There are thousands of social marketing influencers out there right now, creating a lot of unnecessary noise for entrepreneurs and marketing professionals looking for the top dogs to follow to get the most relevant and actionable information and advice available.
Tuning out noise is something we all have to be very conscious of. But, if you want to stay informed about what’s working, what’s not, what’s trending, and what’s soon to come in the world of online marketing, you need to know who’s opinions carry the most weight.
Following is a list of 5 major marketing influencers you should start following right now on all the platforms they make content available on:
1. Gary Vee
@GaryVee has gotta be the top social media influencer in online social media marketing, right? Go ahead and make fun of his frenzied, energetic message-delivery if you want. The man has forgotten more about social networks and marketing than most experts online have ever learned. Famous for his first big success Wine Library TV, he’s certainly come a long way. He’s famous for ranting and blasting his opinions on everything related to online marketing, and has a huge millennial following online.
2. Jon Rampton
@JonRampton is a force to be reckoned with on several social platforms. His following on Twitter is comparatively massive compared to most of the others on this list. He’s considered to be a major social connector and influencer, founder of payment processor Due.com, and hailed as one of the most influential PPC experts on the planet for the last few years.
3. Grant Cardone
@GrantCardone is everywhere on social media, and has been for some time. He’s a sales genius, half-billion-dollar real estate mogul, certified one-percenter, best-selling author, and awesome YouTuber. His vlogcast, Young Hustlers is relevant regardless of what age you are, and I’m personally a huge fan of Whatever it Takes, which can also be found on his YT video roll.
4. Ann Handley
Anne Handley is the chief content officer @MarketingProfs. Forbes named her the Most Influential Woman in Social Media and a top 20 female blogger. She’s a powerhouse of proven information and offering actionable SEO advice including local, ecommerce, and social targeting.
5. Neil Patel
@NeilPatel is a major force across several platforms including his massively successful online marketing blog, Crazy Egg, and KISSmetrics. Patel is definitely one of the most influential marketing influencers in the SEO game today, though there’s so many out there to consider. Obama listed him as one of the top entrepreneurs in the country under 30 a few years back. He also has a podcast that I hear is really informative.
Who’s Your Favorite?
Let me know which social marketing influencer you listen to most — even if they’re not this list (unlikely). There’s a lot of great marketing information out there, let’s all work to help each other out. Link to your favorite influencer in the comments.
Here’s to grinding harder in the second quarter of 2017 than you did in the first!
