Dark social refers to web traffic that has no referral data because a brand content link was shared through unmeasurable social media.
This can happen when direct URLs are copied and pasted to be shared through email, via text message, through secure browsing, direct messages, or messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Snapchat is also a source of dark social traffic because it has no clickable links. RadiumOne reports that 84% of consumers’ outbound sharing from publishers’ and marketers’ websites now takes place via dark social channels, and this leaves brands in the dark since social media listening tools can only listen in on a small portion of what people are really talking about.
What can brands do to fight back? One way to start tracking dark social activity is to use shortened URLs in brand content through services like Bitly and Goo.gl. This enables brands to share unique links in social networks, in emails, or on websites, through which they can then track clicks, moving them out of the dark. Shortened URLs can even be inserted into Snapchat images to track activity there.
Another option for brands is to provide share buttons, making them simple to find and use. Since it is much easier to use a share button than it is to cut and paste an email address, most social media users will choose this option, making the shares easy to track. It is important that the share buttons include all of the top messaging apps to maximize usage.
The information gathered from dark social traffic can help optimize a brand’s social media strategy.