How to Use Telegram for Your Online Shop

Telegram has the potential to be a great communication channel for your company. Want to learn how to use it effectively? Or are you looking for tips to integrate this app into your marketing strategy? In this article, we provide you with a guide to find out everything you need to know about Telegram for your business.

INDEX:

What is Telegram?

Telegram is a free instant messaging platform for mobile and desktop devices.

Source: Statista

Update: As of 2023, there are over 800 million active monthly users. It is the 8th most popular social media platform worldwide.

On Telegram, it is possible to chat with other private contacts, organise and participate in public or private groups, and take advantage of various features such as channels or bots.

Clearly, Telegram has the potential to be a valuable marketing ally for businesses.

Does Telegram Business exist?

No, there is no real app dedicated to business accounts; there is only Telegram Messenger.

Although there is no real Telegram Business account (like Whatsapp Business), Telegram can still be a useful communication and marketing weapon for companies and online stores.

Telegram is used as a marketing tool by several companies because the app offers some advantageous features useful for lead generation, sales, and easing customer service.

How to create a business account on Telegram

First of all, to use Telegram, you will need to download the app. You can create a business account by signing up as a regular user, but, when registering, you will need to enter your brand name instead of your first and last name.

Once your account is active, remember to set up a username so that your customers can find and contact you without needing your phone number.

You can do this by clicking on ⚙️ Settings> Edit Profile> Add Username.

In the settings, you can also change your name, add a photo and enter a description of up to 70 characters to let your users know who you are and what you do. It's easier if you change your profile on the desktop version of Telegram or the online version of Telegram web.

How to communicate with customers on Telegram

There are 3 Telegram features that allow you to interact with your customers: groups, channels and bots. Below we show you the advantages and disadvantages of each feature to find out which one can best suit your business.

1. The Telegram groups

You can create a group on Telegram by choosing the group name, inserting a profile photo and adding up to 200,000 contacts (WhatsApp Business allows a maximum of 256 contacts).

Telegram groups can be a useful way to build a community as they can be publicly accessible and reach thousands of members.

The downside is that each member can actively participate in the conversation, which could be confusing and lead users to leave the group quickly.

2. The Telegram channels

When you create a channel on Telegram, you can choose a name, enter a profile photo and add a description of up to 255 characters. The number of participants is unlimited. The creation of each channel is free, and each user can create infinite channels.

Channels have the same characteristics as groups, but the type of communication is different: only administrators can send messages. Readers will not be able to reply but will be able to share content.

This way, channels aren't ideal if you want to have more interaction with your users. At the same time, they make it easy to convey information and limit the chaos resulting from a large number of users actively participating in a conversation.

Channels can be used as a marketing tool to promote an offer, blog articles, videos, etc. by accompanying them with a hashtag.

It is important to take the time to regularly curate your channel so that it remains interesting for subscribers. There is no automation on channels, so you can't import automatic messages or schedule them in advance.

Keep in mind that, as with any channel, users can mute notifications. It effectively limits the amount of communications you post because you don’t want to cause users to silence it or, even worse, unsubscribe.

There is no rule for the correct posting frequency; it really depends on the topic of your channel. A news channel, for example, can publish new content every day (or even every hour). For other sectors, however, it is better to limit yourself to 2-3 posts per week.

In order for your communications to be effective, you will need to give visibility to your channel, so that users can find it and subscribe.

How to give visibility to your Telegram channel

Once you set up a username, your channel will have a link.

Here is an example of a telegram channel link:

https://t.me/example_store

You can send this link to your users and you can display it on your online site, on social media channels, in your newsletter, etc.

If the channel is not private, users can also find your channel by searching for your brand name or username in the search bar and join the group without the need for confirmation from you.

The app also lets you set up QR codes.

3. Telegram bots

Bots allow you to take advantage of artificial intelligence to communicate automatically with your users. You can automatically respond to user questions and requests by pre-filling welcome messages, answers to frequently asked questions, etc.

Bots are useful for interacting with a large number of users effortlessly and immediately. They can be used to replace or support customer support and to give answers to your users without waiting times.

How to create a bot for your Telegram profile

1. Type "Bot Father" in the search bar.
2. Start the conversation.
3. Click on "newbot".
4. Choose a name for your bot that ends with "bot".
  Example: shop_example_bot

How to use Telegram for marketing

Telegram cannot be your one and only marketing strategy, but if it works in synergy with other tools, it can prove to be a useful ally and support you in achieving your goals.

Shutterstock/Alice Tsygankova

Obviously, the number one rule for a successful strategy is to set goals. Ask yourself:

Do you want to increase the visibility of your brand?
Do you want to promote your offers?
Do you want to create a community?

The second step is to develop a plan based on your goal(s). For example, if you want to take advantage of Telegram for lead generation, you can:

Send messages to your group or channel in which you communicate a 10% discount
Insert a link to a landing page with a form and ask interested parties to fill it in to receive the discount code by e-mail.

This way, you will have obtained the contact details of your lead and will be able to contact them even if they were to unsubscribe from your group or channel.

To sum up:

Telegram certainly has potential, even if it doesn't surpass WhatsApp Business in terms of effectiveness.

If you curate your group, you can have the opportunity to create a community and establish a stronger bond with a limited number of users.
If you dedicate enough time to your channel, you can give great visibility to your offers, your articles or any type of content you want to give visibility.
If you have the time and budget to invest in building a bot, you can streamline your pre- and post-sales workload.