Telegram Marketing in 2024: The Ultimate Guide

Discover how to boost your brand and sales with Telegram.

Why do more and more brands look to Telegram marketing to increase their exposure and boost sales? The reasons are quite apparent: the messenger’s user base is not just large, boasting 800 million active users, but also incredibly diverse, consisting of various age groups and income brackets from all over the world. This presents businesses with a unique opportunity to tap into various demographics and markets, making it a versatile tool for targeted marketing strategies.

In the article, we will explore how the feature-rich messaging platform can be used by brands as a part of their marketing efforts and share tips on successful Telegram marketing strategy.

Table of content

What is Telegram Marketing

Telegram marketing refers to a brand’s promotional efforts through the messaging app. Such a strategy leverages Telegram’s wide array of features to increase a brand’s reach, drive sales, and help customers explore the brand’s services.

Using Telegram for marketing allows brands to keep their audience informed, better communicate with their customers, drive traffic to a website, and increase user engagement. Businesses can also integrate bots into their account to automate certain tasks and support customers 24/7.

How does Telegram Marketing work? Telegram allows broadcasting messages to an unlimited audience through Channels, engaging with the community via Groups, automating tasks and providing quick responses with bots, and promoting to specific audiences using targeted ads. While using the messenger, it’s important for brands to maintain trust, share updates, and collaborate to expand their influence.

Benefits of Telegram Marketing

So what exactly makes Telegram marketing such an attractive option in 2024?

Rich features

Today, Telegram isn’t just a messaging app — it’s a feature-rich communication platform. The support of a variety of content formats, including multimedia sharing and voice messaging, allows marketers to get creative with their approaches and engage audiences in more dynamic and innovative ways.

Solid privacy

In an era where data security is paramount, Telegram’s use of two-factor authentication (via both an SMS message and a passcode) ensures that messages and data are secure from unauthorized access. Also, end-to-end encryption available in the platform’s chats has earned the platform the trust of its users.

Budget-friendly

Telegram messaging platform is free to use, making it a cost-effective choice for reaching potential customers. Its features, such as broadcast channels and groups, allow businesses to reach a large audience without incurring additional costs. While there’s no fixed cost for advertising on Telegram, the minimum advertising budget starts at around $2.15 and depends on several factors, such as your niche, number of subscribers, and post reach.

Promising future

Another significant advantage of Telegram marketing is the platform's global reach that transcends geographical barriers. This makes it an invaluable tool for businesses looking to expand their reach beyond local markets. Finally, Telegram’s financial success is a testament to its potential as a marketing platform. In 2022, the platform generated $45 million in revenue, primarily through its Premium service. This shows that not only is Telegram a popular communication platform, but it’s also a viable tool for monetization. Moreover, the platform’s projected growth to 1 billion users by the end of 2024 makes it even more appealing for companies seeking to expand their user base.

Who can use Telegram for marketing?

Telegram marketing is a flexible tool that can be used by a variety of companies.

• Small to large businesses can use Telegram’s capabilities to reach a wider audience and interact with them in a more personal and dynamic manner.
• Digital marketers may leverage the platform’s capabilities to build new campaigns that resonate with their target demographic.
• Online retailers and e-commerce platforms may promote their items, provide customer service, and increase traffic to their websites via Telegram.
• Influencers and bloggers may use Telegram to interact with their audience, share information, and promote partnerships.
• Non-profit groups can use the messenger to raise awareness of their cause, communicate with supporters, and even process donations.

Setting up an account for Telegram Marketing

Before diving into your marketing strategy, follow these steps to set up your Telegram channel or a group for business:

How to Create a Telegram Account for Business

To set up a Telegram account for your business, follow these steps: Download the app suitable for your device (from the App Store, Google Play, or directly on your computer). After installation, click on the “Start Messaging” button. You’ll need to verify your phone number by providing your country code and business phone number, after which Telegram will send you a verification code via SMS. Finally, set up your profile by adding your business name, a profile picture, and a bio.

There are also some things we advise you to pay attention to when setting up your business profile on messenger. Start by choosing a clear and concise username that reflects your business name or brand, avoiding complex or unrelated usernames. Craft a bio that is informative and engaging, highlighting what makes your business unique as it serves as your first impression. Finally, keep your profile picture relevant, updating it as needed for seasonal promotions, new product launches, or special events.

How to create a Telegram channel or a group for marketing

To create a Telegram channel or group, follow these steps:

1. Open Telegram on your device.
2. Click on the pen icon at the bottom of the screen and select “New Channel” or “New Group”.
3. Enter a name for your channel or group in the respective field.
4. Set up a profile picture and a bio.
5. Tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.
6. Select the Channel or Group type between Public or Private depending on what kind of channel or group you want to create.

Remember, the purpose of your channel or group will determine whether it should be public or private. For instance, a private channel or group is perfect for businesses that want to control who has access to their group. Public channels or groups can be found in search and joined by anyone, while private ones require an invite link to join.

Using Telegram for marketing

Using Telegram for marketing offers efficient ways of connecting with the audience, distributing content, and streamlining interactions. This makes it a versatile platform for crafting engaging and effective campaigns in the field of customer communication.

There are several ways to use Telegram for marketing:

• For lead generation, use Telegram groups and bots to engage with clients and automate processes.
• To increase brand awareness, use channels for sharing news and updates, groups for promotions, and take advantage of advertising opportunities.
• For customer support, respond quickly to inquiries, use bots for automation, and keep customers informed through groups.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the tools available in Telegram.

Groups

With Telegram groups, marketers can engage directly with up to 200,000 members. Groups enable real-time communication, fostering brand loyalty and analyzing customers’ needs. Marketers can leverage these groups to create a shared space for their audience, encouraging open discussion and feedback, which are invaluable for improving products and services.

Channels

Channels offer a unique opportunity for one-way communication to a broad audience without any limit on subscribers’ number. Channels are particularly useful for broadcasting messages, such as news updates, promotional content, and corporate announcements. The feature allows brands to distribute content efficiently and ensure that marketing messages are delivered seamlessly to the intended audience, making it an ideal tool for maintaining visibility and keeping your audience informed.

Chatbots

Telegram’s chatbots enhance user interaction through automated responses, providing a tool for 24/7 customer service, sales funnel navigation, and personalized content delivery. These bots can handle a wide range of tasks, from answering frequently asked questions to conducting surveys and quizzes, reducing the workload on human staff, and ensuring consistent customer engagement. Integrating chatbots into a marketing strategy can significantly improve customer satisfaction rates by making information accessible and brand-customer interactions straightforward.

Telegram ads

Unlike other digital platforms, Telegram’s ads are discreetly delivered through public channels, integrating with its user experience. Having a diverse user base and global reach, the messenger is an attractive channel for increasing visibility and connecting with new audiences.

There are two main categories of ads available on Telegram. Sponsored messages appear in large public channels, delivering your message directly to a targeted audience, and aligning with the channel’s subject matter. Additionally, businesses can collaborate with popular channel owners to create channel-based ads with promotional content within their posts. Such an organic approach allows tailoring content to match the channel’s topic and audience preferences.

For effective Telegram ads, be sure to create clear and impactful messages with compelling calls to action while maintaining brand consistency. Tailor your content to the channel’s audience and A/B test various ad formats, analyzing performance data for the best results.

Tips for better customer engagement on Telegram

Customer engagement isn't just about making a sale; it’s about building a relationship. Engaged customers are more likely to convert, leading to increased sales and revenue. Here are some strategies to boost customer engagement on Telegram:

• Personalize your content. Personalization can significantly increase engagement rates. When messaging a customer, use their name, reference past interactions, or tailor your content based on their preferences. This can make your customers feel valued and appreciated, leading to higher engagement rates.
• Make things interactive. Interactive content in channels, such as polls, quizzes, and games, can drive engagement and provide valuable insights about your audience. These interactive elements can make your content more engaging and fun, resulting in higher participation rates.
• Provide value. Whether it’s informative articles, exclusive discounts, or helpful tips, providing value can keep your Telegram audience engaged and coming back for more. This can help you build a loyal customer base that is more likely to engage with your content.
• Keep response time short. Responding promptly to messages and comments shows your audience that you value their input and are willing to help. This, in turn, leads to higher customer satisfaction rates and increased engagement.

How can one grow their Telegram audience?

There are multiple ways that can help you increase the size of your Telegram audience:

• Focus on high-quality content. Regular, engaging content keeps folks coming back and sharing with friends.
• Use other social media. Share your Telegram channel link on other social platforms to attract followers.
• Optimize SEO. Use keywords in your channel description to help people find you.
• Engage your audience. Run polls, Q&As, and other interactive forms of engagement to build a community vibe and learn audience's preferences.
• Make exclusive offers and giveaways. Give followers a reason to stay with unique content or perks. Also, nothing gets people's attention like free stuff. Use it to get more subscribers.
• Offer referral incentives. Encourage existing members to bring friends by offering special rewards.

How to promote Telegram account

Promoting a Telegram account requires a complex set of efforts aimed at increasing audience size and engagement. Since Telegram doesn't have a centralised feed, it's almost impossible to grow your audience without actively promoting your channel. Let's take a look at some of the main strategies.

Leverage cross-promotion

Use your existing social media platforms to share a link to your Telegram account and attract subscribers. Motivate them to subscribe by posting unique content on Telegram or running platform-specific giveaways. Depending on the niche and audience, this can be short videos on such platforms as TikTok and Instagram with a link to Telegram channel or blog articles on Medium.com.

Promote via other Telegram channels

A highly effective strategy for promoting a Telegram account is to appear in other channels on the platform, with a particular focus on private, invitation-only channels. This approach may require a significant investment of time and money to experiment with different channels and tactics to find the most effective ones.

Utilize Telegram Ads

Consider using Telegram's official advertising platform for targeted paid promotions to reach a wider audience. Telegram ads appear on public channels with more than 1,000 subscribers. It is possible to target a specific audience based on language, location and interests. These ads are labelled "Sponsored" to distinguish them from regular messages. A link within an ad can lead to a website, a chatbot or a direct message. The performance of the ad can be tracked using Telegram's analytics tool, which provides insight into metrics such as impressions, clicks and conversions.

Improve continuously

It is also important to be responsive to trends and subscriber feedback. By continually optimising your content strategy and keeping it relevant based on analytics and user interactions, your efforts to grow your Telegram account are likely to yield better results.

Costs of Telegram marketing

The cost of advertising on a Telegram channel is influenced by factors such as its traffic, topic, and format. Channel administrators set their own prices, taking into account their specific niche and the average views their posts receive. Depending on these factors, 1,000 views can cost anywhere from $3 to $10. Bear in mind that specialized channels (e.g., devoted to mountaineering or Portuguese language) may also have higher advertising rates due to the inherent difficulty in finding an audience for niche topics.

We recommend the following approach to buying Telegram ads: view the channel’s statistics in tools such as Telemetr or TGStat; contact the administrator to inquire about advertising rates and terms; if the terms are acceptable, reserve an advertising slot; make a prepayment, which is common in advertising; and, finally, agree on the text of the advertisement.

Measuring success on Telegram

To gauge the effectiveness of their Telegram marketing efforts, companies can use several methods.

Telegram built-in statistics

To access the statistics of your Telegram channel, navigate to the channel’s information page, tap on the “More” button, and select ‘Statistics’ from the drop-down menu. Owners of channels with more than 50 subscribers, or groups with more than 500 subscribers, can view the following sections:

• ‘General statistics’ includes the total number of subscribers, their weekly growth, the percentage of users with notifications enabled, and the number of posts and reposts.
• ‘Growth graph’ illustrates the change in subscribers over a selected period of time.
• ‘Notifications graph’ displays the number of subscribers who turned notifications on or off on specific days.
• ‘Views’ shows the hourly activity of subscribers.
• ‘Sources of new subscribers’ provides data on where new subscribers are coming from.
• ‘Languages’ reveals the languages spoken by the channel’s audience.
• ‘Activity’ shows the daily stats of views and shares.
• ‘Recent posts’ provides data on views and reposts of recent publications.
• ‘Story statistics’ provides data on views, shares, and reactions to stories in channels.

Analytics bots

Alternatively, you can use bots or specialized platforms to assess the effectiveness of your Telegram activities. Bots like TGStat, Telemetr, Crosser Bot, and Datafan_bot offer free analytics for your channel. These bots provide general channel information, number of subscribers, average reach per publication, and the Engagement Rate (ER). They also report the Citation Index (IC), which shows how often the channel appears in ads. However, beware of phishing bots that mimic these bots to steal account access.

Specialized services

To analyze your Telegram channels and advertising efforts, you can also use platforms that not only allow you to analyze your own channels but also those of your competitors. TGStat tracks changes in the number of subscribers, views, comments, and other indicators. Telemetr provides information on the number of subscribers, views, and comments, as well as data on the frequency of publications, subscriber activity graphs, and audience growth dynamics.

Telega.in displays user activity and channel growth dynamics, and it also provides detailed message analytics, showing which messages have received the most views and responses. Popsters helps find the most popular publications in the channel and understand what content your audience prefers the most. To analyze a channel with Popsters, you don’t need to have admin rights or add a bot to the channel. This allows you to compare two channels, such as yours and a competitor’s, which can help evaluate a channel for future advertising purchases.

Trends in Telegram marketing

Telegram marketing is a rapidly evolving space, so staying on top of the latest trends is crucial for success.

Short videos and other forms of content

TikTok-style short videos are exploding in popularity across platforms, and Telegram is no exception. Consider using engaging video snippets to grab attention, showcase products, or share behind-the-scenes glimpses. Also, polls, quizzes, and Q&As are great ways to boost engagement and get your audience talking. Meanwhile, voice messages offer a personal touch and cater to on-the-go consumption.

Hyper-focused channels

Instead of one large channel, create smaller, targeted channels based on specific interests or demographics. This allows for more personalized content and fosters stronger community connections.

Going beyond organic reach

Telegram Ads present a nascent yet potent avenue for targeted advertising, enabling businesses to connect with new demographics within the platform. Engaging in strategic partnerships with pertinent influencers on Telegram can substantially augment your brand’s reach and credibility. Furthermore, initiating collaborations and cross-promotions with non-competing channels or brands, through joint content creation, contests, or giveaways, can effectively broaden your audience base.

Advanced automation and integration

Integrating Telegram with marketing automation platforms, such as Umnico, can streamline tasks, personalize messages, and trigger actions based on user behavior. This can be further enhanced by utilizing Telegram’s built-in payment options, which allow for seamless in-app purchases or donations. To ensure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, it’s crucial to monitor key metrics such as engagement, growth, and conversions. These data-driven insights can help refine your strategy and measure the impact of your campaigns.

By staying ahead of these trends, you can leverage its potential to effectively connect with your audience, build a loyal community, and achieve your marketing goals.

Conclusion

The rising trend of companies using Telegram to broaden their reach and enhance sales is evident across numerous industries. The platform’s large and diverse user base gives businesses a unique opportunity to reach diverse demographics and markets, making Telegram an adaptable tool for tailored marketing efforts. This enables companies to keep their customers updated, improve communication, attract traffic to their websites, and promote user engagement. As a result, Telegram marketing stands out as an effective strategy in today’s digital marketing landscape.

Umnico can be a robust solution for enhancing your customer communications via messengers and social media. The platform not only offers feature-rich Telegram integration, but also supports other popular platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and provides a free live chat feature. With Umnico you can manage multiple Telegram accounts from a single window, securely store all chat records, automate your communication, and connect your CRM system. Try Umnico for free and take full advantage of Telegram for your sales and customer support.

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