Share of Voice (SOV) is a competitive metric in marketing, used to gauge a brand’s visibility and influence within its specific market. This metric provides a quantitative snapshot of how much of the conversation or presence a brand owns compared to its rivals. Understanding a brand’s SOV is a starting point for budgetary decisions and for formulating a competitive strategy that targets market growth.
What is Share of Voice (SOV)?
Share of Voice measures a brand’s presence relative to the total presence of all competitors within a defined market or category. It is a percentage that reflects how much of the overall commercial or conversational space a single brand occupies. This presence can be measured across various channels, including paid advertising, organic search results, and public relations mentions. The metric represents a brand’s ability to capture audience attention and establish a mental footprint among prospective customers. A higher SOV suggests greater authority and recognition, which is derived from a larger share of market presence.
How to Calculate Share of Voice
The formula for calculating Share of Voice is straightforward, though the input metrics vary based on the channel being measured. The core calculation is the brand’s metric divided by the total market metric, multiplied by 100 to yield a percentage. For traditional advertising, this often involves dividing a brand’s advertising expenditure by the total ad spending of the entire category over a set period. In the digital landscape, SOV is frequently calculated using non-spend metrics like impressions, ad clicks, or brand mentions. For instance, in social media, the calculation uses the number of times a brand is mentioned compared to the total mentions for all competitors.
The Relationship Between SOV and Market Share
A strong correlation exists between Share of Voice and Share of Market (SOM), which is the brand’s percentage of total category sales. Research established that market growth is achieved when a brand’s SOV exceeds its current SOM. This difference is known as Excess Share of Voice (ESOV), which is the fuel for future expansion. Maintaining an ESOV is required to increase a brand’s portion of total sales over time, as it builds the mental availability that precedes purchasing decisions. Conversely, a brand whose SOV is less than its SOM will likely see its market share contract in the long term.
Competitive Analysis and Benchmarking SOV
Share of Voice functions as a relative metric, requiring competitive intelligence to be used effectively for strategic planning. Marketers must first identify their competitive set, ensuring the analysis includes all relevant rivals vying for customer attention. Gathering competitive data requires specialized tools, such as media monitoring platforms, social listening software, and ad tracking services. These tools track competitor media spend, social mentions, and keyword visibility to establish an objective benchmark of presence. Analyzing this data provides the necessary context to determine if a brand is currently over- or under-investing relative to its growth goals.
Actionable Strategies to Increase Your SOV
Increasing Share of Voice requires strategic effort across multiple marketing functions, moving beyond simply increasing the overall budget.
Budget Reallocation and Paid Search
One effective approach involves budget reallocation, where spend is shifted from lower-impact channels to those offering higher visibility, such as a more aggressive pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. Auditing the existing keyword portfolio to ensure maximum impression share for high-value search terms can dramatically boost SOV within the paid search environment.
Organic and Earned Media Optimization
Channel optimization focuses on maximizing visibility in organic and owned media spaces. Investing in SEO and content marketing ensures the brand captures a larger share of organic search visibility for relevant industry topics. Building a community and encouraging user-generated content on social media platforms extends the brand’s presence without relying solely on paid impressions. The quality of the creative and messaging also plays a significant role, as distinctive content can amplify the impact of every dollar spent. Leveraging thought leadership through guest posting or securing influential media placements generates earned media mentions, which contributes substantially to the overall SOV calculation.
Limitations and Nuances of the SOV Metric
While Share of Voice is a useful indicator of market presence, it is not without limitations. The metric often measures the quantity of presence, such as the volume of mentions or impressions, without accounting for the quality or sentiment behind that presence. A high SOV fueled by negative reviews or a public relations crisis can be detrimental despite the numerical dominance. Furthermore, accurately measuring SOV across highly fragmented digital channels can be challenging. Small brands may benefit more from focusing on achieving a dominant SOV within a specific, high-value niche segment. Marketers must use SOV as one component within a broader analytical framework, combining it with metrics that measure engagement and sentiment.