“Telegram is a popular and global communications platform that helps you grow your business or brand and be a powerful content marketing channel.”

Telegram has gained in popularity over the last five years due to its security, support for every major OS, and ease of use. Features such as direct private messaging, extreme security, and even secret chats drove the initial wave of adoption of Telegram.

With over 700 million active monthly users and 80 billion messages which are shared on the platform every day, the platform is budding in terms of engagement and opportunities. Telegram is being used by businesses for marketing because professionals are realizing the benefits of the platform maybe even more than WhatsApp.

What is Telegram?

Telegram is an online messaging app that works just like popular messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. This means that you can use it to send messages to your friends when connected to Wi-Fi or your mobile data, with video calls, group chats, and 20,000 stickers available.

Telegram is cloud-based and claims that it prioritizes security and speed, making it a good alternative to other popular messaging apps. The service launched in 2013, and since then it has reached 700 million active monthly users. Telegram claims to combine the speed of WhatsApp with Snapchat’s ephemerality. Like WhatsApp, Telegram has also the ability to show a friend’s status online and attach and share photos, videos, locations, contacts, and documents.

Most Distinctive Feature

Telegram’s distinctive feature is security. It claims that all its activities including chats, groups and media shared between participants, is encrypted. This means that they won’t be visible without being deciphered first. The app also lets you set self-destruct timers on messages and media that you share which can range from two seconds to one week through its built-in feature ‘Secret Chat’. It also offers end-to-end encryption, leaving no trace on Telegram’s servers.

There’s also the ability to check the security of your ‘Secret Chats’ using an image that serves as an encryption key. By comparing your encryption key to a friend’s, you can effectively verify that your conversation is secure and less vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ON TELEGRAM

Here are some reasons why you should consider marketing your business on Telegram.

Telegram is a high-engagement platform

Telegram is a high engagement platform because it has gifs, and app developers can also create their own features. According to research, Telegram has a view rate of 20 per cent, whereas Instagram has 3 per cent and Facebook has 4 percent.

According to Punyashloka Panda, founder of experiential education startup, “Since we are a dynamic millennial oriented startup, we use Telegram marketing features as much as Instagram. The high engagement rate ensures that our audiences are more aware about our brand and its offerings. The large group size has also helped me to amplify brand message to the audience.”

Telegram’s engagement is especially more relevant during the pandemic because most millennials reach a burning point on Instagram every day and want to explore other apps.

Unlike Whatsapp, Telegram has no limit on group size

When you are marketing your brand, you want it to reach a maximum number of people. WhatsApp has limited the size of its groups to 200, which significantly reduces networking opportunities. There is no group size on Telegram. Hence, when you make an announcement on Telegram, it is likely to reach more people. Some popular groups on Telegram have more than 1 million followers. Tapping into these groups can increase the reach of your brand or new announcements that your business wants to make.

Telegram pods are a powerful tool to amplify other social media handles

For businesses which want to amplify their reach on Instagram and Facebook, Telegram pods are a powerful tool. A Telegram pod consists of people who are passionate about the brand. They like pictures and comment on the post when it is shared on a Telegram group.

Telegram pods can be of best use for companies which have a strong technological presence and are aware about coding bots and additional features. For firms which do not know coding, the creation of bots can be more expensive. There are many basic and free bots on the platform. These free bots can be used to create reminders from the company’s end and keep audiences engaged. Instead of someone having to physically send out constant reminders to groups, the bots send it out as designed.

Human-to-human touch

On platforms like Instagram and Facebook, most brands need to be ‘followed’. Hence, there is no factor of intimacy between the brand and the customer. However on Telegram, marketing operates in the form of ‘groups’. Marketing is more impactful on Telegram because customers feel like they are a part of a larger group with similar interests and a larger brand philosophy.

The feeling of engagement is mutual because individuals feel like they are being communicated with directly. In a world where technology is making everyone feel more isolated, Telegram creates a more human marketing atmosphere.

It can help to increase social media presence

Since, Telegram is growing in terms of users and opportunities, it is beneficial to have some sort of presence on the platform. Since Telegram groups can be used to increase engagement across Instagram and Facebook as well, Telegram can contribute towards other social media channels.

In a world where brands are trying to increase connections with people virtually, Telegram is a powerful platform to communicate brand philosophy. You can use Telegram to increase your reach on other platforms by diverting traffic. This will help engagement with your brand to rise across different social media platforms.

Advertising solutions for businesses to businesses.

Because of the messenger’s rapid growth, there are now options to promote and market businesses directly on Telegram. You can acquire Telegram members for your channel or group, gain free or paid advertising on other channels, cross-promote, and publish Telegram catalog links. Telegram Marketing can also be managed via a variety of internet platforms and tools.

Segmentation of users.

While promoting your business on Telegram, you can target specific age groups, interests, and regions. You can advertise your services or products in IT-related Telegram channels and groups if you need a tech-savvy clientele.

Stickers with a logo

Telegram allows everyone to make their own stickers for free. It’s an opportunity for businesses to market themselves by generating branded stickers and posting them on social media channels and groups. The higher the quality of the stickers, the more likely they are to become viral. Among all the instruments, a sticker marketing campaign like this could have the greatest viral effect.

Analytical statistics that are thorough.

Telegram provides free access to statistics on the channel’s performance. Telegram stats may be tracked by any business owner, including growth rate, engagement rate, muted and unmuted alerts, views by source, source of new followers, member language, and much more.

Protection of personal information.

Telegram provides one of the most secure technologies in an age when private data may be easily hacked or exposed, and it does not give access to chats to anyone – not huge corporations, not government entities. The majority of mobile users have already encountered this issue on Instagram, Facebook, and VK.

TELEGRAM MARKETING STRATEGY

Now, that you’re aware of the benefits of using Telegram, let’s get to know how to include all these tools in your strategy.

Step 1. Set your goal

Developing any strategy starts with establishing a goal. Your goal will predetermine the tools you will use, content formats, and KPIs to measure. With Telegram, you can pursue the following goals:

driving traffic to your website;
boosting customer engagement;
building trusting relationships with your audience;
automating routine tasks;
supporting clients;
increasing sales.

For example, if you aim to build trusting relationships with existing customers, and, at the same time, increase sales, you can create a private channel for your most loyal clients. Let them be the first to learn about upcoming sales, create a poll to let them choose the desired items to get a discount for, etc.

Step 2. Create a Telegram account

Now when you’ve established your goals, it’s time to get started. There are 3 options available for you: a group, channel, chatbot.

Group

A group is a chat where you can add many people. It can have up to 200,000 members. After joining it, members can send messages, photos, videos, and audio files. You can create either a public or a private group. If it’s public, any user can find it in search, join, and view the history. If it’s private, people can join it only if you manually add them or with the help of an invite link.

Channel

Telegram channels are created for broadcasting messages to large audiences. They have no limitations regarding the number of members. The difference between a group and a channel lies in several facts. Firstly, only the admins of a channel can post to it. Secondly, each member is notified of every new post. The members see the name and the photo of a channel instead of an individual sender, like with groups. Members of the channel can’t see each other as well as the admins. Only the owner and the admins can see the members.

You can see the number of views under each of your posts. If you have more than 500 subscribers, you can track detailed statistics on the following information:

languages your subscribers speak;
the number of users who join, leave, and mute your channel;
or the way followers found your channel
the way followers interact with your posts.

You can schedule your posts, and they will be sent automatically at the time specified. You can also send silent messages during non-working hours or at night, so your followers will receive a notification with no sound. To improve navigation and provide followers with important information, use hashtags. You can add admins and enable signatures to better manage your channel. This is a helpful feature if you have a large company, and your top managers are the admins. So, your coworkers need to know who posts: Director, HR, Accountant, etc.

If you are interested in the opinion of your followers, you can create a discussion group. All of your posts will be forwarded and pinned there. Members can comment on each post, and their comments will show up in a thread. Creating polls is also available in channels.

Chatbot

If your company develops quickly, hundreds of customers connect with your support team daily. You definitely need a chatbot. This is a virtual assistant that imitates real conversion with a client based on a pre-designed scenario. Chatbots can provide users with more information about your brand, show catalogs, share prices, arrange consultations, answer FAQs, close deals, and automate routine tasks. Its flexibility depends on you. The more you “teach” it, the better it works.

How does it work?

A chatbot works the following way: you create a list of questions/commands users can enter and enter answers to them. The more commands you have, the more advanced your bot will be. Then, after a user enters a keyword, an auto-reply flow starts. The chatbot communicates with the customer according to YOUR scenario.

Step 3. Promote your Telegram account

After you’re ready with the goals, it’s time to choose the type of account you want to use — a group, channel, or a chatbot. It doesn’t matter which one you prefer. It should be visible in front of your audience. Below we listed some effective ways to promote your Telegram account. So, check them out.

Social media. Social networks today are an awesome source of leads. You may already have thousands of followers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Don’t miss an opportunity to let them join your brand on Telegram. Put a link in your Instagram bio or create an exclusive offer available for those who join your Telegram channel or group.

Cross-promotion.

Look for popular Telegram accounts in your niche and offer them cooperation. For example, if you sell tours, ask a famous traveler or a blogger to promote your agency in exchange for a big discount, or if you sell materials for beauty procedures, cooperate with top specialists in your region.

Facebook Ads.

You can promote your Telegram account by launching an ad campaign. Prepare an irresistible offer and pay special attention to targeting the best audience to show your ad to. Keep in mind that this method can be costly, so make sure you’ll have a chance to bring your investments back if users join your account.

Groups.

These are chats created by like-minded people to discuss a topic of interest. You may look for such chats and promote your account there. Remember that it should match the topic and that promotion is not prohibited, otherwise, you’ll be banned.

Your website.

This is one of the best places to start. Use your most visited pages or product landing page to tell the visitors about your Telegram account. You should provide an incentive to join you, otherwise, users won’t have a reason to do this. If you have a bot, invite visitors to talk to your customer agent agents or make the right choice of product. If it’s a channel, motivate them to join it for the most exclusive offers. You can also promote your account by buying Telegram members from Rapidsend. You only need to add the link to your account.

So, choose the best method to use telegram for your business, or create a promotion mix for better efficiency.