Using Dark Social to Drive Startup Growth

77.5% of actual business happens in DMs and WhatsApp groups you'll never see. Your social media dashboard is lying to you. Here's the truth.

Dark Social.

It’s the biggest growth channel nobody can measure. DMs, screenshots and slack threads. That’s where deals actually start and your CRM has no clue.

A mind-boggling 77.5% of social sharing is cloaked in privacy.

Yes, the most impactful conversations about your brand are happening in these secluded spaces, far from the public eye.

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But what is Dark Social?

Alexis Madrigal named it in 2012 and marketers have ignored it ever since.

Dark Social describes the sharing of content that happens in ways that web analytics cannot track as it happens outside of public social media platforms.

Dark Social includes:

• Private messaging apps (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram)

• Email chains

• Secure browsing environments (e.g. Brave Browser)

• Direct messaging on social platforms

• Private subreddits

• Plus many more

It’s not a matter of if your customers use Dark Social platforms, it’s which ones.

These conversations move fast, leave no trace, and drive more pipeline than your last 6 ad campaigns combined.

Out of sight doesn't mean out of mind. Dark Social is active and influential. Let’s be real, this isn’t a fringe thing. It’s the main way people talk about your brand.

The impact of dark social in marketing

When someone shares your content privately with a friend or colleague, it carries more weight than a public post. It’s not a “like” it’s a whispered recommendation from someone they trust. That’s called influence.

Now that you know Dark Social is driving real growth, it’s time to face the hard part. Tracking it with tools built for a different era.

The analytics challenges marketers face

Dark social significantly influences social and digital marketing strategies.

Google Analytics calls it “direct.”

Your CFO calls it “where’s the attribution?”

But if you think a copied URL from a WhatsApp group is less valuable than a retargeting click, you’ve already lost. Research suggests that Dark Social accounts for up to 84% of all referral traffic. However, this traffic is usually lumped under "direct traffic" in Google Analytics making it tricky to analyse.

Us marketers need to navigate these challenges while respecting user privacy and adhering to increasingly stringent data protection laws, such as GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California.

GDPR, CCPA, iOS updates, they’re not bugs. They’re the new normal.

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How track invisible dark social

Okay, so you know you need to pay attention to Dark Social. But how do you track something that's essentially invisible?

Integrating CRM with Social Media Platforms

Unless your CRM can read WhatsApp DMs, “integration” is a stretch.

But sure, tag the basics. Look for patterns. This can help in attributing conversions and understanding the influence of private sharing on purchasing decisions.

Enhanced CRM integration allows for a more granular analysis of how specific content performs across different channels, including those that are less visible.

URL Shorteners like Bitly

Bitly isn’t sexy. But in dark social? It’s your secret weapon. Tag the link, drop it in Slack, watch for spikes.

UTM Parameters

Most people are familiar with UTM parameters, but you might be surprised to learn that many marketers still don't use them in all their campaigns. While not foolproof, UTM codes can help trace the origins of traffic back to its source, even if it's a private share.

UTM link structure example:

A link with "?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=private_message" shared via WhatsApp will be registered as traffic from the source "whatsapp" and medium "private_message"

However, there are limitations to using UTMs for tracking Dark Social:

• Only works if the recipient clicks the tagged link; tracking is lost if they copy-paste the URL without UTM parameters

• Does not provide detailed information about the individual who shared the link or the specific conversation due to the private nature of dark social channels

• They fail to capture the myriad interactions a customer may engage in across various marketing touchpoints before making a decision.

Check out Google’s UTM Builder tool.

Implementing Multi-Touch Attribution in Dark Social Campaigns

Multi-touch attribution won’t save you but it’ll show you if your podcast + newsletter + Slack combo actually moved the needle.

It provides deeper insights into conversion drivers, addresses visibility issues from simpler tracking like UTM codes, and reveals hidden paths within Dark Social, enhancing the accuracy of marketing effectiveness measurements.

Implementing Multi-Touch Attribution:

• Select Tools: Choose analytics tools that support multi-touch attribution (e.g., Google Analytics, HubSpot, Adjust).

• Define and Track Touchpoints: Include Dark Social platforms in your touchpoint mapping.

• Regular Analysis: Continuously analyse touchpoint effectiveness to optimise your marketing strategies.

Develop a strategy for Dark Social

Create content that deeply resonates with your audience:

• Create Engaging Content: Skip the generic blog posts. Create stuff people want to screenshot. Think punchy one-liners. Opinionated infographics. Founder rants in voice notes. Private shares are emotional currency. Make something worth whispering about.

• Encourage Sharing: Embed calls-to-action that encourage sharing and make it easy with copyable URLs and private sharing buttons.

• Employee Advocacy: Empower your employees to share content through their networks, extending your reach organically.

• Stay Responsive: Monitor mentions and engage with your audience in dark social channels to foster deeper connections.

Examples of Dark Social

Now, let's take a look at some brands that have mastered the art of Dark Social.

Spotify Wrapped is a dark social masterclass. It’s a private dashboard, wrapped in dopamine, engineered for group chats.

They built a backchannel where SEOs share tactics you’ll never see on X.

B2B example

Moz, thrives by building a vibrant B2B community where users share insights and collaborate on strategies through private forums and messaging.

North Star for Dark Social

Embrace the darkness

You won’t win by tracking everything. You’ll win by making stuff worth sharing in places no one else can see.