In the realm of B2B marketing, the traditional buying sales journey has undergone a significant transformation thanks to the B2B dark funnel. In recent years, B2B marketers have had to adapt to a new reality – the dark funnel. Unlike the traditional sales funnel, the dark funnel consists of hidden stages that a potential customer goes through before making a purchase decision. These hidden stages are called dark funnel because they are not easily trackable or measurable.
In this article, we will discuss the definition of the dark funnel, its trends, and how to master it by providing practical steps to start.
What is the B2B dark funnel
The B2B dark funnel refers to the hidden stages of the buyer journey that occur before a prospect becomes visible to marketers or sales teams. These hidden stages include research, evaluation, and decision-making processes that occur outside of a company’s website or other visible channels.
Shareable content plays a crucial role in leveraging the dark funnel. By creating compelling and valuable content, B2B marketers can encourage prospects to share it within their networks, thus increasing brand visibility and attracting potential customers who may not have been reached through traditional marketing channels. Shareable content can include thought leadership articles, industry reports, infographics, industry (offline) community, events, and engaging social media posts.
The Trends
Dark funnel marketing has become increasingly important in recent years due to several trends in the B2B industry. These trends include:
- Increased competition: As more companies enter the market, it becomes harder to stand out. Marketers need to understand the dark funnel to reach potential customers before their competitors do.
- The rise of self-education: Prospects are increasingly using online resources to research products and services before engaging with a company. By understanding the dark funnel, marketers can provide relevant content to prospects during their research phase.
- The shift towards account-based marketing: ABM requires a deep understanding of the customer journey. By mastering the dark funnel, marketers can better target key accounts and deliver relevant content to decision-makers.
- The importance of personalization: Customers expect personalized experiences, and this includes content during the dark funnel stages. By using data, analytics and smart research, marketers can provide personalized content that resonates with their target audience.
Measuring dark funnel activities
Implementing practical steps for dark funnel activities can help businesses maximize their engagement and measure the impact of their efforts. While the dark funnel is inherently challenging to track, there are two ways to measure its impact.
Dark Funnel Surveys. Conducting dark funnel surveys is an effective way to gather valuable insights and intent data from prospects who are engaged but haven’t yet identified themselves. These surveys can be embedded within your website or shared through targeted email campaigns. By asking strategic questions related to pain points, interests, and purchase intent, you can gain a deeper understanding of prospects’ needs and preferences. Dark funnel surveys provide an opportunity to capture intent signals. It also guide prospects towards the next stage of the buyer’s journey.
Branded Shareable Content with Share Buttons. Creating branded shareable content is crucial for increasing brand visibility and reaching a wider audience within the dark funnel. Develop high-quality, informative content such as whitepapers, ebooks, or infographics that address common pain points or industry trends. Ensure that the content is easily shareable by incorporating social sharing buttons on your website or within email communications. This enables prospects to share the content with their network, amplifying your brand’s reach and potentially attracting new leads.
Measure the PR-impact
In the ideal world, dark funnel activities gather PR attention. Monitoring and analyzing social media conversations through social listening tools is an essential step in measuring the impact of your PR efforts within the dark funnel. By tracking relevant keywords, brand mentions, and industry discussions, you can gain insights into the sentiment surrounding your brand and identify potential leads or engagement opportunities. Social listening allows you to assess the reach and impact of your PR campaigns, identify influencers or advocates within your target audience, and adjust your strategies based on real-time feedback.
By implementing these practical steps, businesses can effectively engage with prospects within the dark funnel and measure the impact of their activities. Dark funnel surveys provide valuable insights, branded shareable content increases brand visibility and reach, and social listening helps measure PR impact. By leveraging these strategies, businesses can optimize their dark funnel initiatives, nurture relationships with prospects, and drive them towards conversion.
Monetizing the Dark Funnel
The dark funnel presents a huge opportunity for B2B marketers and C-level decision makers. Make sure you understand its intricacies, harnessing the power of shareable content and effectively measuring and monetizing dark funnel activities. This is the way to unlock new opportunities, expand reach and drive tangible business outcomes.