Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  April 16, 2024

Dark Social Media Unveiled: How to Thrive in the Invisible Sharing Economy

You likely have a good grasp of how to use social media in your marketing campaigns. In most cases, you can monitor social post engagement, shares, and traffic to your website. But not always. Increasingly, buyers share social content in private channels, such as email and private messages. Some call that dark social media.

According to Capterra, “Unlike sharing on public social media platforms, such as Facebook or X, where interactions are visible to all, dark social media activity evades marketing analytics tools or programs.”

The organization’s research reveals marketers are extremely familiar with the term dark social media (73%), but “data and technology limitations hinder dark social media measurement.”

2 Ways to Improve Your Visibility in Dark Social Media Channels

The findings express concern about the lack of measurement, but the focus should be on how to ensure that you are included in discussions where you are not directly involved. Here are two strategies you can use to improve the likelihood that your followers, clients, and supporters will share your social content in private channels.

• Nurture strong advocates: Many of us are great at networking and keeping in touch. But how many of us have an army of advocates that recommend us early and often? This kind of relationship-building is critical. Let’s make sure we cement these bonds and that our fans are clear about what we do and how we work.

• Create content people want to share: Most of us create shareable content. For dark social channels, that is only the first step. Make sure your purpose and target audience are clear and concise. Your stories and track record need to be memorable, too.

As buyers flock to private spaces, you no longer control the narrative. It’s time to equip your advocates with the right tools so that they can remember you during purchasing conversations.

Listen: What Your Biggest Fans Need to Recommend You 

Now Read This:

• The Rise of User-Generated Content
• Brand and Message Strategy for Thought Leaders

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