Growing followers at a record pace means nothing if the competitor grows faster. What matters in a contested market is relative growth — and it’s measured with two pieces that few teams track together: share of voice and engagement benchmark.
7 in 10
brands measure their own engagement but don’t compare the slice of attention they lose to competitors.
Batedor’s reading of Salesforce, State of Marketing 2024
Share of attention tends to precede market share — brands grow by being noticed by more people, more often.
How to calculate SOV step by step
- Define the competitive set (3 to 6 brands competing for the same customer).
- Choose the base metric: mentions, total engagement or active ads.
- Add up your brand’s value and each competitor’s over the same period.
- Divide your value by the sum of all of them.
SOV of mentions, of engagement and of ads
Mentions
Who talks most about the category. Measures awareness and word of mouth.
Engagement
Who generates the most reaction per piece of content. Measures real resonance.
Ads
Who occupies the most paid media. Measures investment pressure.
Engagement benchmark by network
Engagement rates vary a lot by platform — comparing Instagram with Facebook on the same yardstick is a classic mistake. Use per-network medians as a starting point:
Median engagement rate by network (market reference)
Fonte: Reference ranges consolidated from public reports (DataReportal, Rival IQ-style).
How much SOV is “enough”? The Excess Share of Voice rule
Attention distribution in your category
Visualizing the whole pie makes the investment conversation obvious: you want to turn 18% into 25% — and that means taking it from someone.
Engagement share of voice — category example
- Competitor A31% (31%)
- Competitor B27% (27%)
- Your brand18% (18%)
- Competitor C14% (14%)
- Others10% (10%)
Before and after measuring SOV
I only look at my numbers
- “We grew 8% in the month”
- No market reference
- You celebrate or get frustrated in the dark
I compare against the category
- “We grew 8%, the category 14% — we lost SOV”
- A share target, not an absolute number
- An investment decision based on reality
Monthly measurement routine
SOV without it becoming an eternal spreadsheet
Stage 1
Collect
Mentions and engagement of the set’s brands in the month.
Stage 2
Normalize
Same denominator (followers or reach) for everyone.
Stage 3
Calculate SOV
Your slice in mentions and in engagement.
Stage 4
Compare
Change vs the previous month and vs market share.
Stage 5
Decide
Where to invest content/media to move the slice.
Vanity traps
Referências e leitura complementar
- Binet, L. & Field, P. (2013). The Long and the Short of It: Balancing Short and Long-Term Marketing. IPA link .
- Sharp, B. (2010). How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know. Oxford University Press link .
- DataReportal & We Are Social (2024). Digital 2024: Brazil. Kepios link .
- Salesforce (2024). State of Marketing Report. Salesforce link .
- Meta (2024). Instagram for Business — Engagement Benchmarks. Meta link .
- Drucker, P. (1954). The Practice of Management. Harper & Row.
- Opinion Box (2024). Social Media Survey in Brazil. Opinion Box link .
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