WOW #040: Shining the Light on Dark Social

Quote of the Week: 
“Dark Social is all the effort you’ve put into Social Media and Content Marketing that doesn’t get any credit.”
- Ariadna Jacob

Are you familiar with the term Dark Social? (Hint: It’s not the dark web)

The phrase Dark Social is a modern take on one of the oldest behaviors around; untraceable, private, human-to-human interaction:

• 1:1 messages on text, email, WhatsApp, Slack.

• Word of mouth comments and references on podcasts

• Brand and product mentions on phone calls.
• Private social media activity (Facebook Groups, Messenger chats, 1:1 messages on Instagram, subreddits).

According to Hootsuite, Dark Social is responsible for 95% of the traffic to your website. 

While the term itself isn’t mainstream, Dark Social is kind of a big deal when it comes to Marketing your business.

The truth is, buyers trust their family, friends, and peers more than anyone else.

It’s a fact that business owners ignore at their own peril.

Dark Social is a huge opportunity to stand out amongst your competitive set as a Small Business:

• Are you promoting general descriptions, or are you developing original content that shows why you truly care about your service and expertise?
• Are you marketing your background and years of experience, or are you posting messages that meet your prospects and customers on a personal level?

Many small businesses spend a majority of their time and money on “one to many” tactics such as Paid Media, SEO campaigns, or PDF downloads.

It’s past time to try a new approach.

What’s your Dark Social Strategy?

Do you have one? 

2 Takeaways:

1. Engage with Your Prospects and Relevant Circles on LinkedIn. There used to be a line between who we were socially on the Web and who we were professionally. Those lines are blurring quickly. Engage with your prospects and customer’s posts on LinkedIn. It’s probably the purest form of digital listening you can do. When you post original, personal content about yourself and your business in a way that invites readers in - it just might produce more leads and buyers than anything else you’re doing.
   
2. Be as Frequent a Guest as Possible on Podcasts. Creating your own podcast is time consuming, but getting your name out on others who’ve come before is an efficient way to get the word out. Check out this list of podcast booking agencies and see if you can book interviews to promote your expertise.

1 Action:
Develop an ongoing plan to share what you know online:

• Joining and contributing to Subreddits.
• Answering questions and sharing expertise on Quora.

Tactics like the ones above won’t happen unless you create checklists and time to put in the work. Sharing your expertise in a manner where prospects grow to know, like, and trust you could go a long way.

Have a great week everyone,

Hubert