Dark Social

What is dark social?

Dark social, also described as private social sharing, is the act of sharing content through private digital communication channels such as messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp, Messenger), emails and direct messages, instead of public social platforms.  

This concept highlights the significance of untraceable interactions that occur online, impacting how brands understand user engagement and traffic sources. For instance, when users share links or articles via messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, the source of that traffic is often obscured. 

Key features of dark social: 

• Private sharing: Content is shared via private channels, maintaining user privacy and confidentiality. 
• Lack of referral data: These interactions do not provide referral data, posing challenges for tracking and attribution. 
• Word-of-mouth effect: Personal recommendations and referrals drive engagement, traffic and conversions. 

Why does it matter? 

• Understanding dark social helps marketers gain insights into customer behavior and preferences from privately shared content. 
• It helps optimize content strategies to fit private sharing habits. 
• Dark social makes tracking traffic and conversions harder, requiring new measurement methods. 
• Dark social interactions, like private messages and emails, often include personal recommendations and peer-to-peer sharing, which can boost brand awareness and customer trust. 

Now that you understand the definition of dark social, let’s jump into how to address dark social on social media. 

How to address dark social on social media

• Use shortened URLs or tracking parameters to better track dark social traffic and attribute it back to its original source. 
• Encourage users to share content via public social sharing buttons integrated into websites and apps, making it easier to track and measure social referrals. 
• Utilize social listening tools and sentiment analysis to monitor conversations and mentions across dark social channels, gaining insights into customer sentiment and engagement. 
• Analyze referral patterns and traffic sources in social analytics tools to identify and segment dark social traffic, understanding which content is being shared privately. 
• Build relationships with brand advocates and influencers who can amplify your message through both public and dark social channels, using their networks for wider reach and impact.