Definition
Share of Voice (SoV) is a marketing metric used to assess a brand's prominence relative to its competitors within a defined space, often a particular market, industry, or online conversation. In the context of generative AI search, SoV can be understood as the proportion of relevant search results or AI-generated responses that feature a specific brand or its associated keywords, compared to the total volume of results or mentions for all competitors. It quantifies how often a brand is seen or heard in the digital landscape.
To calculate SoV, one typically identifies a set of relevant keywords or topics. Then, the volume of mentions or appearances for a specific brand is tracked across various platforms, such as search engine results pages (SERPs), social media, news articles, and importantly, within the output of generative AI models. This volume is then compared to the total volume of mentions for all tracked competitors within the same keyword set. For instance, if a brand is mentioned in 20% of the AI-generated answers for a set of industry-specific queries, its SoV for those queries is 20%. The scope can be broad, encompassing all online mentions, or narrow, focusing on specific platforms or keyword groups relevant to a particular campaign or business objective.
Examples
- If a coffee shop is mentioned in 30% of the online reviews for cafes in its city, its Share of Voice in local reviews is 30%.
- In AI-generated summaries about sustainable fashion, if a particular brand's products are referenced in 15% of the generated responses across different AI engines, its SoV for that topic is 15%.
Why It Matters
Understanding Share of Voice is crucial for evaluating brand awareness and competitive positioning in crowded markets. It helps businesses identify opportunities to increase their visibility and measure the effectiveness of their marketing and content strategies, especially as AI engines become primary sources of information.
First Step
Identify the top 5-10 keywords or topics most relevant to your business and target audience.