Where are your B2B leads disappearing to? Probably into the “black hole” of the Dark Funnel. Here’s how to shed some light on it

Do you think the lead found your brand by typing its name into a search engine? What if, in fact, a friend recommended your company to them a few months earlier and the lead was gathering information on private Facebook groups? In that case, you are no longer dealing with a new lead and you need to take different actions than you would with people who have no idea whether they will find something for themselves. The problem is that such a lead was in the “black hole” of the Dark Funnel, so their actions were not visible. We have several ways to deal with this.

What is the Dark Funnel?

In B2B, some points of contact with the brand are invisible to analytical tools. This creates the so-called Dark Funnel. Business leads may hear about your company, for example, on a private Facebook group through whisper marketing, where someone simply shares their positive experiences and recommends your services. Other people will interact with the company as soon as their favorite influencer mentions something about the brand. Some will use online discussion groups to recommend services to their friends.

In Dark Funnel, the lead does not follow a linear purchase path, and as a marketer, you have no control over it and cannot see where it begins.

Which channels generate the most invisible leads?

• Social media – you can browse posts and entries about a given brand, and the brand itself will not even know about your interest. In addition, conversations about the company may appear in private chats and groups with entries visible only to their members.

• Word-of-mouth marketing – you talk to many people who work in similar industries to you, during your lunch break you discuss problems and someone says that things are much better since they started using the services of company X. Even if you are hearing this name for the first time, out of curiosity you want to try out the services for yourself.

• AI – do you know how many people see a given company as a source of data when they ask artificial intelligence something? AI can effectively increase recognition. The brand doesn’t even know that a potential customer first learned about it this way.

• Review sites – do you check company reviews? All you need to do is remember its name from ads that you don’t even click on. Positive reviews, for example on G2, can effectively encourage you to use the services.

Shed light on the dark sales funnel

The Dark Funnel is nothing to worry about. All you need to do is use our tips and check which leads come from the dark funnel:

• Monitor anonymous contacts. If someone browses your website anonymously, see what content interests them and tailor your marketing activities accordingly. For example, iPresso allows you to monitor and take action on anonymous contacts.

• Ask users how they found out about the company. Each lead should fill out a short survey (which you can prepare in iPresso forms). From the list, the lead will be able to choose how they first heard about the brand. Don’t forget to leave the option to provide a different answer.

• Be active on social media. Comment on posts by other people related to your industry, publish posts regularly, and follow experts in the field.

• Add buttons for sharing content. Since people talk about the services they recommend on social media anyway, add buttons so they can share interesting articles on Facebook, for example. 

• Adapt the content on your website to AI. Since artificial intelligence shows users content from expert websites, make sure that users can find your company in this way. Remember to divide the text into headings for SEO purposes. Divide the text into paragraphs and include keywords in the content.

At iPresso, you will find solutions tailored to different industries and needs. See all our features by clicking here.

Summary

Potential customers don’t have to disappear into a “black hole.” Dark Funnel can work to your advantage if you use the channels from which leads come to promote your business. Check where people write and recommend services, take care of good reviews, and get active on social media.
Don’t have any tools for monitoring anonymous contacts yet? Fill out the brief and see that iPresso is just right for you.