After riding a boom, emerging from a bubble, and enduring the impacts of a pandemic, canna-businesses need to identify opportunities to build long-term loyalty and trust with their customers.

A tried-and-true method? Content marketing.

This facet of marketing is focused on connecting with target audiences through storytelling channels such as blogs, case studies, whitepapers, video, and infographics. When developed and distributed effectively, content bolsters brand awareness, educates your network, dispels misinformation, supports search engine optimization, and delicately guides prospects through a sales funnel.

As we face the challenges of a pandemic, it offers even more value. There’s a promising opportunity for cannabis companies to enhance their content marketing strategy and further engage with customers digitally, especially with social distancing measures in place.  

Here are four critical ways content marketing can serve cannabis and CBD businesses in the time of coronavirus.

1. Communicate a shift in operations

It’s likely your business has adjusted operations in this climate. Perhaps you’ve ramped up online or delivery services instituted strict social distancing practices or identified workarounds to address supply chain limitations. It’s possible that, as a cannabis entrepreneur, you’re facing several unfamiliar challenges – and a straightforward way to communicate these operational shifts to your network is key. For example, you might create:

• A prominent callout on your website informing customers of store hours, closures, new practices and communication methods.
• Blog post(s) discussing steps taken to ensure a safe and sanitized customer experience.
• An informational video demonstrating how to order online for pickup or delivery.
• A comprehensive FAQ web page or infographic series answering pressing questions that you and your staff are receiving.

2. Continue educational missions

Even in the midst of a crisis, your company can and should continue to offer educational content. Companies can transition their educational mission to focus on timely stressors their clientele may be facing in their everyday lives. For instance, you may explore studies about strains or cannabinoids for managing depression and anxiety or combating insomnia. Your customers also might be looking for a sense of community while self-isolating. Profiles of your team members, leaders, customers, and suppliers can help foster connections. You can also solicit content from your network, such as recipes and quarantine activities, to compile and promote to further instill a sense of “we’re in this together.”

3. Enhance customer service

Cannabis businesses have received a spike in customer questions as everyone learns to navigate the “new normal.” This is an opportune time track commonly asked questions for a grand scale response, which may reduce a flurry of one-off answers on the phone or email.

Consider the following:

• Craft a blog and infographic campaign dedicated to providing in-depth answers to frequent questions, offering additional context or data that may be difficult (and time-intensive) to relay over the phone.    
• Produce “how-to” video snippets for dissemination through your website, social media and email platforms explaining new processes and procedures.

Once this content is developed, it not only enhances the customer service, but it also frees up your team for other high-priority tasks.

4. Contribute to long-term search engine optimization (SEO) strategies

One of the best things about content marketing is that there are both short-term and long-term benefits. Your content marketing can be an integral aspect of keeping customers and stakeholders up to date, answering a barrage of questions, and offering education and expert insight. Beyond this, the pieces you create now will be archived by search engines for years to come. Not only will people remember your business as a trustworthy resource, but new prospects will be more likely to find your website when researching topics online that are pertinent to your products or services.

Content marketing is one of the best tools in a business’ back pocket – and during this time of stress and uncertainty, it’s more important than ever. You can leverage your content to communicate critical changes affecting operations, assist your customers with their most pressing questions, amplify your customer service, and, of course, foster long-term trust.