50 Online Marketing Influencers to Watch

Through the years, digital marketing is considered as the key to every successful business, no matter what the business’ size is. That is why, nowadays, there are lots of industry experts who are willing to help entrepreneurs by sharing their skills and expertise. But who among these experts are the best and have proven to be the leading authority?

When it comes to choosing the “top 50”, there are many things to consider. In this list, some of the things that we consider are the usability and dependability of the blogs and social media posts of the influencer. They must possess exceptional knowledge in one or more fields of online marketing. We also consider the size of their audience, their capacity to create and maintain a community, the awards that they obtained, the books that they have written as well as their level of engagement on social media or blog.

So, who are these experts that we have chosen? Below is the list of our 50 top online marketing influencers who are worth following.

1. John Rampton

John Rampton is the founder of Due.com. He is both a connector and an entrepreneur. At the same time, he is also a constant contributor for TechCrunch, Entrepreneur.com, and The Huffington Post. Rampton also offers startup advice on his own blog. He is a successful entrepreneur who likes to create exceptional products and services.

2. Rand Fishkin

Rand Fishkin, the former CEO and founder of Moz, is an expert in entrepreneurship, marketing, and SEO. Also known as the “Wizard of Moz”, Fishkin is also a speaker and an author. Some of his famous works include “SEO: Insights from the Moz Blog” and “Inbound Marketing.”

3. Neil Patel

Neil Patel is the founder of Quick Sprout, Crazy Egg, and KISSMetrics. Aside from being an entrepreneur, Patel is also an expert in marketing, web analytics, and conversion. He also regularly contributes to several publications including Entrepreneur.com, Forbes, TechCrunch, and Inc.

4. Ann Handley

Ann Handley is the co-founder of ClickZ, the chief content officer of MarketingProfs, and an author. “Everybody Writes” is one of her best-selling books. Handley is also a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, a keynote speaker, and an expert in digital marketing.

5. Larry Kim

The founder of WordStream and an expert in pay per click. Aside from being a regular contributor to Inc., Forbes, and Search Engine Land, Larry Kim is also a well-known author of several award-winning books.

6. Wil Reynolds

Wil Reynolds is the founder of SEER Interactive, an SEM/SEO consulting firm in Philadephia. Reynolds is also a famous keynote speaker is various events such as Pubcon 2015.

7. Arnie Kuenn

Arnie Kuenn works as an instructor for the Online Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing Institute. However, he is well known as the CEO of Vertical Measures. Kuenn also writes “Content Marketing Works: 8 Steps to Transform Your Business.”

8. Heidi Cohen

A speaker, Riverside Marketing Strategies’ president, and the chief content officer at Actionable Marketing Guide. Heidi Cohen is also the co-author of “Instant Content Marketing Success: 10 Tips from Leading Content Marketing Experts.”

9. Shama Hyder

Shama Hyder is both the CEO and the founder of Marketing Zen. She is a keynote speaker and the author of the famous book “The Zen of Social Media Marketing.” She was even included in Forbes’ 30 Under 2015: Marketing & Advertising.

10. Amy Africa

Amy Africa is a famous speaker and the CEO of Eight by Eight. She also worked with prominent clients such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and American Express.

11. Brian Halligan

Brian Halligan is HubSpot’s co-founder and CEO. She is an instructor at MIT and the co-author of “Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs.”

12. Michael Brenner

An author, consultant, and speaker. Michael Brenner is also the founder of B2B Marketing Insider and runs the strategy at NewsCred.

13. Joe Pulizzi

Joe Pulizzi is the founder of the Content Marketing Institute. He is the author of “Content Inc.”, a brilliant speaker, and is considered as one of the leading online marketing influencers ever since the term “content marketing” was first known in 2001.

14. Mari Smith

Mari Smith is a speaker and the co-author of “Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day” and “The New Relationship Marketing.” She is considered as the leading authority when it comes to social media marketing, most especially on Facebook.

15. Tim Ash

The author of the best-selling book “Landing Page Optimization”, the CEO of SiteTuners, and a famous speaker at PubCon and Search Marketing Expo (SMX).

16. Brian Massey

Brian Massey is the author of “Your Customer Creation Equation: Unexpected Website Formulas of the Conversion Scientist.” He is a conversion scientist at Conversion Sciences, an Austin-based company which specialises in conversion optimization.

17. Jay Baer

Jay Baer is a keynote speaker and the author of “Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help, Not Hype”, considered as one of his best-selling books. He is a digital media entrepreneur and also the founder of Convince & Convert, a digital marketing consulting agency.

18. Lee Odden

One of the major contributors to Entrepreneur.com, Fortune magazine, The Economist, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. Lee Odden is also the TopRank’s CEO and an active leader in digital marketing.

19. Aleyda Solis

Aleyda Solis is the founder of Orainti and a keynote speaker at BrightonSEO, SES, MozCon, and SMX. Solis is also an international SEO consultant and a trilingual.

20. Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk is the author of Crush It! and the CEO of VaynerMedia, an agency that focuses on social media branding. He is a fast worker and one of the pioneers of digital marketing.

21. Richard Lorenzen

Richard Lorenzen is the CEO of Fifth Avenue Brands, a public relations company. Aside from being a New York media entrepreneur, he is also an author and a speaker who talks about entrepreneurship. He worked with various clients including New York hedge funds, Silicon Valley tech startups, as well as national politicians.

22. Avinash Kaushik

Avinash Kaushik is Market Motive’s CEO and co-founder. Kaushik is the digital marketing consultant for Google and the author of Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0. He is also the one running the Occam’s Razor website.

23. Oli Gardner

Oli Gardner is a speaker and the co-founder of Unbounce. He is a frequent contributor to Moz and other reputable publishers. Gardner even claims that he has witnessed more landing pages than anyone has.

24. Angie Schottmuller

Angie Schottmuller is a speaker at SMX, SES, and OMS. She also works at Three Deep Marketing as the director of the optimization and interactive strategy. Schottmuller was also included in Forbes’ list for the Top 10 Online Marketers for 2015.

25. Leo Widrich

Leo Widrich is a well-known contributor for several publications such as Fast Company. He is both the COO and the co-founder of Buffer, a firm that claims that they are excellent when it comes to sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

26. Peter Shankman

The founder of The Geek Factory, Inc., and HARO. Peter Shankman is best known for his radical ideas with regards to marketing, customer service, PR, and social media. He is a great speaker and an outstanding author. One of the four books that he wrote is “Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans.”

27. Pam Moore

Pam Moore is a speaker, consultant, and author who is excellent in social branding and conversion optimization. Also known as the “Marketing Nut,” Moore is most often recognised as a great social media influencer.

28. Josh Steimle

Josh Steimle is the CEO of MWI, a digital marketing agency which he started when he was still in college. Steimle is also a constant contributor to Mashable, Forbes, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur.com, and other prominent publications. He wrote “Chief Marketing Officers at Work.” He is also a TEDx presenter and a speaker who frequently speaks at startup and marketing events.

29. Matthew Barby

Matthew Barby is a topnotch speaker, blogger, and instructor for the Digital Marketing Institute. He also headed the Growth and SEO for HubSpot.

30. Marcus Tober

Marcus Tober is an advanced thinker, who founded Searchmetrics, the leading and most advanced search analytics firm. Marcus describes himself as an immense data geek and he often speaks at various events all over the world.

31. Jordie Van Rijn

Jordie Van Rijn is considered as one of the leading authorities in email marketing. He is the founder of Email Monday, a great trainer, and an excellent keynote presenter.

32. Brian Clark

Brian Clark is both the CEO and the founder of Rainmaker Digital, previously known as Copyblogger Media. This is the best source for copywriting and content marketing.

33. Melissa Mackey

Melissa Mackey is the search supervisor at Gyro. She is the author of Beyond the Paid and focuses more on pay per click issues.

34. Anita Perez-Valdez

Anita Perez-Valdez is both the VP of Operations and the co-founder of TopSpot Internet Marketing. Perez-Valdez described herself as a data geek and is one of the first 100 Google Adwords Professionals.

35. Tom Treanor

Tom Treanor headed the social media and content marketing for Wrike. Treanor is both the author and the founder of Right Mix Marketing, an organization that helps business owners in succeeding with social media and content marketing.

36. Julie Joyce

Julie Joyce owned a link-building company known as Link Fish Media Inc. She is also the co-founder of Avant Greensboro and SEO Chick.

37. John Boitnott

John Boitnott is a digital media consultant, tech writer, and investor. He is also a regular contributor for USA Today, Entrepreneur.com, Inc.com, and Business Insider.

38. Eric Hebert

Eric Hebert is the founder of Evolvor.com. He is a skilled business strategist and an expert in digital marketing. Hebert is regularly featured in Rank Watch, Entrepreneur.com, ClickZ, and Search Engine Watch.

39. Pete Meyers

Pete Meyers has a bachelor’s degree in computer science as well as a PhD in cognitive psychology. Meyers was well admired for his works at Moz, most especially the Mozcast and his contribution to the Google Algorithm History. Because of this, he was referred to as the “marketing scientist” of Moz.

40. Roger Bryan

Roger Bryan founded the Enfusen, a platform used for content-marketing management. The Content Analytics Insights Tool from Enfusen was designed in connection with Microsoft to assist them with their cloud usage when using Microsoft’s solutions. In 2012, Bryan got an invitation to the White House since he was considered as one of the Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs in the United States.

41. Lisa Raehsler

Lisa Raehsler is highly recognised as one of the most influential pay-per-click experts. She is also the one who founded Big Click Co. and became a recipient of the 2015 Microsoft MVP Award.

42. Bryan Eisenberg

The CMO and the founder of IdealSpot.com. Aside from being an entrepreneur, Bryan Eisenberg was also a great author. In fact, his expertise was featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

43. Murray Newlands

Murray Newlands is a speaker, investor, entrepreneur, and business advisor. Newlands is a prominent blogger and a frequent contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur.com.

44. Andy Crestodina

The co-founder of Orbit Media, a company based in Chicago. Andy Crestodina is also a speaker, web strategist, and an author of Content Chemistry: An Illustrated Guide to Content Marketing

45. Brian Sutter

Brian Sutter is the director of marketing at Wasp Barcode Technologies. He was the one who is handling the development and performance of the firm’s marketing strategy. He wants to help others by sharing his thoughts about small business on The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, and Forbes.

46. Danny Sullivan

Danny Sullivan is an industry expert who became the founding editor of Search Engine Land. Since 1996, Sullivan has been recognised for his works in search marketing and search engines. He is a well-known speaker who conducts speeches about marketing all over the world.

47. Jeff Bullas

Onalytica declared Jeff Bullas as the number one Content Marketing Influencer. He is a famous speaker and blogger. Bullas is also recognised as one of the top strategists and influencers in the industry. He is also a renowned author who wrote “Blogging the Smart Way — How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media.”

48. Ann Smarty

The brand manager for Internet Marketing Ninjas. Ann Smarty is also a writer for Mashable, Social Media Examiner, and Moz. Smarty also founded the Viral Content Buzz.

49. Robert Rose

Robert Rose is the one who wrote “Managing Content Marketing and Experiences: The Seventh Era of Marketing.” Rose also co-hosted the podcast “PNR’s This Old Marketing.” He also works at the Content Marketing Institute as the chief strategy officer.

50. Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss is a productivity expert, an investor, and the author of the famous book “The 4-Hour Workweek.” He is also the one who leads “The Tim Ferriss Experiment.”