Community & Dark Social

A founder shows me a dashboard where "direct" is the biggest source and asks why paid search is the only channel that works. Usually the best channel is working and the dashboard cannot see it: someone read a post, pasted the link into a Slack channel, three people opened it on their phones, and one booked a call a week later. Analytics recorded a stranger arriving from nowhere.

Alexis Madrigal coined "dark social" at The Atlantic in 2012 for sharing that carries no referrer. In B2B it now covers most of the places a buying conversation happens. Gartner's research on B2B buying groups found they spend 17% of their purchase time meeting with potential suppliers; Forrester's 2024 Buyers' Journey Survey found 92% of buyers start with at least one vendor already in mind. The shortlist is built where you cannot see. This skill is how you get on it, and how you know whether you are.

When to use

The user wants to reach buyers through communities, peers and private channels; is deciding whether to start a community; or cannot tell whether word of mouth is growing because nothing attributes to it.