A lot of you have been using Telegram as an instant-messenger platform, and maybe as a tool to look at things you shouldn’t be looking at… But Telegram is a lot more than just a messaging app, and in fact, in many aspects, it’s really a social network of a new kind. Since Facebook is in decline and Twitter is a mess lately, a lot of affiliate marketers and publishers are turning to Telegram to monetize their traffic.
Telegram has 500-700 million monthly active users, making it one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world. The user base has grown steadily over the years, from 35 million in 2014, and it’s still growing.
Telegram’s largest market is India – 20% of its user base is from the subcontinent. Telegram also has a large number of users in countries with heavy censorship and surveillance, such as Iran, Russia, and Uzbekistan. These are solid Tier 2 and Tier 3 countries, so think about that when catering to this kind of audience.
Telegram’s audience is an intriguing blend of individuals valuing privacy, quickness, and simplicity. It’s an assemblage of tech-savvy, digitally inclined folks who prioritize encrypted and secure communications. This audience includes a broad age range, from millennials who appreciate the platform’s unique features like sticker sets, bots, and channels, to older demographics who value the straightforward, ad-free communication experience. The largest share of Telegram users is between 25 and 34 years of age (over 29%), and those younger than 24 years accounted for over 25% of the user base.
The Advantages of Telegram as a Marketing Platform
- Direct and Instant Access to Users: Telegram enables publishers to send immediate messages directly to users’ devices, making it a powerful tool for real-time marketing.
- High Engagement: With push notifications and the ability to send multimedia content, engagement rates on Telegram can be high.
- Free to Use and Cost-Effective: Telegram is free to use both for individuals and businesses. The resources needed to create and maintain a successful community are minimal.
- Channel and Group: The Telegram platform allows publishers to create channels and groups for easy communication with their followers.
- Enhanced Privacy Features: Telegram’s focus on privacy and encryption can create trust among users, making them more likely to engage with affiliate marketing content.
- Multiplatform Support: Telegram can be accessed from multiple devices: mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers.
- Bots and Automation: Telegram’s bot API allows for the automation of tasks and interactions, which can be used to improve marketing strategies, for example, by auto-responding to user queries or providing automated updates.
- File Sharing and Voice Capabilities: Telegram allows for the sharing of large files and various media types, making it a versatile tool for creative and diverse marketing content. You can also record voice messages.
- Worldwide Audience: Telegram is used worldwide, enabling affiliate marketers to reach a global audience.
- No Advertisements: Unlike many other social media platforms, Telegram does not have in-app advertisements, leading to a less interrupted user experience – the users will pay more attention to your content and ads.
- No Algorithmic Filtering: There’s no algorithm to determine who sees your content. This means that all your followers have an equal chance of seeing your posts, which can be a significant advantage in marketing.
How to monetize Telegram?
The heart of Telegram is centered around two key components: Groups and Channels. You can use both to earn money, and here’s how.
Telegram groups are basically a chat room, where up to 200,000 members can share ideas, seek advice, post queries, and engage in real-time communication. These groups offer a two-way communication street where every member can post messages, voice their opinions and share content.
This is a way to create an interactive community centered around your content, encouraging swift feedback and idea exchanges. Groups provide invaluable insights for content creation and improvement. Ultimately, it paves the way for enhanced reader engagement and higher chances of monetizing your traffic effectively.
You can use Telegram groups as a public forum where readers can directly interact with you and your content. If you are an admin in a group, you can use it to sell your products, share affiliate links, or post content-locked links. Remember to create interesting, engaging content, and don’t overflow the group with content-locked links or affiliate links. Strike a good balance between free content and content you can monetize, so the readers won’t feel you’re stuffing ads down their throats all the time.
You can use groups to monetize your content even if you’re not an admin, but that requires a more subtle approach. First, you have to become a real part of the community, and contribute to it. Then, if the group rules permit it, you can occasionally post referral links. Telegram groups are also a good place to learn about digital marketing and share ideas and resources about affiliate marketing, ad networks and so on. There are quite a few Telegram groups on these subjects. For example:
For example, if you are a part of a group about advertising and marketing, you can recommend AdMaven as a great ad network. Our amazing referral program gives you 5% of the earnings of each person that signs up – a lifetime commission! This is a win-win: the group will appreciate your knowledge of ad networks, and you’ll earn an easy passive income.
Channels are like your own radio broadcasting service where you, as the administrator, can transmit information to an unlimited number of subscribers. Unlike Groups, Channels are one-way communication platforms, turning your messages into a streamlined feed that’s accessible to your followers. So, this is a more powerful tool, but slightly more difficult to maintain and build, because you need to constantly create great content, in order to keep your audience engaged.
Use channels as your news outlet, product announcement podium, or content distribution center. Post updates about your latest product launch, share your recent blog posts, or broadcast the news about your next big event. Because members can’t post or respond directly in the channel, your message remains clear, consistent, and distraction-free.
Links to locked content, for example, are a great tool for Telegram channels monetization. When you have followers that are interested in your content, you can post links using AdMaven’s content locker. Users who click those links will have to complete a task to unlock the gated content – and that’s how you earn money.
While you can enable comments on channel posts using a connected group, this still maintains the integrity of the original broadcast message while allowing space for feedback and discussion.
Remember that the success of affiliate marketing on any platform, including Telegram, depends heavily on the strategy and efforts of the marketer. It’s important to understand your audience, provide valuable content, and build trust.
Tips for creating a great group or channel in Telegram
- Keep the atmosphere civil and pleasant. Discourage trash talk or foul language.
- Enforce the Rules Consistently: Whether it’s spamming, hate speech, or any other rules you establish, apply them to all members, regardless of their status or activity. Regularly remind your users about the rules and the importance of following them to maintain a healthy group environment.
- Stay Active and Engage Regularly: A great group or channel is one where the admins are active and regularly engage with members. Post relevant content consistently, respond to comments and feedback, initiate discussions, and get involved in conversations.
- Don’t over-advertise: Users don’t like to be spammed with constant ads and offers. Make sure you provide valuable content so that they stick around.
- Welcome New Members: A simple welcome message can make a big difference to a new member. It can set a friendly tone and encourage participation. You can use Telegram’s built-in features to set up automatic welcome messages for new members.
- Leverage Bots and Other Telegram Features: Utilize Telegram’s in-built features and bots to make the management of your group or channel easier and more efficient. Bots can be used for various tasks like moderating comments, scheduling posts, organizing polls, and so on.
- Zero Tolerance for Illegal Content: Maintain a strict policy against sharing any illegal content. This includes copyrighted material, violent content, pornography, or any other form of illegal activities.
- Use Emojis Wisely: Emojis can add a fun, engaging element to your content, but overuse can come across as unprofessional or even confusing. Use emojis to emphasize points, convey emotions, or break up large blocks of text, but make sure their usage aligns with the tone and subject matter of your channel or group. Additionally, be aware that some emojis can have different interpretations across cultures, so use universally understood emojis when communicating important messages.