This is not an article, but a real handbook for entrepreneurs, managers, and marketers. Today we are updating our eternal material on how to make ads in Telegram. This year we focused on strategic planning: what to start from when developing a strategy, how to think through sales funnels, increase audience loyalty, and scale.

Features of Telegram as a communication channel

Telegram combines elements of a messenger and a social network, so it has a number of features.

No algorithmic ranking, recommendation feeds, or viral reach — users only see what they have subscribed to.

The great capabilities of bots are the key advantage of Telegram. Bots allow you to automate communication: send out newsletters, launch games, collect contact information, integrate with CRM, build auto-funnels, and create Telegram stores.

Limited advertising account — Telegram Ads has a minimum entry threshold, few settings for targeting, and one ad format. In addition, premium subscription users do not see ads at all. Because of this, it is difficult to set up and optimize ads, they often do not pay off.

External traffic - an overflow of audiences from external sources: a website, a mobile application, advertising in Yandex, etc.

Active influencer marketing + external traffic - seeding in thematic channels and bots works well in the messenger, although the cost of placement has recently increased significantly.

It is equally important that Telegram is a developing platform that is constantly growing. The number of channel subscriptions is also growing. On average, people are subscribed to 15-50 channels, but regularly read only 3-10. For businesses, this data is an important indicator that it is not enough to bring a subscriber to a channel. You need to create value for him, for the sake of which a person will want to regularly visit the channel and view messages.

Telegram is an effective channel for business. It works great for branding and sales, allows you to retain the audience and significantly increase its loyalty due to good content and messenger marketing.

How to promote on Telegram on 2024

Since 2023, the economic situation will stabilize, and the market will enter a new stage of development, so competition will grow and consumer demands will change.

Now it is not enough to just sell and build funnels. You need to create an emotional connection with the brand and not only satisfy the need for a product, but also give something more: a sense of belonging to a group, self-expression, a manifestation of care for yourself and loved ones. And such feelings are achieved through high-quality branding, which forms the image of a company with its values and culture.

That is why we are confident that the best promotion format in 2024 is brandformance. This approach combines methods of building sales channels and working on a brand.

The essence of the approach is to create an attractive image of the company through branding and introduce the product, thereby generating demand for it. And then satisfy this demand through sales funnels - performance.

And Telegram has all the capabilities to work in this format: channels, chat bots, mailings, chats, targeted advertising, seeding, widgets for external sites, etc.

Telegram Promotion Launch System

Define the goal of promotion on Telegram

Brandformans already contains two goals - strengthening the brand's position and increasing sales. At the start, you need to decide what tasks they will close.

The focus of promotion at the start is performance

If there was no promotion before, first focus on the performance. And when social networks reach a stable and scalable sales volume - increase the work on branding.

If SMM has already worked on one of the goals, and, importantly, worked well, add more work on the second goal. And if the efficiency was low, you need to change the approach according to the scheme above.

Regardless of the fact that the final goal is sales, you need to understand that in each project SMM, as a channel, can be assigned a separate role, as a piece of the general marketing funnel.
And these are not always sales. Sometimes SMM is present as a tool for primary audience coverage. Then you need to choose a KPI based on the coverage indicators. For example: CPM, audience coverage, etc.

Or if the goal in SMM is communication with the audience, then you can take the reaction indicators, ER, ERReach, etc. as KPIs.
SMM as a channel may not bring final sales or leads, but this does not mean that it does not affect the overall result. In any case, you should proceed from the overall strategy of the project; you cannot do SMM in isolation from the rest of the marketing.

Conduct preliminary analysis

Before launching a promotion, you need to study the situation: what product, what is the brand's position in the niche, who is the audience and what does it want, how competitors behave. This will make the promotion effective, differentiate yourself from competitors and understand what to focus on in promotion.

Preliminary analytics

Product and project audit

First of all, analysis of the USP and positioning explains why a person should choose you.

SWOT analysis is suitable for understanding the market position - it gives an understanding of how the brand differs from competitors, what vulnerabilities and growth points it has.

Studying past experience will help to find out what is already working well and what can be improved.

Audience analysis

The better you understand your audience, the better you sell. So this section needs to be given maximum attention. For a high-quality analysis, we recommend adding JTBD and CJM in addition to the standard social geodetic model. Combining these methods will help you understand when, to whom and how to sell.

Jobs to be Done (JTBD) — search for buyers' motives and situations that push them to buy. Based on this, the audience is divided into segments and avatars of each of them are created — a generalized image of a potential client. Then the pains, drivers, barriers and insights of each avatar are analyzed.

Customer Journey Map (CJM) — visualization of the customer's path to purchase. The map helps to understand at what step you can catch the audience in social networks, what retention and motivation tools should be used so that the user reaches the purchase.

If you do not understand the audience, SMM will not work. This is especially important on Telegram, you will not be able to play around with the settings of the advertising account later. Seeding is still a priority tool, for which you will have to select channels with the target audience in advance, focusing on the interests and drivers of potential clients.

The effectiveness of such steps in the Studio is determined by the strategy. This is why we pay so much attention to it, conducting detailed analytics and only then — strategizing.

Analysis of the niche and competitors

You need to study the activity of competitors and see what they focus on in sales, what image the company is trying to create. It is also important to see what mechanics and funnels they use: bots, mailings, channels, influencer marketing, external traffic.

Analyzing competitors

Develop a communication strategy for Telegram Ads

This strategy is needed to create a brand image in social networks: what is its value for the audience, how it positions itself, how it interacts with the audience and the outside world.

It helps:

to create associations with the brand;
to build an emotional connection;
to form a desire to interact with the brand, to buy its products;
to express oneself through them and get additional pleasure from the purchase;
to motivate users, among other things equal, to choose your brand.

That is why we believe that branding is very important. You can create cool sales funnels, but if there is no demand for the product, for the formation of which communication is responsible, then the efficiency will be low.

So, we identify 5 components of the communications strategy:

Communications strategy

If the brand does not have a formed image with a well-thought-out concept, it needs to be developed at least at the social media level. And if everything is there, it is enough to simply adapt it to the Telegram communication format.

A communication strategy is the main tool for interaction between the brand and the audience. Without a properly formed strategy, it is difficult to look like a complete brand in the eyes of the audience.

If the communication lacks a concept, there is no clear positioning, a memorable visual image and a correctly selected TOV, then the content will be chaotic, and the audience will simply have nothing to latch on to. It will also be difficult to stand out from competitors and attract attention, not to mention some viral stories.

And for Telegram users, communication and interaction with the brand at the tete-a-tete level are important. While in the brand channel, the user feels like a part of the community, and a competent communication strategy will help achieve this.

How the concept and Big Idea appear, on the basis of which promotion is based

The main thing in a communication strategy is the concept. This is the key message of the brand that needs to be conveyed. It is what distinguishes the brand from competitors and meets the audience's expectations. It is the basis for the Big Idea - an interpretation of the concept in the form of a slogan that conveys the main message and product advantage.

An example of an audience request and a corresponding Big Idea for a custom shoe brand

The rest of the communication elements are built on the basis of the concept and the Big Idea - the image, style and format of communication, as well as going beyond the usual.

Developing a performance strategy

A performance strategy is a set of advertising funnels that a telegram channel or bot uses to influence its audience.

Our advertising agency uses a unique Leads & Engagement model to implement performance strategies. This model allows for effective promotion management through parallel processes: attracting an audience, increasing audience loyalty and stimulating sales. For each of these processes, we develop specialized funnels that interact harmoniously with each other.

Thus, we cover several key areas simultaneously, solving important branding tasks. We attract the target audience and, using consistent touches through content and advertising, direct it to making a purchase.

How to choose a sales funnel

We build funnels based on the AARRR framework we adapted. It allows us to take into account the client's readiness to buy and smoothly lead them to the target action.

The AARRR funnel and types of content

Funnels are selected in such a way as to lead the user to the last two stages. Some people need to be led from the beginning with a long funnel: attract, introduce, warm up and sell. Some are already familiar with the product and are looking for an offer - for them short funnels are made: they attract attention with an offer and sell.

For example, to promote a cosmetologist, we use a funnel with a useful guide on procedures, and in the seeding we focus on reputation: regalia, experience and merits in the scientific community. This approach allows you to get to know the audience better with the expert, the results of the work, build trust, and prove that the high cost of the procedures is justified.

Performance funnel for the promotion of a cosmetologist

It is also important to understand that it is not necessary to run a channel to promote on Telegram. Messenger chatbots are so versatile that they can solve all problems. For example, for a large investment broker, you can create an auto-funnel in a chatbot without using a Telegram channel at all. The funnel is designed for beginners who are afraid of losing money on investments. It includes a training chain with interactive questions, which must be developed based on the client's course. After the mini-training, we invite subscribers to test their knowledge on a test demo account (a special tool on the client's platform). And only after that we close the door to opening an investment account with the broker.

This way, we solve the main problem of the niche - the fear of losing money:

A person undergoes training and begins to understand the topic.
Tries to work on the stock exchange without worrying about losing their money.
His fears that investments are difficult are dispelled.

Training Auto Funnel Scheme for investment broker

1

Introduction to the company and the character who needs help with investments. Introduction to interactive mechanics

2

7 mini-lessons with interactive questions after each of them. Bonuses are awarded for correct answers, equivalent to real money

3

Motivation to test your knowledge for free with the test drive tool investing earned bonuses in real shares on the broker platform

4

User support with useful tips and support for 5 days available for a test drive

5

Motivation to open an investment account on a broker's platform, closing objections

6

A small sales mailing about the broker's products, tariffs and other investment courses

The funnel is built so that it works autonomously without constant control. All that is needed is to attract the audience with seeding or external advertising, and then the user launches the bot and interacts with it at any time. That is, the funnel is an automated warm-up system that brings good results.

Performance has several tools: targeting, influence, external traffic and bots. In this section, we will only discuss advertising and influence, and we will talk about messenger marketing separately in the next section.

Influencer marketing — advertising seeding in blogs

This is placement in thematic channels or chatbots in the format of direct or native advertising.

Since the messenger has little information about the socio-demographic characteristics of the audience, interests come to the fore. You need to understand what your audience is interested in, and based on this, assume which channels and chats they can subscribe to on Telegram.

For seeding, you need strong creativity and high-quality channels without cheating. The best results can be achieved through sincere recommendations or strong offers. Previously popular contests and sweepstakes no longer give wow results, but they will still help reduce the price of a subscriber.

Targeted advertising on Telegram

Telegram Ads appeared a couple of years ago, but has not yet become the main advertising tool. The problem is that the messenger has little data about users, which makes it difficult to target a specific audience. In addition, there is a minimum threshold for launching advertising — 2 million euros directly or from 1,500 euros through intermediaries.

It is believed that advertising on Telegram Ads is more expensive than seeding. But our experience shows that the situation is changing.

The advertising market in channels is showing a significant increase in activity, especially in areas such as business and marketing, where there is a clear oversupply. The cost per 1000 impressions has reached record levels, but even so, the cost of attracting a subscriber through seeding is often lower than when using official advertising tools.

If the upward trend in placement prices continues, we can expect that in the next six months the number of advertisers using official Telegram advertising will increase significantly.

External Traffic: Drawing an Audience from Outside Telegram

You can expand your audience by tapping into external sources such as websites, content platforms, other social networks, Google ads, and more.

For instance, in one of our projects, we integrated a widget on a website that invited visitors to subscribe to a chatbot in exchange for a small discount. This approach resulted in approximately 10,000 new subscribers without any advertising expenditure.

This strategy is commonly employed for information products, webinars, and intensive courses. By inviting users to register via a chatbot or group chat, you create an opportunity to engage with them more deeply over time.

As CPM advertising on Telegram continues to rise, we may be approaching a tipping point where marketers find that conversions from native ads no longer justify the cost. A crisis could emerge when placement costs drop, channel owners shift to promoting other Telegram channels, and more people focus on their own products. This year, those who succeed in driving traffic through alternative channels—such as Telegram Ads, contextual advertising within Telegram, organic promotion from other social networks, and SEO—will emerge as the winners.

Develop a content strategy on Telegram

Content is related to the communication strategy and is a practical reflection of the concept, archetype and TOV. (Tone of Voice is the way or style of communication between a company and its audience).
The main tool of the strategy is a content plan with the topics of posts and their role in the strategy.

To quickly and efficiently fill the plan, we use:

a content matrix is a set of ideas divided into clusters for different tasks. It helps to find publication topics for different stages of the funnel;

content architecture is a publication structure that sets the post template, simplifying the process of its creation.

Based on the matrix, it is easy to create a content plan that takes into account the interests of different audiences. The architecture helps to quickly and efficiently create each unit of content.

When preparing content, start from the promotion tasks that are relevant at the moment.

For example:

When there is active audience attraction, increase the volume of publications for attraction, activation and retention;

In the off-season, when sales are falling, it is worth increasing the share of selling content through different content formats;

At the peak of the season, do not hesitate to sell more and work less on engagement.

Content production

A content plan is created for a week, month or quarter — the longer and more complex it is to create content units, the more long-term the planning should be.

We use quarterly planning. Complex-to-produce categories like video content require a long cycle so that the content creation itself is profitable. Because the cost is calculated based on filming days. On the other hand, it takes time to evaluate the effectiveness of a category. The first releases may fly in a little worse than later ones.

Quarterly planning places a lot of responsibility on the agency, but this is the only way to implement more complex content.

The main Telegram formats are mailing list, chat bot and channel.

Types of content by AARRR funnel

Types of content by AARRR funnel

When working on content, quality and the ability to engage the audience from the first lines are important. Telegram is about unique experience, expertise, and personalization. Each post there is like a letter to a friend. If the title and lead paragraph do not arouse interest in the target audience, then there is no point in opening the channel at all.

In addition to standard posts, Telegram has voice and video messages, as well as chats. These tools work to engage the audience, allowing you to build closer and more personal interaction with them.

In fact, audio and video messages are an analogue of stories. In them, you can share news, show production, film product reviews, and so on. And special bots allow you to send pre-recorded videos, which is ideal for business promotion.

Voice and video chats are a more sophisticated tool, similar to live broadcasts on social networks. Any viewer can easily join the conversation, and not one by one, but with everyone at once.

Telegram Group Video Calls

Develop a Telegram messenger strategy

Messenger marketing is an ecosystem of interaction between a company and a client using chatbots, mailings, channels, and chats. It covers performance and branding tasks at once. Bots can be used for different purposes: mass mailing, a chain of welcome messages, or interaction with a subscriber through action buttons.

Tasks that messenger marketing solves

Attract, warm up and retain the audience;

Increase brand awareness;

Generate demand for brand products;

Involve the audience in communication through chatbots and gamification;

Sell through mailings and push mechanics of bots;

Increase audience loyalty by creating additional value - registering a loyalty card, communicating with support, answering frequently asked questions, selecting offers based on interests, and so on

Our experience shows that subscribers to messenger notifications buy more often, more than through other communication channels.

How to use one-time mailings

You can send messages via the bot as with a regular mailing in private messages. Suitable for announcing promotions, discounts, sales, new products, events, etc. There is a reason - a message is sent.

How to use message chains

A chain is a series of messages that are sent one after another at a certain time interval. Some action starts the chain: launching a bot or the onset of time (Monday evening).

We use chains to warm up a new audience. For example, we launch a giveaway with a mandatory condition of subscribing to a newsletter and, while users are waiting for the results, we send a chain of messages. In it, we tell about the brand, show top products, reviews, give a special offer and motivate them to take the target action.

As an example, we can take the case of Multifoto, an online photo printing service and a network of copy centers. For promotion, we use message chains and a chat bot, to which we attract the audience by sowing. As an offer, we use a product giveaway, discounts, certificates and photo printing as a gift.

Example of a case with "Multiphoto"

This is how we guide the audience through all stages of the sales funnel: introduction → demand generation → demand satisfaction → motivation for repeat sales. In the photo services niche, this approach works well because the LTV is high: people often order photo printing for themselves and as gifts for loved ones.

How to use actions in a chatbot

Chatbots are mailing systems with action blocks. They allow you to send publications based on triggers: when a user takes action or inaction, on a certain day of the week, when a certain number of points is reached, and so on.

Chatbots are usually used to create complex chains based on user actions, gamification, and answering questions.

Mechanics of using a chatbot for business

Here are some examples of how chatbots can be used:

Tourist club — the bot selects tours based on interests, answers questions, shows reviews, introduces instructors, announces new destinations, offers discounts.

Law firm — the bot collects data to check a trademark: asks questions and passes the information to the manager to check the name in the registers.

Network of electronics and home appliance stores — the bot helps register in the loyalty program, tells how to save on purchases, sends information about discounts and promotions of the chain, reminds about sweepstakes.

Make a media plan and set KPIs

A media plan is needed to calculate the effectiveness of promotion. It is based on expected indicators for key metrics, which are taken from relevant experience or from thematic cases and research.

Media planning takes into account the effectiveness of:

a communication strategy that brings coverage, increases recognition and generates demand;

a performance strategy that satisfies demand and motivates to achieve the target action.

Key metrics of the tools

The specifics of user behavior are often such that purchases are not made directly from touch. The user will search for reviews on the Internet, on review sites, and compare prices to see where it is cheaper. There may also be a need to buy the product immediately, rather than wait for delivery. Accordingly, tracking all sales directly, as is done in performance promotion, is quite difficult and does not always work.

Develop promotion tactics on Telegram

Tactics are a table with a plan and deadlines for completing work in accordance with the promotion strategy. It significantly simplifies control over promotion and divides the areas of responsibility of specialists. KPIs and budgets, if any, can also be specified in tactics.

Table with promotion tactics

Conduct tests and choose the best mechanics

At this step, we check the quality of the strategy — how effectively it works and whether it meets the expectations of the media plan. To do this, you need to test funnels on low budgets:

Select blogs for seeding and make placements / set up a target / start attracting an audience from external sources;
Set up a bot and write content for the mailing / design a channel and fill it with content.

Tests can be long and short, it all depends on the funnel — the more complex it is, the longer it takes to test and accumulate statistics. It happens that the first results of long funnels are unsatisfactory, but over time, a cumulative effect appears and the results improve many times over.

Test results are carefully analyzed to turn off ineffective funnels, optimize the best ones and scale them.

We have analyzed the key actions for developing a promotion strategy on Telegram. If you didn’t have enough information on how to write posts, create advertisements, and other execution techniques, there are also articles on Telegram Advertising on our blog, practical advice there is still relevant.

The main points for promotion on Telegram

It is better to build promotion on the basis of brandformance, because it allows you to generate demand and satisfy it on a regular basis.

Do not skip the analytics stage, its results are the basis for the future promotion strategy. An incorrect understanding of the audience and product features will nullify even the most correct strategy.

Think over the company's image and follow its principles at all levels of communication: from advertising to correspondence with managers.

Develop a system of funnels that will adapt to the needs of the audience and the degree of its readiness to buy.

Use the capabilities of chatbots to the maximum, providing the audience with quality content and service. This will allow you to retain the audience and increase its loyalty.

Create quality content that will strengthen the brand's reputation, generate and satisfy demand.

Test the strategy and funnels, and then carefully study the statistics to understand what works best.

Leave the most effective funnels and mechanics, stabilize sales channels and start experimenting with new approaches.

Develop a comprehensive strategy with our Telegram ADS Agency that covers both branding and performance, and continually test and optimize your funnels to maximize results. By following these guidelines, you’ll be on track to effectively promote Telegram in 2024 and beyond.