Share of Voice

Share of Voice (SOV) is the measure of a brand’s visibility and prominence in online conversations and media coverage compared to its competitors. It quantifies how much a brand is being talked about online relative to the overall discussion in its industry or market.

SOV quantifies the relative portion of brand mentions, discussions, and sentiment across digital platforms like social media, news sites, blogs, and forums. It serves as a key indicator of a brand’s online presence, mindshare, and reputation in relation to the overall market and rival brands. By monitoring SOV, brands can gauge their level of online visibility, identify shifts in consumer perception, and assess the effectiveness of their marketing and reputation management efforts compared to competitors.

• Calculates percentage of brand mentions vs. total industry mentions
• Tracks brand visibility trends over time and vs. competitors
• Measures impact of marketing, PR, and reputation management efforts
• Identifies share of positive, neutral, and negative brand sentiment
• Benchmarks brand prominence against key rivals
• Reveals which platforms and channels generate the most brand buzz
• Helps prioritize resources to high-impact areas for reputation enhancement

For example, a smartphone brand might use SOV analysis to determine what percent of online discussions about smartphones mention their brand vs. Apple, Samsung, and others, and compare the ratio of positive to negative mentions. They may find that while they have a high SOV on tech forums, they lag on social media, indicating a need to adjust their social strategy. Or they may note a rising proportion of negative sentiment following a product issue, allowing them to take swift action to address concerns and repair brand reputation.

• Monitor SOV regularly to spot trends and emerging issues early
• Analyze factors driving SOV changes to inform strategy adjustments
• Set SOV improvement targets tied to reputation management goals
• Compare SOV to key business metrics to gauge bottom-line impact
• Use SOV insights to optimize channel mix and marketing tactics

By closely tracking SOV as a core reputation metric, brands can stay attuned to online conversations, perceptions, and competitor activity to proactively manage their digital reputation and visibility. Improving SOV through targeted marketing, PR, and customer engagement efforts can help brands capture a greater share of positive online mindshare to support their overall business objectives.