Telegram is currently one of the most popular instant messaging platforms, after WhatsApp. It represents an excellent communication opportunity for companies, thanks to groups and above all to channels that allow you to have a one-direction communication and send notifications to subscribers. Telegram also offers the opportuinity to create sponsored ads, thanks to Telegram Ads platform (also Telegram Promote) which right now is still in beta.
Telegram ads follow the textual vocation of messages used on the platform and are published in other channels and bots. Like Facebook Ads, Telegram Ads also allows you to segment your audience based on your interests as well as to create an audience from other similar channels.
However, entry threshold is high, and at this stage the initial investment is at least € 2,000, but an investment of at least € 10,000 is highly recommended. However, it is worth considering because interesting scenarios could develop in upcoming months.
How to open an ad account on Telegram Ads and requirements
The basic requirement to open an advertising account on Telegram Ads is obviously to have a public Telegram channel. At this point, simply connect to the platform, fill in required data and start creating the new ad.
In order to get started, the other section to fill in is that related to payments. Here we find methods, total fund and the type of advertiser (direct or agency), as well as amounts and costs.
How to create content and ads
The campaign creation panel on Telegram is very simple. Here we can indicate the name of the campaign, the sponsored channel, total amount and maximum CPM.
Advertising message is only in text format, can not exceed 160 characters including spaces and can also use emojis and emoticons. Obviously, an excessive and deceptive use of capitalization, bold, spaces between letters or symbols is not allowed. Links to external sites are not allowed. The message must be clean and clear.
Violent or sexual content is forbidden,but also advertisements that affect certain areas such as political messaging, gambling, financial fraud, medical services, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, spam software or malware. Fast food chains are also included among those categories that can put your health at risk and therefore prohibited for ads. All categories are listed in the official guidelines.
The other important part for creating an ad on Telegram is that related to targeting that we find in the right column. Here, we can set the language of channels where we want to advertise our content, but also more specific filters to create our audience. These are optional fields, but we recommend that you select them to make your campaign more effective. We may include or exclude certain topics or related channels.
How much does advertising on Telegram cost
Telegram has a minimum annual threshold for advertising. At the time of the launch of your first campaign, it asks for a deposit of € 2,000, half of which is used for campaign delivery, while the remaining part remains as a deposit for the platform.
Telegram returns the €1,000 deposit only if, within the 12 months, the advertiser has invested at least €10,000. Otherwise the platform will retain this sum. The actual cost of advertising therefore depends on the volume. In other words, an annual ad spend of €1,000 corresponds to an actual spend of €2,000, while €10,000 invested in advertising corresponds to €10,000 of actual spend.
Single ad cost is expressed in CPM (cost per thousand impressions). The minimum value for CPM is 2 €.
Alternatives to Telegram Ads
There are several platforms that sell new subscribers to your Telegram channel. They aren’t against the regulation, but in no case are they able to sell real members from a specific nationality. These are international users, often fake, and it is normal to quickly see a drop in subscribers shortly after their entry. This solution may only be good for showing a higher number of subscribers, but it doesn’t bring real business benefits.
Then there are automatic lists of Telegram channels,which publish posts or links to your channel within similar channels, through bots. They are not official lists from the platform, but are managed by third parties. They can be an option to increase visibility, but we must agree to reciprocate and publish ads on our channel as well.
The other option is to advertise with Facebook Ads or Google Ads. It is not possible to link directly your Telegram channel, but we can use a landing page as a bridge. Thus, we can effectively exploitFacebook and Instagram interests-targeted audience, as well as Google search. It’s important to select mobile-only placements in order to increase your conversion rate on Telegram app.
Conclusions
Telegram Ads (or Telegram Promote) is still in beta phase and right now it is very selective. It is recommended only for companies that can afford to spend at least € 10,000 a year to develop an advertising channel as an alternative to most common ones. But, in upcoming months, new features will be added and the platform will probably decide to extend to smaller companies as well.
Telegram channels, on the other hand, represent an excellent opportunity to communicate directly with your audience. It is a tool that can be perfectly integrated into a more articulated communication plan.
