Are you pitching to cannabis dispensaries, cultivators, or processors? An explainer video can generate more qualified leads and make sure your sales team is getting the most out of their calls. Maybe you've considered using explainer videos as part of your sales process in the past but weren't sure how where it would fit into your plan, or you're new to the concept altogether. We put this guide together so that you can learn about explainer videos and see how other cannabis tech brands are using them.
What is an explainer video?
An explainer video explains your product to potential users and shows them how it will improve their lives or business. We take things like sales decks, marketing materials, or research papers and turn them into fully animated videos that may include motion graphics, characters, and narration. We find the best explainer videos are between 1-2 minutes in length. This gives you enough ground to cover the main reasons why someone should care about your product without boring them with too many details.
To give you an example, in the video we created for Cannatrol, we teach the viewer about water activity and then use that info to reinforce why Cannatrol's systems are the best option for both drying and curing freshly harvested cannabis flower. Most people visiting their website are growers who may have never even heard the term "water activity" before. By the end of the video, after seeing the effects different drying processes have, they understand the advantages Cannatrol offers. You can see the explainer video live on their website here.
How do I make an explainer video?
While we recommend partnering with a professional studio, there are also tools online to make more generic videos if you're working on a tight budget. The first step, regardless of who makes the video, is to determine things like the audience, what you want them to do after viewing the video, what info needs to be covered, etc. If you're thinking about making an explainer video, you can get our free video planner here just by signing up for our mailing list. It's full of the types of questions we would ask when forming an idea for a video.
A few benefits of explainer videos for canna tech brands
Quick product showcase
Explainer videos are fast. If you have a complicated solution with lots of tools or uses built into it, it can be hard for specific customers to understand how they can actually benefit from it. Explainer videos allow customers to visualize themselves using a product. The end user also isn't always the person with purchasing power, so giving an internal champion (the person in another company that wants your product and will use it) a short refined video to show their boss how your solution can, say, save them time or money gives you a competitive advantage.
Make complex info easy to understand
Returning to our Cannatrol example, their explainer video visualizes a lot of concepts that may be new to their customers. They're teaching growers the science behind traditional drying and curing methods for cannabis. You can use explainer videos to introduce big topics like vapor pressure to an audience, while the language and visuals help anyone understand what you're talking about.
Target customer personas
Tetragram is a cannabis consumption journal that has multiple types of users. Our first explainer video for them is aimed at dispensary owners and how they can use the platform to interact with customers. The second video is about how clinicians can keep track of their patient's use. Both videos focus on very different users and use cases for the same product. One video covering both would have either been too long for most viewers or left out critical info.
Check out both videos for Tetragram below.
6 ways for cannabis tech brands to use explainer videos
Website
One place you've probably seen explainer videos before is on a brand's website. When visitors come across your site, they see a quick video to learn about your product or service. If they're your target customer, they'll be driven to take the next step, like booking a demo or scheduling a call with your sales team. Terpli has been employing this strategy with their explainer video. An AI budtender is hard for some people to visualize, so it was important that the video not only focused on the benefits for dispensary owners but also highlighted how easy it is to use for dispensary patrons.
You can learn more about the process of creating Terpli's explainer video, and read the testimonial from their founder by clicking here.
Pre or post-sales call
Sending an explainer video before or after a sales call ensures your prospects have the info they need to make a final decision. To go back to our point about user persona videos, having a series of videos that address different users' needs is perfect to utilize here. It's a more personalized approach. Your team can send a video they find relevant to the customer so they can better envision how they would use the product.
Expo booth display
At trade shows or expos, your booth needs to stand out among a sea of competitors. Replacing static slideshows, screen recordings, and still images with a polished explainer video can captivate attendees as they walk by. This is when we take advantage of on-screen copy that's written with the ideal user in mind.
We created this video for Alpine IQ for their expo booth at the Hall of Flowers expo. Normally, we wouldn't recommend narration on a trade show video. However, their team wanted to use the video beyond the show, so we used text callouts and provided a subtitled version so people could learn even if the convention was too loud to hear the audio.
Product launch
When rolling out a new product, an explainer video is the perfect tool to introduce it to both existing and potential customers. The video highlights the product’s features and benefits, sparking interest and excitement. Seed Talent used an explainer video to launch their data-driven learning platform for dispensaries and continues to use the video to market to prospective users.
Onboarding and Training
A library of explainer videos can ensure smooth onboarding new users. Videos can guide them through the platform, showing where different tools are or advanced workflows. Explainer videos get users up to speed quickly and help them learn how to get the most out of your product.
Investor pitch deck
We work with a lot of start-ups that only have part of their software designed, or the product exists as a CAD file. What if you had a video that takes these assets and sums up your pitch deck in under 2 minutes? Your investor video can also serve as the base for customer focused videos down the road.
Frequently asked questions about explainer videos
How long should an explainer video be?
We find around a minute to be the best length. A little over is okay, usually anything over 2 minutes though risks losing interest as the video goes on.
How long does it take to make an explainer video?
At our studio, the typical turnaround time for a video right now is about 6-8 weeks from the kickoff meeting.
Do I need to write the script?
Nope! We will handle the whole process, including script, storyboard, and animation. We get your approval after each phase and make revisions if necessary. Some of our clients prefer to write their own scripts, and that’s totally cool, too!
What will my video look like?
The video’s tone and design will be based on any branding and marketing materials we have available. We can also take advantage of your Figma, Illustrator and 3D assets.
Ready to make your canna tech explainer video?
Our team at Purely Imagined has partnered with award-winning cannabis tech brands and innovative startups. You can view samples of our work here. If you're a software brand, we have a specific of collection of software explainer videos here. For CPG and manufacturers, we reccoment checking our our 3D product renders. We also have the ability to make multiple versions for compliance reasons or if you're marketing in other territories. Let’s make your product the one that stands out. Contact our team or set up a meeting here.
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