In marketing, there are many indicators by which the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and promotion is determined. The main ones can be calculated. And they are on everyone’s lips: the familiar cost per lead, sales volume, sales growth, conversion, return on investment, effectiveness of mailings, and a bunch of others.

Today, we will discuss the indicator that is not the most popular. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean it is unnecessary. We are talking about Share of Voice.

What is Share of Voice?

Share of Voice (SoV) is a metric of your brand’s market share compared to your competitors. By SoV, you can judge a company’s recognizability. The higher the SoV in marketing, the greater the popularity and authority among users and potential customers.

Measuring SoV is important to:

• Evaluate marketing campaigns. By measuring SoV, you can understand how effectively you are communicating with your audience. If SoV grows after a special project or series of posts, it means users are attracted to the content and company image. They want to discuss it, share it with others, subscribe, and stay in touch.
• Modernize marketing. By evaluating the effectiveness of campaigns with SoV in mind, you can set clearer goals for your next marketing actions. You can also understand which channels are working more effectively than others and strengthen them.
• Compare yourself with competitors. It lets you know whether you’re doing well in competing with other companies in your industry.
• Evaluate brand reputation. By SoV, you can assess not only the effectiveness of your marketing steps but also generally understand how your audience perceives you. If you launch interesting advertising campaigns, but the Share of Voice is not growing, users may have you on their blacklist because of some past actions.

SoV calculations will show who is dominating the market and who needs to change their marketing strategy.

How to Calculate the Share Of Voice?

Here is a basic Share of Voice formula:

Source: Intelligent Marketing

ALT: SoV formula

However, calculating the number of marketing materials in the market, even in a specific niche, is very difficult, so other indicators are used. For example, GRP (Gross Rating Formula) reflects how many people view a particular advertisement. You can also use TRP (Target Rating Point).

Share of Voice calculation must be done separately for each channel: targeted ads, PPC, TV, media, and banners. When counting marketing materials across the entire market, it is important to take only those advertising a similar product. If you have advertised sneakers on social networks, it is important to see the rating of all advertising messages with sneakers posted by competitors on social networks.

SEO Share of Voice

Some SEO tools provide an already calculated Share of Voice metric, making it easier to track your performance without doing the math yourself. For instance, the SEO rank tracker by SE Ranking offers this feature, allowing you to see your share of traffic for specific keywords against competitors at a glance.

Source: SE Ranking
Alt: how to find Share of Voice metric in SE Ranking

However, if you prefer a more hands-on approach or want to understand the mechanics behind the numbers, you can calculate SoV using a straightforward formula:

Source: SE Ranking

ALT: SEO SoV

This formula gives you a clear percentage representing how much of the search traffic your website captures for those specific keywords compared to others in the same space.

PPC Share of Voice

Share of Voice advertising refers to the percentage of the total possible ad impressions your ads receive. It’s directly linked to your ad spend. The effectiveness of your bidding strategy also matters. Higher bids generally increase your SoV, but it’s not just about spending more – it’s about optimizing your ad campaigns.

Here is how to calculate PPC SoV:

Source: Mentionlytics

ALT: PPC SoV

This metric helps you understand how well you’re competing in the paid search arena.

PR Share of Voice

Regarding Public Relations (PR), Share of Voice is all about media coverage. It measures how much of the conversation or media mentions your brand garners compared to competitors.

Here is how to calculate Share of Voice PR:

Source: Mentionlytics

ALT: PR SoV

PR Share of Voice is crucial for understanding your brand’s influence and visibility in the public eye. The more mentions you have, the stronger your brand presence in the media landscape.

Social Media Share of Voice

Share of Voice on social media reflects how often your brand is mentioned in conversations compared to competitors. Don`t think this is just about the number of posts. It also comprises the engagement those posts generate—likes, shares, comments, and more.

Here is how to calculate social media SoV:

Source: Agency Analytics

ALT: Social Media Share of Voice

Monitoring Social Media SoV helps you understand your brand’s position in social conversations, enabling you to tailor your social strategy to boost visibility and engagement.

Improving Share of Voice

Here are the 5 effective strategies to improve your SoV.

Increase the Number of Keywords You Target

An effective way to improve your SoV in SEO is to broaden the range of keywords you target. But let’s get specific:

• Uncover hidden opportunities. Look for keywords your competitors are missing out on. Dig deeper to find less competitive, niche keywords with decent search volume.
• Target user intent. You must create your content with user intent in mind. Intent influences what you must emphasize in your content.
• Create content that hits the mark. This isn’t about churning out generic blog posts. Think about how you can add value. You can create detailed guides, actionable tips, or unique insights your competitors aren’t offering.

By expanding your keywords, you can tap into new audiences and increase your SoV meaningfully.

Optimize Pages for Your Target Keywords to Rank Higher

You need to make sure your pages are optimized to actually rank for the needed keywords:

• Create valuable content. Create content around target keywords and optimize its headings and structure.
• Work on on-page optimization. Ensure your pages align with Google’s guidelines for better rankings.
• Revamp your existing content. We advise adding new data, updating outdated information, or simply refreshing the language to keep it engaging. Search engines love fresh content, and so do readers.
• Use internal links wisely. Link to your most important pages from other high-traffic areas of your site. This helps with SEO and guides users to the content that matters most.

Optimizing your content is about making sure every piece works harder for you.

Increase Brand Visibility

Raising your brand’s profile is essential if you want to capture a larger share of voice:

• Cross-promote smartly. Link to your blog from your social media profiles, mention your social channels in your emails, and make sure all roads lead back to your website.
• Build relationships through PR. Get your brand featured in reputable publications. Whether through press releases, guest articles, or expert interviews, these mentions increase visibility. Moreover, they lend credibility to your brand.

You must get the right people to see your brand in the right places.

Expand Your Coverage

To increase the Share of Voice, it’s important not to focus only on social media or banner ads. Try different things: use influence marketing on Instagram, target your emails, or start a WhatsApp newsletter. The main thing is to test each format and monitor its effectiveness:

• Explore new platforms. Maybe LinkedIn is where your B2B clients spend their time. Perhaps TikTok is more relevant for a younger demographic.
• Localize content. If you operate in different regions, tailor your content to fit local cultures and languages. This improves your local SoV and shows that your brand understands and respects its audience’s unique needs.
• Partner with influencers. Find influencers who align with your brand’s values and audience. Their endorsement can introduce your brand to new, engaged audiences and significantly boost your coverage.

Expanding your coverage is about reaching people in new and effective ways, ensuring your brand is present wherever your audience is.

Stay Engaged on Social Media

For your metrics to grow, it’s important to be active regularly. It’s important to find a comfortable rhythm so that your audience is waiting for your emails, social media posts, and articles in blogs.

Try not just to talk about yourself but to build a dialog with your audience. Respond to comments and messages from users, let them share your content, and organize contests or interactive games.

Try to create content that can be of value to your users. This doesn’t mean you only need to educate – inspire, entertain, evoke emotions, talk about your product, and help them use it to its fullest potential.

Position Yourself As An Industry Expert

When your brand is seen as a go-to resource in your industry, your SoV naturally increases. Offer practical advice. Don’t just talk about trends or theories. Share actionable tips that people can apply right away. When you solve real problems, people will start to look to you for answers.

Positioning yourself as an expert isn’t about bragging. It’s about genuinely contributing to the conversation and helping others succeed.

Summary

Improving your Share of Voice is about consistently increasing your visibility across multiple channels. You can significantly boost your SoV by:

• Targeting more keywords
• Optimizing your content
• Increasing brand visibility
• Expanding your coverage
• Staying engaged on social media
• Positioning yourself as an industry expert

When implemented effectively, these strategies will help you dominate the conversation in your industry, ensuring your brand is seen, heard, and remembered.