Share of Voice (SOV) explained in marketing + free πŸ”’ calculator

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Share of Voice (SOV) is an important metric in marketing that measures the ratio of a company’s or brand’s advertising presence compared to its competitors in a given market or industry. SOV is a crucial indicator to evaluate brand awareness, market share and competitive positioning. Discover even more KPI & marketing calculators here.

Meaning: Definition in marketing

The share of voice shows the percentage of advertising activity that a brand has compared to its competitors in a defined period or on a specific advertising platform. It can be measured at various levels, such as ad spend, share of ad impressions, or social media presence. A high SOV may indicate that a brand is well positioned and holds a significant market share, while a low SOV may indicate lower visibility and competitiveness.

Calculation: Calculate SOV

The calculation of Share of Voice depends on the metric you choose. Here are some common methods:

SOV based on advertising expenses

You take your brand’s ad spend and divide it by the total spend of all competitors, then multiply the result by 100 to express it as a percentage.

SOV based on advertising impressions

You take the number of ad impressions of your brand and divide it by the total number of ad impressions of all competitors, then multiply the result by 100 to express it as a percentage.

SOV based on social media presence

You take the number of social media posts your brand has and divide it by the total number of social media posts all competitors have, then multiply the result by 100 to express it as a percentage.

To illustrate, let’s say that in a given market, your brand and its top three competitors have 25%, 30%, 20%, and 25% of SOV based on advertising spend, respectively. Then your SOV is:

SOV = 25% / (25% + 30% + 20% + 25%) * 100 = 25%

SOV Calculator

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Calculator from Social Media One

Meaning of the SOV calculation

Share of Voice is an important indicator to understand the market presence and competitive positioning of a brand. A high SOV may indicate that the brand is well known in the target audience and holds a significant market share. A low SOV may indicate lower visibility and competitiveness, which may require a review and optimization of the marketing strategy.

Example: Optimization of the SOV

An electronics company wants to improve its SOV in online advertising to increase brand awareness. Currently, the SOV based on advertising spend is 15%, while the top three competitors hold 25%, 20% and 30% of the SOV respectively. The company decides to target advertising spend more effectively and use new advertising platforms to increase reach. As a result, SOV increases to 20%.

By optimizing the SOV, the electronics company can improve its visibility in the market and better reach potential customers.

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