Share of voice
shair of voys
The percentage of total market conversation that mentions your brand compared to competitors. How much of the conversation you own.
Share of voice measures how much of the market conversation your brand owns relative to competitors. If there are 1,000 mentions of companies in your category and 150 mention you, your SOV is 15%.
SOV is the best leading indicator of market share and correlates strongly with brand awareness. Research consistently shows that brands with SOV exceeding their market share tend to grow, and brands with SOV below their market share tend to shrink. If you have 10% market share and 15% SOV, you are likely gaining ground. If you have 10% market share and 5% SOV, you are becoming invisible.
Measure SOV across channels: analyst mentions, press coverage, social media, conference talks, and community discussions. Each channel tells a different story. You might dominate press coverage but be absent from developer forums. That gap is an opportunity.
Examples
Tracking SOV against competitors.
Monthly mentions across press, social, and community: Competitor A: 450 (38%). Competitor B: 320 (27%). Your company: 240 (20%). Competitor C: 180 (15%). You are third in SOV but growing. The trend matters more than the absolute number.
SOV predicts market share shifts.
In 2024, the company had 12% market share and 18% SOV. By 2025, market share grew to 17%. The excess SOV (6 points above market share) predicted the growth. The CMO uses this data to justify continued brand investment.
A new category entrant builds SOV from zero.
The company enters a category dominated by three incumbents. In month one, SOV is 2%. They launch an aggressive thought leadership campaign: weekly blog, monthly research reports, and conference speaking circuit. After 12 months, SOV reaches 12% and they are on analyst shortlists.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
How do you measure share of voice?
Track mentions of your brand and competitors across press, social media, analyst reports, community forums, and conference talks. Tools like Brandwatch, SparkToro, and Ahrefs can help. Calculate your mentions as a percentage of total category mentions. Track monthly or quarterly to see trends.
Why does share of voice matter?
Because it predicts future market share. Brands that are talked about more get considered more. Getting considered more leads to more pipeline. More pipeline leads to more market share. SOV is the leading indicator. Market share is the lagging one.
Related terms
The sum of every perception, association, and feeling people have about your company. What they say about you when you are not in the room.
The commercial value of customer perception. Strong brand equity means customers pay more, stay longer, and refer others.
How you differentiate your product from specific competitors. The answer to 'why should I choose you over them?'
Publicity and attention you did not pay for. Press coverage, social shares, word of mouth, and organic mentions.
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