When I was younger, my Mom would always tell me to avoid being the loudest person in the room. She would go on to mention how, when you're the loudest person in the room, you're controlling the conversation, leading others around you to think that you're just talking for attention. Well, I'm here to tell you maybe Mom was wrong (sorry, Mom).

In the realm of virtual spaces, the more space you take up online, the better. Marketers call this share of voice (SOV), or the amount of attention your brand captures relative to competitors for the same audience. The more room you're able to take up, the better chance you have of someone remembering who you are, what you offer, and that keeps you top of mind.

Why does share of voice matter?

Share of voice is the amount of digital clout you have among your competitors and others in the space in which you work. 

For example, think about some of the most popular phone brands. What Top 2 come to mind: Apple and Samsung. Can you guess numbers 3 through 5 on the list? Motorola, Google (Pixel), and OnePlus. The top two account for roughly 80% of the US market, making them the major players among the most popular phone brands.

Now, consumer items like a cell phone don’t translate to every sector of business, but the parallel is there: standing out and staying ahead. When you’re in the Top 2 of the top-selling phones, you control attention, influence, and visibility that shapes buying decisions long before someone makes a purchase. 

Share of voice works the same way, popping up in more places than people expect:

• Search rankings and featured AI snippets that keep your brand visible
• Social media conversations, replies, and community engagement
• Paid ads to break through crowded searches and social feeds
• Blog content and thought leadership that builds authority

When these core share-of-voice pillars work together, your presence becomes hard to ignore.

Owning a slice of the share of voice pie

Share of voice is not about being everywhere all at once. 

Every blog post, search result, and comment reply is a piece of the puzzle that your brand occupies online. Some brands try to flood the internet with content, hoping something sticks. Others focus on providing purpose, and over time, they become the names people recognize without even thinking about it (hint: you want to be the latter).

People do not make decisions after seeing something once. They search, compare, leave, come back, and keep scrolling until something feels trustworthy. When your brand keeps showing up during that process, you become memorable. Not because you were the loudest voice in one moment (maybe Mom had a point), but because you know how to appear where your audience likes to hang out.

How do brands grow their share of voice?

Growing share of voice is less about one big high-budget digital campaign and more about stacking small wins over time. 

It starts with knowing where you stand. Search for your relevant topics and services. Who shows up first? What questions are already being answered, and which ones are missing? Those between-the-gap moments are your opportunity to step in with content that is useful, relevant, and easy to find. 

The strongest brands focus on ownership, not just visibility. They pick a few key topics and build authority around them consistently through blogs, social conversations, and paid support when it makes sense. 

Remember: repetition builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust—kind of like how I keep reenforcing this point. 

So how do you actually measure share of voice?

A few simple signals can tell you how visible your brand is:

• Search visibility: Look at how often your brand appears for primary keywords compared to competitors. Rankings, featured AI snippets, and impressions all tell a part of the story.
• Social engagement: Track all mentions, replies, and conversations around your brand vs. others.
• Content reach: Review internal web analytics that continue driving traffic over time. If your content keeps showing up in search, your share of voice is growing.

Looking for share of voice tools? Here are some of our favorite tools for tracking it: Ahrefs, Brandwatch, and HubSpot. Ahrefs compares keyword rankings and search visibility, Brandwatch tracks social mentions and conversations, and HubSpot connects traffic, campaigns, and engagement to show how your visibility grows over time.

Grow your share of voice with a strategy that hits the mark

If you know what to say but aren’t sure how to deliver it, we’ll help put your message in front of the right listeners. With a mix of SEO, brand strategy, and social media expertise, we can help you find your ideal target and hit the audience bullseye.