The Secret Weapon for Demand and Brand Markets: Social Listening

Forget what you thought you knew about social listening because what used to be a reactive tool is now a competitive intelligence powerhouse.

Whether you’re a brand marketer or an executive, brand awareness matters more than ever. But proving its impact has always been a challenge. Traditional brand metrics like awareness and interest can feel intangible, making it difficult to justify investments. This is where social listening becomes indispensable. It doesn’t just reveal what’s being said about your brand—it also quantifies how much of the conversation you truly own.

Share of voice is essential

A type of social listening called share of voice (SOV) reporting has long been a valuable way to assess brand effectiveness. It allows marketers to measure visibility, track competitive positioning, and refine messaging to strengthen influence. But today, SOV is no longer optional—it’s essential. Today’s digital-first landscape demands deeper insights into audience engagement and market positioning. Here’s why SOV reporting should be a priority:

• Benchmark against competitors: Understand how your brand compares to industry leaders and emerging players.
• Uncover content opportunities: Identify gaps in conversations where your brand can establish thought leadership.
• Measure campaign effectiveness: Evaluate the real impact of PR efforts, influencer collaborations, and content marketing strategies.
• Analyze competitive sentiment: Track how audiences feel about your brand and competitors to uncover brand vulnerabilities and identify messaging that genuinely connects with your target market, driving deeper engagement and brand advocacy.

With SOV insights, B2B marketers can optimize their positioning, craft data-driven content strategies, and ensure their brand voice resonates in the right spaces. Essential? You bet.

You can use share of voice to drive business success. We can help.

How does CMD leverage SOV to drive measurable success for our clients? Here are three recent success stories:

• Event marketing: At a recent trade show, CMD tracked SOV for a client and found low initial visibility. By analyzing audience conversations, we identified key themes to refine their messaging, guiding their post-event marketing strategy. Over the following months, their SOV grew steadily, highlighting opportunities to amplify their message and the impact of data-driven adjustments.
• Product launch: When a client introduced a new technology solution, CMD used social listening to monitor their SOV against competitors. By analyzing sentiment patterns and identifying emotional responses across key channels, the client adjusted their campaign mid-launch to strengthen consumer confidence and boost visibility.
• Brand pivot and repositioning: A B2B company undergoing a brand refresh wanted to assess its current market perception. SOV analysis revealed that while their brand was well known, competitors were owning discussions around innovation. This insight led to a repositioning strategy that emphasized their cutting-edge solutions, increasing their SOV in key industry conversations.

At CMD, we help brands turn social listening into a strategic advantage. Let’s talk about how your brand’s share of voice stacks up and how to use these insights to fuel your marketing success.