9 ways to boost your brand's share of voice on social media

One of the top elements that affects a brand's appeal in today’s “socialverse” world is its social media presence. And considering the number of brands out there and how diverse audiences can be, it might be an uphill battle to make your social media content stand out.

Even the most persuasive social media posts, carefully chosen material and aesthetically pleasing graphics may not be well-received by your target audience. If this sounds familiar to you, your brand's share of voice on social media probably needs some work.

Here's some comforting news though — you're not alone in this struggle. Many businesses face the same challenge of standing out and capturing their audience's attention. But how can a brand truly shine in a marketplace that stretches to the virtual horizon, though? Well, let’s find out.

In this blog, you'll learn nine powerful strategies to amplify your brand's share of voice on social media. From optimizing your social media presence to crafting compelling messages, you'll get the know-how you’re seeking for every step.

What is a brand's share of voice on social media?

To start things off, let’s shed some light on what share of voice (SoV) is in the first place. Share of voice on social media refers to how much a brand or company is being talked about or mentioned on different social media platforms in contrast to its competitors within a specific industry or market. It’s a measure of the brand's visibility and dominance in online conversations.

It helps brands:

• Gauge their visibility and prominence on social media platforms
• Understand their position with respect to that of competitors and the overall market
• Measure the effectiveness of their social media marketing efforts
• Increase brand recognition and drive business growth

Why measure a brand's social share of voice?

Figuring out your brand's share of voice on social media is 101 if you want to more accurately gauge your brand's online presence and competitive position. Here's why measuring social share of voice is oh-so-important:

• Competitive analysis: It allows businesses to assess their market position in the online arena and compare their brand's performance against competitors
• Brand awareness: Measuring the share of voice on social media provides insights into brand visibility and recognition in the digital space
• Campaign evaluation: It helps in evaluating the impact of social media campaigns and in making data-driven adjustments for optimization
• Market insights: It reveals emerging trends, customer sentiment and consumer preferences
• Performance benchmarking: It provides a benchmark for tracking progress and setting goals

Basically, businesses that measure their share of voice on social media can make more data-driven decisions. That way, they can enhance their social media presence and drive success in the digital landscape.

Now, you may be thinking, “How do I do this, though?” Well, you can measure your social share of voice by tracking social media metrics, such as the number of mentions, likes, comments, shares or reach that a brand receives, in relation to your competitors or the overall market.

All right. With that out of the way, let’s look at some of the killer ways you can amp up your social media presence.

9 strategies to amplify your share of voice on social media

1. Develop a strong brand story

Imagine for a moment that you're in a busy marketplace, surrounded by vendors who are vying for your attention. Among the crowd, one vendor captures your interest. Their story resonates with you and their passion shines, and you're immediately drawn to their products. That's the power of a strong brand story.

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According to a study by Headstream, when people resonate with a brand story, it significantly influences their behavior. The study revealed that, when people identify with a brand story, 55% of them are more inclined to make a future purchase, 44% feel compelled to share the story and 15% are motivated to make an immediate purchase. Crazy numbers, right?

But how can you develop a captivating brand story? Well, here are the steps:

• Define your brand's core values and mission: What do you stand for? What drives your business forward? Define these fundamental elements to create a solid foundation for your brand story.
• Identify your unique aspects: What makes you special? Discover the distinct qualities, products or services that set you apart from the rest.
• Craft a narrative that engages your audience: Your brand story should speak directly to your target audience's challenges and expectations. So, create a narrative that resonates with them emotionally and makes them feel connected to your brand.

2. Understand your target audience

Have you ever spoken to a stranger without knowing anything about their interests or preferences? It feels much like shooting arrows in the dark.

Similarly, if you run a brand, understanding your target audience on different social media platforms is the key to amplifying your brand's share of voice on social media. Here's what it involves:

• Conduct market research: Dive deep into your industry, analyze social media trends and gather insights about your target audience. Find out their interests, online behaviors and purchasing habits.

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• Create detailed buyer personas: Develop the image of an ideal digital buyer and characterize them. Consider their age, gender, lifestyle and key asks. Use personas as a guide to tailor your social media content and engagement strategies.

Also Read: Audience Analysis

3. Share consistent and authentic content

It's crucial to maintain consistency and authenticity with content if you want to take your brand's share of voice to another level. Consistency in the type of opinions you share, the topics you cover and the messaging style you adopt are equally important, if not more. Here's what you can do:

• Be authentic: Share stories, experiences and insights that reflect your brand's true identity. Authenticity builds trust and establishes a genuine connection with your audience.

Patagonia, a pioneer in outdoor clothing, has nailed authenticity in brand messaging through its Worn Wear program. Through this program, Patagonia recycles its used gear as a sustainability measure.

Buyers can either trade in their used Patagonia gear or buy used gear at reasonable prices. Thanks to this initiative, the brand has been praised for prioritizing environmental sustainability above fast fashion . This program is pretty much an extension of the company's aim for sustainability in the textile manufacturing industry.

• Construct a content strategy: Make sure your social media content is thought out well in advance and that it reflects the core principles of your company and your intended audience. That way, a content calendar will be real handy in helping you maintain a consistent posting schedule.

4. Engage and interact with your audience

It’s no surprise that social media was never designed to be a one-way street. After all, it does have the word “social” in it. It's a vibrant community where conversations thrive. And here’s how you can actively engage and interact with your audience in those conversations to amplify your share of voice:

• Respond to comments and messages promptly: Show your audience that you genuinely care about their thoughts and inquiries. Respond to their comments and messages in a timely and authentic manner.
• Initiate conversations: Spark discussions by asking questions, seeking opinions or sharing thought-provoking content. Encourage your audience to share their experiences and ideas.

Interesting Read: 3 effective ways to improve customer engagement on social media

5. Collaborate with social media influencers

Influencers hold immense power in today's social media realm. The Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report for 2023 shows that influencer marketing may grow to have a market size with a net worth of nearly $21.1 billion in 2023.

Collaborating with influencers can help your brand reach a wider digital audience while enhancing your brand's share of voice on social media. Don’t believe us? Just look at these stats.

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Now that the benefits are clear, here are a few tips on how you can go about influencer marketing:

• Discover the perfect influencer: Find influencers who embody the essence of your brand and captivate your target audience. Seek out those whose content harmoniously aligns with your values while resonating deeply with their substantial following.
• Forge beneficial partnerships: Build partnerships based on trust and authenticity, where you can rely on your influencers to seamlessly imbue your brand’s identity into their content. This way, they’ll be painting a vivid picture that your audience can effortlessly connect with.
• Harness an influencer's reach and influence: Allow influencers to voice their opinions of their experience with your brand. Let them invite their followers to embark on a thrilling journey of discovery by getting hands-on with your remarkable products and services.

Also Read: Influencer marketing strategy: a comprehensive guide

6. Invest in paid social media advertising

While there’s no denying that organic reach is valuable, paid social media advertising can significantly boost your brand's share of voice, too. In fact, according to the 2023 study by Semrush, 51% of businesses opt for paid social media ads as a method to improve content reach.

So, here's how you can make the most of it:

• Establish precise objectives: Choose the goals for your paid advertising campaigns. The goals can be anything from raising brand awareness and increasing website traffic to generating leads or conversions.
• Identify the right platforms: Understand where your target audience spends their time online and choose the appropriate social media platforms for your paid advertising efforts.
• Craft compelling ad creatives: Develop visually appealing and persuasive ad content that captures your audience’s attention and prompts them to act.

7. Harness the power of user-generated content

Imagine scrolling through your social media feed and stumbling upon posts where real customers rave about a brand's products or services. Well, that’s exactly what user-generated content (UGC) is, and it can be crazy effective at boosting your brand's share of voice.

In the early 2010s, Coca-Cola launched its renowned "Share a Coke" campaign, leaving an unforgettable mark on the global marketing landscape. By printing customers’ names on the labels of their iconic beverage, Coca-Cola ignited a wildfire of enthusiasm where tons of posts, mentions and comments came pouring in in appreciation of the campaign.

The campaign's resounding success was felt not only in the hearts of consumers but also in the company's bottom line, with a noteworthy 2% boost in US sales directly attributed to its triumph. It was truly a testament to the power of personalization and the enduring appeal of the Coca-Cola brand.

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This example shows that UGC can work wonders for your brand’s share of voice. And if you want to try some of that UGC magic, here are a couple of tips that’ll help you:

• Encourage customers to share their experiences: Create campaigns or contests that encourage your customers to generate digital content that’s related to your brand. And don’t forget to offer incentives or rewards for their participation.
• Share UGC across your platforms: Highlight UGC on your social media channels, website, or other marketing materials. It not only showcases your happy customers but also builds trust and social proof.

Also Read: How to leverage user-generated content to drive engagement & conversions on social media

8. Leverage social media analytics

It can’t be stressed enough how critical it is to gather insights and track your performance on social media if you truly want to amplify your brand's share of voice. When you leverage social media analytics, you’ll have a better idea of how to refine your strategies and optimize your efforts.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to make the most of analytics:

• Track important metrics: Determine the social media KPIs that mean the most to your brand, like reach, click-through rates and conversion rates. Keep an eye on these metrics to evaluate the success of your social media initiatives.
• Analyze audience behavior: Dive into the data to understand how your digital audience engages with your online content. Identify trends, peak engagement times and preferences to tailor your content and posting schedule accordingly.
• Identify top-performing content: Analyze which types of content resonate the most with your audience. Are videos doing the trick or are images and blog posts your miracle workers? And use this information to create more of what works and to refine your content strategy.

Learn More: 7 key social media metrics to track

9. Keep experimenting

Experimentation will lead you to more unique means of engagement. So, always remain open to fresh concepts and methods to draw in your audience and set yourself apart from rivals. Be proactive, explore various content forms and stay on top of trends.

This constant drive for innovation not only makes you stand out from the competition but also helps with long-term success in your industry.

3 essential metrics to measure share of voice on social media

There are a few basic formulas and approaches that’ll help you keep track of your brand's share of voice on social media. Out of them, here are the three formulas that are more commonly used:

1. Mentions Share of Voice: This formula calculates the percentage of brand mentions in relation to the total number of mentions within a specific industry or topic. Here’s the formula to measure your brand's mentions on social media:

Mentions Share of Voice = (Brand Mentions/Total Mentions) x 100

Example: If your brand has 100 mentions, and the total number of mentions in the industry is 1000, your mentions share of voice would be (100/1000) x 100 = 10%.

2. Engagement Share of Voice: This formula measures the level of engagement (likes, shares, comments, etc.) your brand receives in comparison to the total engagement within a specific industry or topic. Here's the formula:

Engagement Share of Voice = (Brand Engagement/Total Engagement) x 100

Example: If your brand has received 1000 engagements, and the total industry engagement is 5000, your engagement share of voice would be (1000/5000) x 100 = 20%.

3. Follower Base Share of Voice: This formula compares the number of followers or fans your brand has on social media platforms against the follower/fan counts of your competitors. The formula is as follows:

Follower Base Share of Voice = (Brand Follower/Fan Count/Competitor Follower Count) x 100

Example: If your brand has 10,000 followers, and your competitor has 50,000 followers, your follower/fan base share of voice would be (10,000/50,000) x 100 = 20%.

Note that these are the most common metrics to track the share of voice on social media. However, depending on your specific goals and requirements, you may add additional metrics or tailor the formulas to suit your needs.

Staying ahead of the social media curve

Boosting your brand's share of voice on social media is vital if you want to stand out in a crowded digital landscape. By implementing the 9 strategies that we spoke about, you can connect with your audience at a deeper level, drive business growth and outshine your competitors.

If your business generates a large amount of data, has a presence on multiple social media channels and requires close monitoring, a digital transformation service provider like Sprinklr can help you unlock the true potential of your brand.

What’s more, when it comes to social media, Sprinklr Social will empower you to listen more closely to your audience, streamline your social media operations, drive revenue and amplify your brand's share of voice.

To discover how Sprinklr can be your ideal partner in your quest to boost your brand's share of voice, schedule a demo with our experts today!