Dark Social 101: Understanding and Using Dark Social in B2B SaaS

You share a product update with your team. You mention a new feature in an email to a colleague. You discuss an upcoming webinar in a private Slack channel. Within a few days, you see a spike in traffic to your website that can't be traced back to any specific social media platform or referral source. Where is this traffic coming from??

Welcome to the world of dark social.

If you've never heard of dark social before, don't mistake it for dark web or anything shady. Dark social simply refers to the untraceable, private exchanges of information that happen through direct messages, emails, or other types of personal communication channels. It's called "dark" because it's difficult for marketers to track and measure, as it is hard for the data to be attributed to a specific source.

If you're wondering whether or not dark social is relevant to your B2B SaaS business, let's just tell you that the last time we got a good estimation on the percentage of online sharing activity that was considered dark social was in 2016 – and it was estimated at 84 percent.

That's a significant amount of potential traffic and engagement that you may be missing out on if you're not accounting for dark social in your marketing efforts. In this article, we'll explore the concept of dark social, its impact on B2B SaaS businesses, and how you can effectively use it to drive growth and success.

What Is Dark Social?

Dark social is a term coined by Alexis C. Madrigal, a senior editor at The Atlantic, in 2012 to describe the sharing of information through private channels that are not easily trackable by traditional web analytics platforms.

These include:

• Private messaging apps: WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, and traditional text messages, where users share content in a one-on-one or small group setting.
• Emails: Personal and professional email exchanges that often contain links and recommendations that are shared privately.
• Private social networks: Facebook Groups, Discord servers, and forums where communities engage in more intimate conversations.
• Employee communications: Tools like Zoom and Slack Channels, where employees may share information within a company.
• Content platforms: While platforms like YouTube and Apple Podcasts are public, sharing content from these platforms can often happen through untrackable means.
• Word of mouth: Direct messages, calls, and in-person conversations are the most traditional forms of dark social.

If you've ever struggled to identify the source of traffic or conversions on your website or social media pages, chances are, they may have come from dark social. While you can track metrics like impressions, clicks, and views on your social media platforms or your website, that only tells part of the story. What makes dark social challenging to track is the lack of referral information, making it appear as direct traffic in your analytics.

Plenty of times, the explanation of the dark social uses the Titanic reference of an "iceberg," with only a fraction of it visible above the surface. This "Dark Iceberg" concept reflects what happened 'below the surface' of your website and social media platforms, where the bulk of sharing and engagement takes place, and it looks something like this:

If you ask us, though, for most companies, the dark social is more like the ocean in which the iceberg is floating. They know it exists, and they know it's vast, but they don't have full visibility into its movements and activities, nor do they have the resources to fully understand and track it.

Before we discuss the potential strategies for managing dark social, let's add a quick TL;DR for those still wondering why their B2B SaaS should care about it in the first place.??

Dark social can account for a significant portion of your website and social media traffic, which means you could miss out on valuable data and potential conversions by not tracking it effectively. It plays a big role in word-of-mouth marketing within a company's target audience, as people are more likely to trust recommendations from their friends or family rather than advertisements or sponsored content.

Additionally, understanding and using dark social can give your company a competitive advantage by providing insights into the interests and behaviors of your audience. In short, ignoring or neglecting dark social can limit your company's growth and mess up its marketing efforts.

Now, let's look at how you can build a strong dark social strategy.

How To Build Your Dark Social Strategy

This is probably the last thing you want to hear, but, as usual, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to managing dark social. Every company has its own unique audience and goals, so it's important to tailor your strategy accordingly. However, there are some general steps you can follow to make sure your name shows up in those mysterious direct traffic sources.

Step 1: Become a Part of The Conversation

With most of our clients, we start by discovering where their audiences are and what platforms they use to share content. This is especially important for B2B SaaS companies, as their target audience may be active on different social networks than B2C consumers.

To establish yourself as a thought leader or even to become a part of the conversation, you need to understand where your audience is and how they communicate. Places worth checking out often include LinkedIn groups, Quora, Reddit, various Facebook groups, Slack channels, third-party review websites, and even Twitch streams or Discord servers.

To discover where their audience is, we usually use a combination of tools, from Google Analytics to social listening platforms like Brandwatch or BuzzSumo, and our own networks and knowledge about the industry. Once you have a solid idea of where your audience is spending time online, you have to tailor the approach to each channel because what you share on LinkedIn may not work for, let’s say, a subreddit.

Step 2: Join Communities

Aside from the platforms mentioned above, niche communities and forums can be a gold mine for dark social traffic. Think Pavilion, Peak Community, Exit Five, etc. Places where like-minded individuals share their opinions, experiences and advice are a perfect opportunity to engage with your audience in an authentic way.

If you're already thinking your resources are stretched thin as it is, and you would rather focus on creating SEO content than joining and monitoring multiple communities, we hear you, and we urge you to reconsider, as participating in these communities can greatly increase your brand awareness.

Use them to connect with your peers, current and potential customers, and even industry influencers. Learn, participate, share, engage, fuel your product innovation and content strategy with real info from your audience. People join these communities because they share interests, and a brand that genuinely participates and provides value will be welcomed unless, of course, you're spamming.

Note: Make sure to follow the community guidelines and avoid any self-promotion unless it's allowed in specific threads.

Step 3: Create Customized Content

The content you produce for Dark Social can’t be the same as the one you produce for your SEO strategy. While SEO works on intent, with dark social, there’s no intent, so the content should be crafted differently. Basically, what’s working well on Google won’t necessarily work well for the dark social channels.

So, how do you know what kind of content to produce, what to talk about, and in which format? The answer is "simple," but the execution gets tricky: listen to your audience. Get to know them and what they’re interested in by engaging with them on the platforms you discovered as part of your research. (Unfortunately, research is mandatory, no matter how much you think you know your audience).

Next, find your niche. What are the main pain points people talk about related to your brand or industry? How can you provide value and solve their problems with your content? As a general rule of thumb, dark social content should be educational and professional. It should be authoritative and not promotional. People come to dark social communities to learn, share their thoughts, and connect with like-minded individuals, not listen to your sales pitch.

Promotional content is perceived as out-of-touch and irrelevant, and it's likely to get ignored or even worse, reported as spam. Instead of focusing on promoting your brand, shift your focus on building a relationship with your audience.

For example, let’s say your research indicates that you should join the r/SaaS subreddit. The content you will share on this subreddit needs to be tailored to topics related to the SaaS industry. This could include discussions about SaaS trends, customer success stories, best practices for SaaS companies, etc. Basically, it should add value and spark meaningful conversations within the group.

Step 4: Start Conversations

Let's talk about the goal behind engaging in dark social communities. It's not to just share your content and walk away, nor is it to push your brand onto unsuspecting individuals. You want to make yourself known and gain access to this hidden audience by engaging in conversations and building relationships.

Forget about the branded content for a moment and focus on being human. For example, we've recently worked with a client from a geospatial technology company who wanted to expand their reach and engage with dark social communities. The initial research we suggested included, amongst other things, third-party review websites where they could see the pain points and issues their target audience was facing while using their product, as well as the products of their competitors.

We've created a spreadsheet with these reviews, dividing them into different topics and subtopics such as pricing, features, user interface, etc. Next, we divided the reviews into positive, negative, and neutral. This served as great research material for our client to start conversations with their target audience in these communities.

They could now talk about their product, sure, but more importantly, they could offer solutions to the pain points and issues that were being discussed in these communities. It also allowed them to create content that has a life beyond the initial share, as it was created based on real conversations and problems.

Step 5: Rethink Your Metrics

Metrics may be a marketer's best friend, but this doesn’t count when it comes to the dark social. You can’t measure the impact of these channels in the traditional sense, so you need to rethink your strategy. Instead of clicks and views, let's see what other ways you can measure the success of your dark social efforts.

To understand the origins of your prospects, you can start by simply asking them. Adding a "How did you hear about us?" question to your contact form or survey can provide insights into the reach of your dark social efforts. While responses such as "Internet" or "Google" might initially seem vague, don’t dismiss them outright. Follow up during your discovery calls to get more info on how they discovered your company or product. This approach is called hybrid attribution.

Here is how we do it on our website:

Other than that, there are some more sophisticated methods you can use, such as creating unique URLs for dark social shares or using URL shorteners that allow you to track clicks. Use link shorteners like Bit.ly; they can provide you with trackable, shortened URLs for links that can help you track shares and clicks within a certain channel.

In conjunction with this, take advantage of Google Analytics to find out what proportion of your traffic is attributed to 'Direct' and start to get a handle on it.

Finally, you can use advanced revenue technology platforms like 6sense. These platforms are designed to shed some light on Dark Social by uncovering anonymous data and providing clarity on previously unseen interactions.

Even though there is no foolproof way to measure the success of dark social, we still suggest that you do what you can to track and measure its impact. If anything, it will give you a better understanding of your audience and their behavior, which can ultimately inform your marketing strategy.

Step 6: Avoid a Sales-First Approach

We mentioned this briefly above, but it doesn't hurt to reiterate: when it comes to dark social, it's important to avoid using a sales-first approach. Do not bombard your audience with promotional content or overly sales-y messages on private channels.

The last thing your customers want when they go on these channels is someone shoving their brand down their throats. We get that your ultimate goal is to generate revenue, but there is a time and place to do so. Dark Social is not a place for sales pitches but a place to establish strong relationships and build a community by sharing valuable and relevant content.

Sometimes, the most effective marketing and sales tactics are subtle and indirect. Instead of selling, focus on building relationships, establishing trust, and providing value. Ultimately, this will lead to stronger brand loyalty and higher conversions in the long run.

Why is Dark Social Important for B2B SaaS?

You may get the overall idea of why dark social is important for marketing in general, but what is its true relevance to B2B SaaS companies specifically? How does it influence your target audience and impact your business? Apart from vague statements like influencing consumer behavior, shaping demand, impacting your online visibility, and so on, let's take a look at a few more specific reasons why B2B SaaS companies should pay attention to dark social:

Everyone Is a Part of the Dark Social Channels

Nowadays, it's not a question of whether or not your target audience is on dark social channels - it's which ones they are on. Have you sent an email today? Sent a text? WhatsApp message? Opened a link your coworker shared on Slack? Congratulations, you're a part of someone's dark social audience. Your customers and prospects are, too.

Just like everyone else, B2B SaaS buyers open and share links and articles, watch TikTok videos, and follow influencers on social media. The only difference is that they're doing it with professional and personal content, not just cat videos. Understanding this behavior and strategizing accordingly can help you tap into a huge pool of potential leads.

Dark Social Impacts on Your Analytics

Steve Lamar, an analytics expert, recently helped in conducting an experiment that included driving 1000+ visits across 11 major social networks and observing how Google Analytics categorized these referrals.

As you can see, 100% of all visits from TikTok, Slack, Discord, Mastodon, and WhatsApp were marked as “direct” and contained no other referral information. Additionally, 75% of visits from Facebook Messenger contain no referral information. This does not appear strictly related to browser choice, device type, or web vs. app.

Instagram messages (DMs) as well as public LinkedIn and Pinterest posts also missed substantial portions of referral data (30%, 14%, and 12% respectively). A smaller amount of traffic was misattributed to “direct” by Reddit posts, LinkedIn messages (DMs), and Twitter DMs. YouTube, public Instagram profile links, public Facebook posts, and Tweets appear (for now) to provide referral data in most or all cases.

What does this mean for B2B SaaS companies?? It means that a significant portion of your website traffic and potential leads may be going unrecognized and uncredited, leading to inaccurate analytics and an incomplete understanding of your audience's behavior.

This issue is further compounded when it comes to tracking conversions and attributing them to specific marketing efforts. If a lead found out about your company through a dark social channel but later converted through a different channel, you may never know the true source of that conversion, which can have a major impact on your marketing strategy and budget allocation.

Reaches New Audiences?

Those of us who grew up alongside the internet didn't start using social media until we were teenagers, if not older. But younger generations have grown up with social media as an integral part of their lives from a very young age.

Every day, there are new studies highlighting the significant time Gen Z spends on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Back when we were teenagers, you couldn't reach us through social media because we weren't on it. Now, no matter who your target audience is, you can find them on one platform or the other, as kids as young as 5 years old get on Youtube to watch cartoons.

As scary as that data sounds, it presents a unique opportunity for B2B SaaS companies to expand their marketing efforts. For instance, while Gen Z might rely heavily on influencer recommendations, older generations might prefer recommendations from colleagues or industry experts that they get via email or text messaging.

All that to say, the reach of dark social cannot be ignored when it comes to targeting and engaging with new audiences. It allows for a more diverse and comprehensive approach to marketing, reaching people across different age groups, backgrounds, and preferences.

Promotes Brand Advocacy

Getting a recommendation from a coworker or friend holds a lot more weight than a sponsored ad from a brand. This is where dark social can play a major role in promoting brand advocacy. When someone shares your content through dark social channels, it means they genuinely liked and believed in it enough to take the time to share it with others.

This kind of organic referral goes a long way in building trust and credibility for your brand. It also has the potential to create a ripple effect, as those who receive the shared content may also pass it on to their network, expanding your reach even further.

By understanding and making the most of dark social, you can encourage and amplify positive word-of-mouth recommendations, turning satisfied customers into brand advocates. This organic advocacy builds brand reputation, credibility, and loyalty, as well as expands the brand’s reach through authentic and influential connections.

Gives You Accurate Attribution

As we saw in the above example, one of the biggest challenges for marketers is accurately tracking and attributing conversions or sales to specific marketing efforts. With traditional methods like social media ads, metrics can be easily tracked through clicks and other engagement metrics.

However, dark social presents a unique challenge, as there are no direct links or visible shares that can be tracked. This makes it difficult to measure its impact on overall marketing efforts. While it is important to use all the tools at your disposal to track and analyze data, it is also essential to recognize the limitations of these tools.

Despite the challenges, tracking dark social is still important in order to accurately measure the effectiveness of your overall marketing strategy. By analyzing traffic sources and referral domains, you can get a better understanding of how much of your website's traffic is coming from dark social and adjust your strategies accordingly.

The Role of The Dark Social in Your Demand Generation Strategy

The buyer's journey, especially the B2B buyer’s, usually starts in the dark social. It’s where people turn to for information, recommendations, and reviews before making a purchase decision. Don’t wait for the intent data to start showing so you can start marketing your buyers.?

By the time intent signals are detected, they have already discussed with peers, set priorities, and often chosen or been recommended a vendor. This means your demand generation strategy needs to start with the dark social.

So, what can you do today to incorporate dark social into your demand generation strategy? Here are a few tips:

Create Shareable Content

One of the best ways to tap into dark social is by creating shareable content. This can be anything from industry reports, case studies, infographics, or even blog posts. Make sure your content is informative, relevant, and visually appealing so that people are more likely to share it with their peers.

Build Communities?

Create a sense of community around your brand using platforms like Slack, Facebook, Quora, Discord, etc, which serve as digital hubs for industry professionals to exchange insights, seek advice, and provide feedback.?

This will help you create a loyal customer base and drive demand through the interactions and content shared within private groups or forums. Additionally, it also provides an opportunity to gain a profound understanding of the needs, preferences, and pain points of your audience, which can be valuable insights for shaping future demand generation strategies.

Engage in Dark Social Conversations

By being helpful, friendly, and relevant in these interactions, you can create a positive impression and potentially spark interest in your products or services. Collaborating with thought leaders or influencers who have access to exclusive communities can help in promoting and generating interest in your offerings within those circles.

Monitoring and summarizing discussions in dark channels can provide valuable insights that can inform demand-generation strategies. Overall, actively participating in dark social can contribute to building brand awareness, fostering connections, and ultimately driving demand for your products or services.

Track What’s Trackable?

While tracking the interactions happening on dark social can be challenging, there are still some analytical techniques you can implement:

• Use Short Links: Create specific, trackable links that can be shared on websites, in emails, and on social media to monitor content sharing on dark social channels.
• Real-Time Tracking: Keep an eye on any increase in direct hits to specific links, especially after your content receives attention on social media. This can indicate traffic from dark social shares.
• Enhance Your Lead Capture Forms: Add self-attribution questions to capture forms to understand the channels your audience uses to discover your brand.?

Implementing these techniques will help you monitor the effectiveness of your content sharing on dark social channels. This will allow you to identify which content is gaining attention and driving demand, enabling you to tailor your approach accordingly.

Conclusion

If we had to write just one sentence as a conclusion for our dark social discussion, it would be this: You can't afford to ignore dark social if you want to maximize your marketing efforts and drive demand for your brand.

As more and more online interactions shift to private channels, your business has to adapt its strategies accordingly. By understanding what dark social is, how it works, and how to track its impact on your brand, you can stay ahead of the curve and effectively reach your target audience where they are most active.

Use the tools and techniques you have at your disposal, and never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. It may be hidden from view, but its impact is undeniable. The time you invest in understanding and leveraging dark social will pay off, allowing you to build stronger relationships with your audience and drive increased traffic and conversions for your business.