What is the Share of Voice?
The share of voice (SOV) is a metric in marketing that measures the visibility or presence of a brand, product, or service in relation to its competitors. It essentially refers to the brand’s popularity, awareness, and dominance level in the industry, illustrating its place within the market.
In SEO, the share of voice represents the visibility of your website on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for specified keywords and the proportion of clicks it receives. The higher your share of voice, the greater your popularity, visibility, and authority within your industry.
Traditionally, the share of voice referred to the share of paid advertising. Today, it has a more comprehensive meaning, encompassing various measurable forms of brand awareness such as website traffic, PPC, and social media mentions, reflecting a brand’s overall online visibility.
Why is the Share of Voice Important?
The share of voice is important because it helps a brand understand its current position within a given market, identifies potential challenges, and benchmarks its success against the competition. Here are some key reasons why you need to measure the share of voice:
- Public Relations: SOV measures brand-related media coverage, helping assess the effectiveness of PR campaigns and informing future media strategies.
- Consumer Insights: It provides insight into consumers’ behaviors, opinions, preferences, and industry trends, offering valuable information about your audience.
- Campaign Tracking: It helps measure the results of marketing campaigns, showing what resonates with target audiences and what competitors are doing right.
- Brand Management: Measuring SOV provides insights into brand awareness, how often it’s mentioned on different platforms, and the sentiment behind those mentions, allowing proactive reputation management.
How to Calculate SOV?
Your brand’s share of voice can generally be measured using the following formula:
SOV = Your brand’s metrics / Total market metrics
This formula remains consistent across different marketing channels, with variations based on your goals and the metrics tracked. The four primary areas of focus when measuring SOV are:
- PPC Share of Voice: Related to ad visibility, specifically Impression Share, found under “Campaigns” in Google Ads.
- SEO Share of Voice: Pertains to organic search visibility compared to competitors. Use tools like Ranktracker Rank Tracker to check your rankings in SERPs.
- Social Media Share of Voice: Measures how often your brand is mentioned in consumers’ conversations on social media.
- Media Share of Voice: Measures mentions on blogs and news websites, helping determine which publications mention your brand and competitors.
How to Increase Your Brand’s Share of Voice?
If you've measured your brand's SOV and identified areas for improvement, consider the following strategies to boost your brand's share of voice:
- Create Valuable Content: Produce content that people will talk about and want to share with others.
- Be Active on Social Platforms: Increase your activity on social media to prevent competitors from growing their share of voice.
- Engage with Your Audience: Use social media not just for content distribution but also to engage and connect with your audience.
- Establish Thought Leadership: Share your insights on relevant websites, industry-specific publications, or your blog to establish yourself as an expert in your niche.
- Improve SEO: Optimize your website’s content with the right keywords to achieve higher rankings in SERPs, leading to more organic traffic and increased brand awareness.
FAQs
What is Share of Voice?
Share of voice (SOV) measures the visibility or presence of a brand, product, or service in relation to its competitors. It reflects the brand’s popularity, awareness, and dominance in the market.
Why is Share of Voice important?
Share of voice is important because it helps a brand understand its current position in the market, identifies potential challenges, and benchmarks its success against competitors. It also provides insights into consumer behavior, campaign effectiveness, and brand awareness.
How can I increase my brand’s Share of Voice?
To increase your brand’s share of voice, create valuable content, be active on social media, engage with your audience, establish thought leadership, and improve your SEO to achieve higher rankings in SERPs.
