Dark social: The unseen force behind successful content marketing

Even with the avalanche of digital marketing data available today, untrackable behaviours dominate the internet.

In fact, they’re on the rise. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, says users are posting to their feeds less but messaging each other more than ever. These private exchanges are reshaping how content is shared.

Case in point: You’re reading this article right now (great choice, by the way). If you got here from one of our direct links (from an ad, email, social post, etc.), we can attribute your traffic, measure it against our goals, and evaluate our KPIs for content marketing.

But – maybe a friend (with great taste in content) texted you the link. Or maybe they DM’d you, describing one of our content pieces, and you looked up the article yourself for more info. Arguably, your friend with great taste is a more powerful endorsement than a digital ad or a post.

But in cases like these, once you land on our site, we’d have no clue how you got here. All we’d know for sure is, one way or another, you found us.

Dark social, defined 

That’s dark social. It’s the invisible bridge connecting an audience to a brand’s content. It’s personal. It’s powerful. And it’s unmeasurable – the bane of every marketer’s existence.

It’s personal. 
It’s powerful. 
And it’s unmeasurable – the bane of every marketer’s existence.

Despite this, dark social needs to be in every marketer’s vocabulary. Because not only is it becoming more prevalent in the way we share information online, but the visits that result from dark social may be of a higher quality and intent than other (especially paid) channels.

The term ‘dark social’ was first coined by Alexis C. Madrigal of The Atlantic to describe the private sharing that happens beyond the reach of traditional analytics. Sure, it sounds ominous, but it’s actually a marketer’s secret weapon. Why? Because it’s proof that your content sparks trust, interest, and connection in places your tools can’t see.

Instead of sweating over what you can’t measure, think of dark social as the unsung hero of your strategy. It’s where real engagement happens, removed from the performative metrics we all obsess over.

Why (even digital) marketers should have confidence in the unknown 

If the idea of unmeasurable results makes you nervous, you’re not alone. These anxieties are a symptom of a larger issue in today’s marketing.

Once upon a time, the success of a campaign wasn't solely determined by metrics. Sure, there were often noticeable results. Word-of-mouth buzz. Increased company sales during periods when campaigns were in-market. All that good stuff.

But marketers didn’t obsess over whether a billboard had a good click-through rate. They pointed to correlations to ‘prove’ their efforts worked — and they did.

Of course, traditional marketing remains popular and highly effective (we do it all the time), but the rise of digital marketing caused a shift. Suddenly marketers had access to data that told them who was clicking, watching, and reacting. It became easy to connect campaigns with concrete outcomes. This ushered in an era of optimization, where every ad dollar spent could be scrutinized for return on ad spend (ROAS).

Although digital marketing metrics are extremely valuable, they’ve also created an expectation that everything should be measurable. But here’s the rub: not everything worth doing is immediately measurable.

Those funny Instagram Reels that prompt someone to research your product later? That brilliant LinkedIn post that plants your brand in someone’s brain until they’re ready to buy? They’re working, even if you can’t always see it on your monthly insights report.

An effective marketing strategy embraces the unknown. Trust your tactics, even when the numbers don’t immediately shout their success from the rooftops. If you’ve thought through your strategy, it’s worth believing in (and evolving).

Best of both worlds: Two driving forces behind social media success

When it comes to social media marketing, quality matters more than ever. For one, algorithms are becoming increasingly picky. Thousands of posts are vying for your audience’s attention and only a fraction can make it to the top of their feeds. So resonating in algorithm-rewarded ways matters.

But there’s also the new frontier you need to consider, the most exclusive feed of all — their DMs. Getting someone to share your content directly with people they know, on channels you aren’t privy to, organically and without paying them – that’s the brass ring.

To succeed in both spaces, your content must be genuinely engaging. It’s not just about gaming the algorithm. It’s about creating content that makes people feel, think, and – most importantly – share. (#SharingChangesEverything)

In a perfect world, you’d churn out many share-worthy posts. But the truth is, one thoughtfully crafted piece that resonates, beats a dozen forgettable ones.

How to attribute your success on dark social

Yes, dark social is essentially unmeasurable, but there are ways to ensure your efforts are set up for success. Here’s how:

1. Track engagement: Prioritize comments, shares, and meaningful interactions above vanity metrics like reach or follower counts. A strong engagement rate means your content is likely resonating beyond what you can see.
2. Zoom out: Evaluate overall success across all channels in addition to looking at isolated metrics. Take a page from traditional media monitoring: look at correlations, like unexplained spikes in traffic and views.
3. Test smarter: Use A/B testing to tweak one element at a time and measure its ripple effect.
4. Stay agile: With algorithms and audience behaviours evolving constantly, agile content is the only way to do social. Need help? Start with our 2025 social media guide (free download at the link). 

Embrace the darkness: Why dark social is nothing to fear

Dark social isn’t a problem to fix. It’s a crucial and evolving part of your marketing’s bigger picture. It’s rooted in trust and authenticity, giving it far more influence than meets the eye.

The most impactful marketing strategies recognize that success comes from both the measurable and the unseen.

But the best ways to understand, explain, and account for the unseen are... well, not always evident. You can put those invisible forces to work for you. And we can help.