The theory is…the more share of voice a brand has, the more share of the market it should have.
Like most things related to marketing, the rise of digital media and our ever-connected digital world has rendered share of voice almost meaningless.
Why?
Simply stated, when everyone has a media/marketing megaphone “voice” in the market, nobody really has a meaningful or even measurable “share” of that voice.
It’s all white noise.
Would you like a share of that?
I think not.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m a big proponent of the metric, it’s just that it really doesn’t apply to today’s digital media world.
The marketing buzzards will debate this of course and I welcome it.
According to Forbes, consumers are bombarded with 10,000 ads per day—that’s a lot of “voice” to breakthrough wouldn’t you say?
You want to really know who has the biggest share of voice in today’s digital media world?…
…bots.
That’s right – fake internet traffic.
According to Imperva’s Annual Bad Bot Report, bad bot traffic amounted to 25.6 percent of all website traffic in 2020.
Bot that’s not it…
…”good bot” traffic (whatever that is!) accounted for 15.2 percent of all website traffic last year as well…
…meaning, actual HUMAN WEBSITE TRAFFIC is only 59.2% of all internet traffic and on the decline.
And it only gets worse from here.
While the total cost of ad fraud is highly debated—one report from TrafficGuard/Juniper reports ad fraud at $34 billion and predicts it will increase to $87 billion by 2022.
Unfortunately, the share of voice (SOV) metric has turned into the “share of shitshow” voice…(SOS!)
Just saying.
Where to find your share of voice
Here’s a tip—go offline.
Remember print?
(It’s that cool old-school magazine you’re currently holding in your hands.)
Put your phone down for a second, you’re going to like this!
Well, print is finite—it has a beginning and end.
You can create an outsized share of voice in media that is finite like print.
To enhance your voice’s effect—find the most relevant print for your brand and market.
And go all in.
It’s also how you can create leverage in your marketing.
Leverage in marketing allows you to increase your output to input ratio—when less is more!
Seth Godin says it this way…
It’s better to be seen a lot in a few places than it is to be seen a little in a lot of places.
Pure common sense ain’t it?
And perhaps that is what’s missing in today’s marketing world – common sense.
Everyone is trying to outthink and outsmart…
…the reality is that common sense and counterintuitive thinking always win the day.
I recently saw an article with the title “How to beat Google at their own game.”
Ludicrous and laughable I say!
Google is the game.
They, along with a few other “digital casinos” own all the slot machines and control all of the chips.
Just like in Las Vegas, you can’t beat the house.
Sure, lighting strikes and there are exceptions, but the smart money doesn’t play that game.
But the marketing buzzards will spend your money unlike their own—gambling away in search of a digital share of voice for your brand.
Beware the buzzards, the marketing truth is out there but you gotta work a little harder these days to find it.
Repetition—the voice heard.
After much internal deliberation—I’ve concluded and believe I have found the magical and mystical key to marketing success (and success in anything one seeks in life.)
Repetition.
Awe, the sheer beauty, and simplicity of repetition.
Repetition is powerful.
It’s how things get done, get built, get better.
Repetition of…
…action…
…learning…
…applying…
…refining.
Repetition is how you create a brand.
And it’s the only real “voice” the market ever hears.
But remember, repetition needs relevance—it’s lost without it.
Repeat “where & what” is worth repeating.