Dark Funnel

What is Dark Funnel?

The dark funnel refers to buyer activities and research that happen outside your tracked marketing channels. It's the hidden portion of the buyer's journey where prospects gather information, compare solutions, and form opinions—without you knowing.

These untracked activities include:

• Reading LinkedIn posts and comments
• Listening to podcasts featuring your company or competitors
• Participating in industry communities (Slack groups, Reddit, Discord)
• Asking peers for recommendations
• Reading third-party review sites (G2, Capterra)
• Watching YouTube videos and webinars anonymously
• Reading analyst reports and industry publications

84% of buyers select their preferred vendor before ever speaking with a sales representative. This means the majority of the buying decision happens in the dark funnel.

Why Dark Funnel Matters

Traditional attribution models miss most of the buyer's journey. If you only track what's measurable (form fills, clicks, conversions), you're operating with incomplete data.

The dark funnel changes how modern B2B buying happens:

• Information Asymmetry Is Gone: Buyers can research thoroughly without contacting vendors
• Peer Influence Dominates: Recommendations from trusted peers carry more weight than marketing
• Multiple Touch Points Required: Buyers engage with 8-12+ pieces of content before converting
• Anonymous Research: 60-70% of the buyer's journey happens before first contact

Ignoring the dark funnel leads to:

• Wasted ad spend on channels that don't influence decisions
• Misattribution of credit to late-stage touchpoints
• Poor understanding of what actually drives conversions
• Inability to optimize for early-stage influence

Benchmarks

• 84% of buyers choose their vendor before talking to sales
• B2B buyers consume 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with sales
• 6-8 decision-makers are involved in average B2B purchase (all researching independently)
• 40-50% of website traffic is anonymous or difficult to attribute
• Dark social (sharing via DM, email) accounts for 70%+ of social sharing

Best Practices

1. Track Brand Search Volume: Increases in branded searches often indicate dark funnel activity
2. Monitor Intent Data: Use tools to track research activity across the web
3. Build Organic Presence: Be active where prospects research (LinkedIn, podcasts, communities)
4. Create Shareable Content: Make content easy to share via dark social channels
5. Use "How Did You Hear": Ask new customers about their journey
6. Invest in Brand Awareness: Dark funnel is influenced by unattributable brand exposure
7. Engage in Communities: Participate authentically in industry Slack groups and forums
8. Leverage Employee Advocacy: Encourage team members to share and create content

Common Mistakes

• Attributing all conversions to the last touchpoint only
• Ignoring organic social and community engagement
• Focusing solely on trackable metrics (CTR, form fills)
• Not participating in industry communities
• Treating all anonymous traffic as low-quality
• Over-optimizing for late-stage conversion metrics
• Neglecting brand-building in favor of direct response

Key Takeaways

• Most B2B buying happens anonymously before you know the prospect exists
• The dark funnel represents the majority of the modern buyer's journey
• Traditional attribution gives an incomplete picture of what drives revenue
• Build presence and influence where your buyers naturally research
• Focus on creating value and resources prospects want to share with peers
• Measure brand indicators (search volume, mentions) alongside direct metrics
• Accept that some influential activities will never be fully trackable

---

Sources:

• The B2B Dark Funnel - Dreamdata
• 2024 B2B Sales & Marketing Benchmark Report - Norwest