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Vice President, Digital at Clearbridge Branding Agency, overseeing clients’ digital and social media efforts.
getty
Dark social isn’t as ominous as it sounds, but in social and digital marketing, it’s an important term to know and understand how to navigate. But let’s start with defining what it is. Dark social was a word coined by journalist Alexis C. Madrigal in 2012 and refers to the social sharing of content that occurs outside of the public eye in the digital landscape. It encompasses any digital communication that can’t be tracked by conventional web analytics tools, occurring primarily via private channels such as emails, direct messages on social media platforms, messaging apps, SMS, and any other form of private, digital conversation. Think of the times you may have shared a link for a product or event with friends via a text message group. That’s an example of how you’ve participated in dark social.
The “dark” aspect of dark social refers to the fact that these shares are invisible to marketers, causing these interactions to fall off the radar of traditional digital tracking methodologies. It’s estimated that up to 84% of all online sharing activity occurs through dark social, making it a digital marketing phenomenon that requires in-depth understanding and strategic utilization.
Dark Social And Its Impact On Marketing
Dark social has a profound impact on social and digital marketing strategies. It evades the reach of standard tracking tools and obscures a significant portion of consumer behavior and interaction, leading to incomplete or skewed data on customer engagement, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and even conversion paths.
Consequently, businesses may misattribute traffic sources, underestimating the power of organic, peer-to-peer sharing, while overvaluing other channels. This misinterpretation can lead to misguided marketing decisions and misplaced advertising spending.
Harnessing Dark Social In Marketing Strategies
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