got pet stuff, too.”
Instead, industry leaders in pet CBD marketing have figured out how to rise above the fray.
They have done so 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 bypass the restrictive advertising regulations that currently plague the entire CBD industry.
DOGS TALKING ABOUT CBD
Dog lovers know that our furry friends talk to us. Not in words, of course.
Instead, they send us clear messages with tail wags, deep glances, 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. She can no longer take anti-inflammatory medications and was taking Tramadol 150mg twice daily. I can’t afford all the operations you need and as a last resort I tried CBD oil. She’s been at it for a month and she’s a totally different dog. She no longer feels pain and is not distracted all the time. I cannot praise CBD oil more highly…”
Lori Dzingala also received clear communication from her 12-year-old Leonberger.
According to Lory,
“[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 results thanks to CBD.
They have let their humans know how they feel about a whole range of health problems: cancer, anxiety, sleep disorders, epilepsy, joint problems and many more.
WHAT ABOUT THE CATS?
Our feline friends are no different. (Aside from his famous indifference and finesse with food, my fellow felines 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] lost the ability to walk. By afternoon she was completely paralyzed and I rushed her to see the vet.
“Prognosis? Not good.
“Definitely neurological. Undetermined cause.
“Could [CBD] work for my cat? What did I 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 considered CBD oil as an alternative treatment.
“I have to say the results were AMAZING. Her right pupil was dilated for days (a possible indicator of a brain tumor) and was back to normal the day after she started the CBD oil. Four days into starting the the CBD oil twice a day, Charli started eating and drinking on her own again. Prior to that, she had refused to eat and drink and I had to keep her hydrated (and alive) by using a baby syringe to make the water go down. down his throat.
“Five days after starting the CBD oil, he was able to use his front legs again and was able to slowly sit up and lean against walls and furniture, although his back legs still didn’t work. The next day, his back legs started working.” again, but he was weak and wobbly, taking more than a few steps with difficulty.
“Cannabis saved his life.”
WHO IS TRAINING WHO?
Every morning our two little terrier mixes “let” me have 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 work 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 cats. Aren’t we all?)
In other words, I am very attuned to what our furry family members want and need because they tell me so.
That 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 grabs and holds attention.
That’s just the beginning.
The real power behind CBD for pets storytelling 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 compelling now as it has been 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 customers who have pets.
They then give people the opportunity to show off 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 of pet owners are a key source of engaging content.
All you have to do is heal it.
Satisfied customers showing their little friends online attract the attention of any company.
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 is also promoting online supplements, CBD products, and even a car wash.
He is not alone. A quick search for other pet marketing influencers gives us a good list on Twitter. The big ones right now include @remixthedog, @tinkandmeek, @milliegthegolden, and @coconutricebear.
Keep in mind 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 big cat influencers.
3) Third, because 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, pet lover to pet lover, is to answer questions in 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.
Clever! More social proof.
FIRST, “PRE-SUASION”
Influencer researcher Dr. Roberth Cialdini describes in great detail how and why persuasive marketing works.
His book, “Presuasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade,” goes even deeper into why the best persuasion salespeople are so successful.
In short, they arrange for a target audience to be receptive to a marketing message before it is delivered. Hence, “pre-suasion”.
When it comes to marketing CBD for pets, this means creating marketing materials to establish KLT, that is, know, like and trust.
The function of such materials is to persuade potential customers to dig deeper into all the social proof about CBD for pets. In other words, it draws attention to the marketing message.
Although social proof itself is mostly user-generated or influencer-generated, KLT development relies on well-crafted professional copywriting.
This is where all the other attention-getting strategies come into play: blog posts, email series, free reports, magalogs, brochures, press releases, website SEO, and more.
Writing to generate KLT puts people at the top of the sales funnel. Start a natural flow to social proof and ultimately more sales.
That’s where I can help. I am an expert writer of “pussive” (and persuasive) marketing texts.