Today’s top buyers are researching, evaluating and making decisions off the radar — without ever opting in. Here’s how modern marketing teams are spotting and supporting intent earlier in the journey.
Marketing automation
The invisible funnel: Why your best leads never fill out your forms
Last updated
July 1, 2025
Read time
12 min
Written by
Lindsay Elswick
Contents
Share this article
Introduction
You’ve probably seen it before: A great-fit lead books a call, requests a demo, or even makes a purchase — seemingly out of the blue. There were no previous clicks, no form fills, no obvious signs of interest.
But that lead didn’t actually come out of nowhere.
Behind the scenes, buyers are doing their homework. They’re swapping recommendations in private Slack channels, discussing options in Reddit threads, checking review sites, and asking their peers — quietly sizing up your brand before they ever show up on your radar.
Marketers are starting to call this invisible path to purchase the dark funnel — a term popularized by the team at 6sense to describe the critical but untrackable stages of modern buying behavior. And it’s reshaping how teams think about lead generation, engagement and attribution.
In this article, we’ll unpack the rise of the dark funnel, explore why it’s long gone unnoticed, and share practical strategies to help you spot buying signals earlier, respond more intelligently, and finally connect the dots.
The dark funnel: What it is and why it matters
The dark funnel: What it is and why it matters
The “dark funnel” refers to everything that happens before a lead becomes trackable: the research, exploration and decision-making that unfolds outside of your systems. It’s not just a gap in attribution. It’s the front half of the buyer journey that your tools were never built to see.
While traditional funnels begin with a form fill or click, the dark funnel starts much earlier:
What makes the dark funnel especially critical today is just how much of the journey it accounts for. According to recent research, only 17% of B2B buyers fill out a form before making a purchase decision. The rest? They’re moving through this unseen funnel — asking peers, lurking on review sites, exploring content privately.
As buying committees grow and peer-led influence rises, this invisible activity isn’t going away. It’s expanding. If your marketing strategy only responds to visible behavior, you’re missing your best leads’ most important moments.
While traditional funnels begin with a form fill or click, the dark funnel starts much earlier:
- When a CMO reads your LinkedIn post after it’s shared in a private Slack group or Facebook community
- When a peer recommendation leads someone to check out your website (without converting)
- When a buyer finds your brand mentioned on Reddit and bookmarks your pricing page
What makes the dark funnel especially critical today is just how much of the journey it accounts for. According to recent research, only 17% of B2B buyers fill out a form before making a purchase decision. The rest? They’re moving through this unseen funnel — asking peers, lurking on review sites, exploring content privately.
As buying committees grow and peer-led influence rises, this invisible activity isn’t going away. It’s expanding. If your marketing strategy only responds to visible behavior, you’re missing your best leads’ most important moments.
The psychology of dark funnel behavior
The psychology of dark funnel behavior
So why are today’s buyers bypassing forms, skipping CTAs and staying silent until the very end? It’s not just a trend. It reflects a broader shift in how B2B shoppers research and make decisions.
The majority of buyers begin by asking peers and coworkers for recommendations. In fact, 72% of C-suite buyers start there. These conversations are happening inside private Slack channels, LinkedIn DMs, or texts with former colleagues — they’re invisible to your tracking, but they have a major influence on whether you make the short list. And making the short list matters because 62% of decision-makers finalize the shortlist without ever speaking to sales, according to the Forrester Buyer Journey Survey.
After getting recommendations, buyers dig in quietly: reviewing your website, reading third-party reviews, browsing your social channels — all anonymously. That means your visibility in these untrackable, peer-driven spaces plays a key role in whether you’re even considered.
Even if they’re browsing your website, they’re often not likely to fill out a form right away. Modern buyers are more independent, more skeptical, and more protective of their time. Filling out a form often signals they’re ready to talk, and if they’re not, they’ll avoid it. It’s not that they’re dodging your brand; they’re just not ready to start a conversation yet.
And in most cases, it’s more than one person making that call. Today’s B2B purchases involve entire teams, with each stakeholder doing their own research, on their own timeline, with their own set of needs. Until there’s internal alignment, they’re not looking to open the door to sales.
This active, self-directed buying process influences decisions well before you see these leads come into your CRM.
The majority of buyers begin by asking peers and coworkers for recommendations. In fact, 72% of C-suite buyers start there. These conversations are happening inside private Slack channels, LinkedIn DMs, or texts with former colleagues — they’re invisible to your tracking, but they have a major influence on whether you make the short list. And making the short list matters because 62% of decision-makers finalize the shortlist without ever speaking to sales, according to the Forrester Buyer Journey Survey.
After getting recommendations, buyers dig in quietly: reviewing your website, reading third-party reviews, browsing your social channels — all anonymously. That means your visibility in these untrackable, peer-driven spaces plays a key role in whether you’re even considered.
Even if they’re browsing your website, they’re often not likely to fill out a form right away. Modern buyers are more independent, more skeptical, and more protective of their time. Filling out a form often signals they’re ready to talk, and if they’re not, they’ll avoid it. It’s not that they’re dodging your brand; they’re just not ready to start a conversation yet.
And in most cases, it’s more than one person making that call. Today’s B2B purchases involve entire teams, with each stakeholder doing their own research, on their own timeline, with their own set of needs. Until there’s internal alignment, they’re not looking to open the door to sales.
This active, self-directed buying process influences decisions well before you see these leads come into your CRM.
What dark funnel activity actually looks like
What dark funnel activity actually looks like
When you can’t tie a website visit to a contact record, it’s tempting to dismiss it as low-intent, but often it’s anything but. These moments are the first signs of genuine curiosity and early research, and they’re happening long before your CRM catches up.
Why? Because these visitors are still anonymous. They didn’t come in through a tracked link, they haven’t filled out a form, and they haven’t taken any action that would identify them in your system. But that doesn’t mean they’re not interested.
Here are a few real-world examples of that high-intent, off-the-radar behavior that never makes it into your attribution reports:
Why? Because these visitors are still anonymous. They didn’t come in through a tracked link, they haven’t filled out a form, and they haven’t taken any action that would identify them in your system. But that doesn’t mean they’re not interested.
Here are a few real-world examples of that high-intent, off-the-radar behavior that never makes it into your attribution reports:
- Sarah, a CMO, sees a LinkedIn post shared in a private Slack thread. She doesn’t click; but a week later, she searches your brand directly, binge-reads three blog posts, and shares one with her ops lead. No forms. No attribution. But plenty of intent.
- From the outside, it looks like organic traffic. Inside, it’s the start of a serious buying motion.
- From the outside, it looks like organic traffic. Inside, it’s the start of a serious buying motion.
- A buying committee at a software company compares options in stealth mode. They bookmark your documentation, read G2 reviews, and ask around in a peer community. Three months later, one person registers for a webinar — but by then, minds are mostly made up.
- By the time you see a name, the real decision-making is already underway.
- By the time you see a name, the real decision-making is already underway.
- A consultant links to your case study in a client’s internal portal. That client reads it, circulates it to colleagues, and adds you to a shortlist. You don’t see any engagement until someone finally reaches out, ready for pricing.
- Your content worked. Your team just didn’t see it happening.
- Your content worked. Your team just didn’t see it happening.
The risks of relying solely on visible funnel activity
The risks of relying solely on visible funnel activity
When your strategy only accounts for visible engagement — things like form fills, event registrations and demo requests — you’re working with a limited view of reality. You don’t have the full picture of what’s actually working, who’s showing interest and how buying decisions are made.
Without that broader context, it’s easy to misread the signals:
Without that broader context, it’s easy to misread the signals:
- You might overlook a high-fit lead because they haven’t “engaged” in the usual ways, even if they’ve visited your site multiple times, shared your content internally, or spent time on high-intent pages..
- The risk: Your team misses the window to reach out while interest is still high.
- The risk: Your team misses the window to reach out while interest is still high.
- You might assume a blog post or partner referral isn’t pulling its weight simply because it doesn’t drive trackable conversions — even though it’s quietly moving buyers closer to a decision.
- The risk: You underinvest in content that’s actually building trust and influence.
- Or you could end up overvaluing more visible but less influential touchpoints, like a retargeting ad that gets the final click without doing the heavy lifting.
- The risk: You misattribute success and double down on what’s easiest to track, not what’s most effective.
Pro tip: Tools like SegMetrics or Cometly can help surface the full path to conversion — not just the last click.
- The risk: You misattribute success and double down on what’s easiest to track, not what’s most effective.
5 ways to uncover dark funnel intent
5 ways to uncover dark funnel intent
Dark funnel activity may not show up in your attribution reports, but it does leave a trail — if you know how to look for it. These early signals often slip through the cracks in siloed systems, but with the right setup, you can start spotting them sooner and acting on them faster.
Here’s how to uncover intent that’s been hiding in plain sight:
1. Add an open-ended “How did you hear about us?” field to your signup
Most CRMs rely on tracked links or dropdown fields with limited options — which are too rigid to capture the nuance of how people actually hear about you. By adding a simple open-text field to your forms, you can surface answers like “Slack,” “friend,” “community group,” or “Reddit” — small breadcrumbs that point to big word-of-mouth momentum.
- 🔧 Pro tip: Regularly review and tag these responses in your CRM to reveal referral patterns over time.
2. Monitor unexplained spikes in direct or organic traffic
Intent doesn’t always show up as an individual lead — sometimes it’s a lift in page visits. Sudden traffic spikes with no corresponding campaign often point to private shares, like Slack threads, email forwards, podcast shoutouts or conference mentions.
- 🔧 Pro tip: Don’t just note the spike — dig deeper. Cross-reference it with high-intent pageviews (like pricing or product pages), time on page, or repeat visits to spot patterns. Then, build audiences from those sessions (when possible) for retargeting, or use the timing to prioritize outbound outreach to similar companies in your target accounts list.
3. Track repeat visits from anonymous traffic
A single visit might not mean much — but when anonymous visitors come back repeatedly, it’s often a sign of serious interest. Pay close attention to return visits to decision-stage content like pricing, case studies or integration documentation.
- 🔧 Pro tip: If your system supports it, set up retargeting or chat prompts for returning anonymous visitors to key pages.
4. Invest in social listening across niche communities
Even if your audience isn’t tagging your brand directly, they may still be talking about you in industry Discords, Reddit threads, dark social groups or even YouTube comments. Tools like Brandwatch, Sprout Social, or Common Room can help surface mentions you wouldn’t catch through traditional analytics.
- 🔧 Pro tip: Plan a full social listening strategy to track variations of your brand name, competitor comparisons and product category terms so you don’t miss early discovery moments.
5. Flag “zero-history” conversions in your CRM
When a contact fills out a form or books a demo with no prior engagement — no email clicks, no ad interactions, no content downloads — that’s a strong sign they’ve been moving through the dark funnel anonymously. Set up a simple automation to flag these contacts so your team can investigate and follow up with more context.
🔧 Pro tip: Pair this with a quick survey asking what led them to reach out. Even a short answer can offer valuable insight.
Keep in mind: Signals are most useful if you can connect them
These dark funnel clues are powerful on their own, but when you’re looking at them separately their full meaning gets lost. The real value comes from unifying these signals across your CRM, analytics, web behavior and automation tools. When everything is integrated, you can start identifying patterns earlier, responding more personally and reaching leads before they’re scooped up by someone else.
How to engage dark funnel leads — even if they’re still anonymous
How to engage dark funnel leads — even if they’re still anonymous
Once you’ve spotted the early signs of intent, the next step is knowing how to engage without scaring off leads with too much too soon. That means showing up in the right places, with the right message, at the right time.
Here’s how to meet modern buyers where they are:
1. Show up in the channels your buyers trust
Buyers are swapping insights in private Slack groups, peer communities, podcast recaps, and YouTube comments — places your analytics can’t reach. To stay relevant, focus on visibility in the places your audience turns to for recommendations. That might mean sponsoring high-signal newsletters, partnering with industry creators and influencers, or contributing thought leadership to trusted third-party platforms.
To identify these channels, tools like SparkToro can help uncover where your audience spends time online — including the websites they visit, podcasts they listen to and social accounts they follow.
2. Create content designed for quiet influence
Most buyers in the dark funnel aren’t ready to talk. They’re gathering information to bring back to their team. Create resources that make them look smart — share-ready assets like explainer one-pagers, comparison charts, or short, skimmable guides they can pass around in a deck or Slack. The easier your content is to absorb and share, the more likely it’ll circulate behind the scenes.
3. Expand your definition of engagement
Not every signal looks like a consultation request. A repeat visit to your pricing page, a spike in traffic from a target account, or multiple high-intent pageviews in one session can all point to deeper interest. Use behavioral data to build smart audiences, then trigger low-friction touchpoints — like retargeting ads, followed by chatbot messages or content recommendations when they revisit your site — all personalized based on their past activity.
4. Give anonymous leads a reason to reveal themselves
Instead of pushing a hard CTA, offer a soft entry point: a calculator, a self-assessment, or an ungated webinar with an optional follow-up. When leads feel in control, they’re more likely to engage. You can also use tools like Ontraport to watch for repeat behavior, such as returning to a key page, then serve personalized calls-to-action when the timing is right.
5. Close the loop with automated, behavior-based follow-up
Just because someone isn’t in your CRM yet doesn’t mean they’re fully invisible. If you’re seeing repeat visits from a known company or anonymous engagement with high-intent content, don’t wait for a form fill. Use IP data or account-matching tools like Clearbit, 6sense, or Demandbase to identify which target accounts are active — even if the individual visitor is unknown.
Then build workflows that respond in real time:
These systems help you spot intent and act on it while interest is still high.
Here’s how to meet modern buyers where they are:
1. Show up in the channels your buyers trust
Buyers are swapping insights in private Slack groups, peer communities, podcast recaps, and YouTube comments — places your analytics can’t reach. To stay relevant, focus on visibility in the places your audience turns to for recommendations. That might mean sponsoring high-signal newsletters, partnering with industry creators and influencers, or contributing thought leadership to trusted third-party platforms.
To identify these channels, tools like SparkToro can help uncover where your audience spends time online — including the websites they visit, podcasts they listen to and social accounts they follow.
2. Create content designed for quiet influence
Most buyers in the dark funnel aren’t ready to talk. They’re gathering information to bring back to their team. Create resources that make them look smart — share-ready assets like explainer one-pagers, comparison charts, or short, skimmable guides they can pass around in a deck or Slack. The easier your content is to absorb and share, the more likely it’ll circulate behind the scenes.
3. Expand your definition of engagement
Not every signal looks like a consultation request. A repeat visit to your pricing page, a spike in traffic from a target account, or multiple high-intent pageviews in one session can all point to deeper interest. Use behavioral data to build smart audiences, then trigger low-friction touchpoints — like retargeting ads, followed by chatbot messages or content recommendations when they revisit your site — all personalized based on their past activity.
4. Give anonymous leads a reason to reveal themselves
Instead of pushing a hard CTA, offer a soft entry point: a calculator, a self-assessment, or an ungated webinar with an optional follow-up. When leads feel in control, they’re more likely to engage. You can also use tools like Ontraport to watch for repeat behavior, such as returning to a key page, then serve personalized calls-to-action when the timing is right.
5. Close the loop with automated, behavior-based follow-up
Just because someone isn’t in your CRM yet doesn’t mean they’re fully invisible. If you’re seeing repeat visits from a known company or anonymous engagement with high-intent content, don’t wait for a form fill. Use IP data or account-matching tools like Clearbit, 6sense, or Demandbase to identify which target accounts are active — even if the individual visitor is unknown.
Then build workflows that respond in real time:
- Trigger alerts when a target account is showing buying signals
- Enroll leads in a nurture sequence as soon as they convert and their anonymous activity is linked
- Flag key behaviors (like pricing page views or return visits) so your team can prioritize follow-up
These systems help you spot intent and act on it while interest is still high.
Why unified data is the key to seeing (and scaling) dark funnel intent
Why unified data is the key to seeing (and scaling) dark funnel intent
By now, you’ve seen how to uncover the early signs of dark funnel activity — from tracking anonymous return visits to catching word-of-mouth mentions in niche communities. These tactics can reveal critical buying signals you’d otherwise miss.
But to truly connect the dots you need a unified data foundation.
When your website analytics, CRM, email platform, attribution tools and automation live in silos, every team sees a different slice of the buyer journey. That anonymous session on your pricing page? It might look interesting in Google Analytics, but without the ability to automatically alert your sales reps to reach out because it’s a high-intent, high-value lead, you miss out on taking advantage of it.
Unifying your data solves that. It lets you:
Platforms like Ontraport make this possible by bringing your web behavior, CRM, email and campaign data together in one place. You can track each touchpoint, build smarter workflows, and surface intent even before someone fills out a form.
And once your systems speak the same language, you can layer in AI to:
But to truly connect the dots you need a unified data foundation.
When your website analytics, CRM, email platform, attribution tools and automation live in silos, every team sees a different slice of the buyer journey. That anonymous session on your pricing page? It might look interesting in Google Analytics, but without the ability to automatically alert your sales reps to reach out because it’s a high-intent, high-value lead, you miss out on taking advantage of it.
Unifying your data solves that. It lets you:
- Link anonymous behavior to known outcomes, so you can see which signals actually predict conversion
- Spot patterns across the full journey, not just in isolated tools
- Refine segmentation and scoring based on meaningful engagement, not superficial clicks
- Automate follow-up faster, with confidence that you’re acting on the right insights
Platforms like Ontraport make this possible by bringing your web behavior, CRM, email and campaign data together in one place. You can track each touchpoint, build smarter workflows, and surface intent even before someone fills out a form.
And once your systems speak the same language, you can layer in AI to:
- Identify which paths are most common for high-value buyers
- Detect micro-signals that often precede a purchase
- Pinpoint the quiet campaigns that are driving real pipeline impact
Final thoughts: It’s time to bring the dark funnel into the light
Final thoughts: It’s time to bring the dark funnel into the light
Invisible intent isn’t new, but today we finally have the tools to act on it. When your data is unified and your strategy reflects how buying actually happens, you can stop chasing surface-level signals and start seeing what really drives decisions.
The earlier you see intent, the better your chances of shaping the outcome.
The earlier you see intent, the better your chances of shaping the outcome.
Related content
Related content
Keep better track of your prospects and customers with Ontraport’s all-in-one CRM and automation platform.
Getting accurate deep funnel conversion data requires good tracking through the entire customer lifecycle and complete customer data. Here’s how it works.
Features
© Ontraport 2024
playlist_add_check
PCI DSS, Level 1
security
Privacy Shield Certified