Have you been looking for fresh voices to add to your feed?
Or, maybe you need some industry practical advice from people who have been there, done that, in the wonderful world of online marketing?
I’ve got just the list for you!
From beginner-level advice to the most advanced industry tips and tricks, these bloggers run the gamut from copywriters to social media marketers to industry influencers. Each one of them will give your brain something to chew on no matter where you’re at, or what you do, in content marketing and social media. You’re going to want to follow them on Twitter and read their blogs, or listen to their podcasts.
Let’s dive in!
35 Popular Bloggers in Content Marketing to Watch: Get Inspired By These Experts
This list is is no particular order.
1. Steve Rayson & the BuzzSumo Team
Here’s the thing: I’ve seen many bloggers grow stagnant through time, but that is not true of the BuzzSumo team. I have rarely found a more epic staff of bloggers than BuzzSumo. Steve Rayson, co-founder, “broke the interwebs” with this post: We Analyzed 100 Million Headlines. Here’s What We Learned (New Research).
BuzzSumo’s friendly Sumo mascot. Another way they stand out is by custom artwork with every published blog, depicting this guy in action.
One thing that makes them stand out is the amount of data-based, statistical research they do in the industry of content marketing. It helps all of us know what not to do – and what to do.
BuzzSumo’s blog is a blog to watch, follow, absorb and read – weekly.
2. The Smart Blogger Team
If you need blogging and writing advice, Smart Blogger should be your first stop.
Founded by Jon Morrow and headed up by Glen Long, the Managing Editor, the blog features a rotation of authors and engaging topics. Here’s a sampling: “Writer’s Block: 27 Ways to Crush It Forever,” “20 Rules for Writing So Crystal Clear Even Your Dumbest Relative Will Understand,” and “How to Be Unforgettable.”
3. Seth Godin
If you want a unique approach to marketing, turn to Seth Godin.
One of the first bloggers that made it, and currently one of the most popular bloggers in the world, Seth is an industry thought leader, popular blogger, and best-selling author. He has an amazing record because of committing to one blog a day – some of them famously 1-2 sentences long. (His works include The Dip and All Marketers Are Liars.)
Seth’s blog is a compendium of fresh, out-of-the-box thinking about problems in marketing. His words will get your gears turning and your mind humming.
4. Copyblogger
Another authority on copywriting and content marketing is Copyblogger.
Brian Clark, the founder, is a pioneer when it comes to blogging. The proof is in the pudding for these guys. They built their company from the ground-up using the techniques they teach. And, teach they do – they offer a free library of training material on top of fresh, informative blog posts.
[bctt tweet=”Looking for great #ContentMarketing and #SocialMedia blogs to read? Check out this round-up!” username=”ExpWriters”]
5. Sujan Patel
If you want to learn how to create effective, engaging content that works, Sujan Patel is your guy. He’s a top internet marketer, has founded multiple startups, and he blogs at major sites like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., and HubSpot. He co-founded Web Profits, a growth marketing agency, and speaks at hundreds of national and international marketing events. This guy is an expert with 13 years in the biz, and the mind of a hustler as well as content marketer. As a result, he’s one to listen to and learn from.
He’s a star of internet marketing, and has the chops to prove it. He’s also a speaker and educator who enlightens the world about social media marketing.
If you want to understand how to make the customer experience in content a stand-out, read the Convince and Convert blog. Led by Jess Ostroff and internet pioneer Jay Baer, C&C accurately refers to themselves as a group of expert “counselors” who can guide you to content greatness. Content Marketing Institute even crowned them the #1 content marketing blog.
8. Jeff Goins
If you want to be a better writer in general, Jeff Goins is your guide.
He provides insights and advice from the writing life, including how to balance writing as creative work and as a job. He should know – he’s the author of five books, some of them best-sellers, and has a lot of gold nuggets for better writing and better copy.
9. Joe Pulizzi & Content Marketing Institute
Joe Pulizzi is a huge pioneer in this amazing industry. He founded Content Marketing Institute (which was acquired by UBM in 2016) in 2007, and more or less started the widespread use of the term “content marketing”. You can read his column on CMI. The entire CMI team is awesome. They hold a Twitter chat, #CMWorld, at 11 AM CST on Tuesdays. A unique trademark they use is a widespread brand usage (down to the suits Joe wears on stage to speak) of the color orange.
10. Jeff Bullas
Another big name in digital content marketing is Jeff Bullas – his success comes mostly because of how long-term and committed Jeff stayed at producing high-quality content. He started his site back in 2008 with a $10 investment, and today, he ranks as a top global influencer in the industry. His blog covers a whole spectrum of topics. Read about copywriting, business management, content marketing, social media marketing tips, and more. He’s a voice you should listen to – Forbes named him one of the “Top 20 Influencers of CMOs” in 2017.
11. CoSchedule
Content marketing requires extensive planning, and nobody knows that better than CoSchedule. Their blog, along with their platform, focuses on this piece of the puzzle. It provides timely, useful tips to help organize and plan your marketing strategies.
12. Madalyn Sklar
Madalyn Sklar is one of the most active, engaging influencers on this list of power bloggers and influencers, ranked as the #1 social media influencer in Houston year after year. Her constant interaction with everyone that comes her way impresses me – I’ve personally seen her interact with nearly every Facebook comment, tweet, and email I’ve sent her way. I don’t know how she does it all!
If “engagement” is a key to success on social media (and I believe that it is), Madalyn is one of the best practitioners.
Madalyn blogs, hosts a podcast and Twitter chat with the same name, #TwitterSmarter, speaks, and teaches Twitter and social media strategies on her site. Catch her Twitter chat every Thursday at 1 PM EST, and hop on to her page on Facebook afterwards for an engaging live session she does with her Twitter guest host experts.
Noah Kagan is the founder of two multi-million dollar businesses, avid long-form content creator (read: he creates some truly epic, comprehensive stuff), author, and blogger at OKDork. He’s an all-around internet, content, and sales marketing guru. Read his awesome content at OKDork.com.
14. Valeria Maltoni & Conversation Agent
Valeria Maltoni is a business strategist and in-demand thinker in the industry. She’s worked with everyone from Fast Company Magazine to Forbes and Business Week. Her blog, Conversation Agent, focuses on how to bust out of same-old, same-old thinking. That allows you to move into innovation for your brand strategy.
15. David Armano & Logic + Emotion
A respected digital marketer, David Armano focuses on marketing strategies that are “intensely social” and creative. His blog, Logic + Emotion, regularly features topics such as defining your brand’s values, how to remain relevant, and social media trends like armchair activism.
16. Marc Meyer & Direct Marketing Observations
A digital and social media strategist, Marc Meyer serves up opinions and slices of the digital marketing scene on his blog, Direct Marketing Observations. This is the place to read discussions on what it takes to be interesting in a fast-paced, digital world, learn about the morphing intersection between pro sports and social media, and even take a Proust questionnaire.
17. Branding Strategy Insider
If you want to learn simple ways to take your branding to new heights, try Branding Strategy Insider. Along with tips, you’ll also see examples of successful brand storytelling, explorations of top companies’ brand weaknesses, and more fascinating insights.
18. Vertical Leap
Vertical Leap specializes in search marketing, but their blog covers so much more. Along with SEO how-tos and tips, they dig into analytics, marketing automation, big data, PPC ads, and more.
19. Darren Rowse & ProBlogger
Want to learn to be a better, more popular blogger? Start at ProBlogger, founded by Darren Rowse. You’ll learn how to pitch guest posts, how to increase traffic to your blog, and how to create Facebook groups to augment your platform, for starters. There’s a host of actionable tips and useful information here for the newbie or the expert.
20. Ann Handley & Marketing Profs
Marketing Profs is a knowledge headquarters for marketers of all stripes, founded by content marketing guru, author and speaker Ann Handley.
Their “library,” in particular, doesn’t focus on one aspect of the industry, but rather goes for the whole hog. You’ll find articles on every topic under the sun. It’s a wonderful source of information and a go-to guide for practical advice.
21. Michael Brenner & Marketing Insider
Whether you’re interested in content marketing, social media marketing, or strategy, Michael Brenner of Marketing Insider has it covered. He regularly addresses trends and his take on them, including what to do (and what not to do) if you want to get somewhere with your business. He should know – he’s a well-known keynote speaker, author, and influencer in marketing.
22. Social Media Explorer
Stay on top of the social media marketing world with Social Media Explorer. The blog is on the cutting-edge of trends in the social networking world that you can leverage for the most growth potential. A smattering of sample topics includes “Is Twitter Doomed?,” “6 Ways to Harness the Power of Instagram Stories,” and “5 Stupid Myths About B2B Social Selling.”
23. TopRank Blog
Want marketing lessons, news, trends, and tips? TopRank Blog is a respected source for all four. In particular, their exploration of trending strategies and the state of the industry will help you keep humming on all four cylinders in this competitive content marketing world.
24. Adam Connell & Blogging Wizard
Another indispensable read for blogging and writing, Blogging Wizard will help with whatever ails you. Created by expert marketer and blogger Adam Connell, there are lots of tools, guides, tips, and WordPress hacks to make the most of your writing and the way you get it done.
25. Social Media Examiner
If you want to learn the best ways to use social media for marketing, Social Media Examiner is the right reading material. All their articles have useful information and tips for boosting your prowess and presence on social.
26. DreamGrow Blog
For the beginner dipping their toe into the industry pool, reading up on the DreamGrow Blog is a good place to start. You’ll learn about Facebook ad campaigns, how to measure your ROI, and why some infographics get mega-shares and other sink into internet oblivion – plus more.
27. Conversion Sciences Blog
If you want more conversions, you need to read the Conversion Sciences Blog. Here you’ll find every facet of this huge content marketing topic broken down. From testing your conversion strategies to analyzing the data and making your pitches more persuasive, it’s all at your fingertips.
28. Neil Patel & Quick Sprout
A well-known and well-regarded name in content marketing is Neil Patel, though “well-regarded” might be an understatement. Along with co-founding KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg, he runs Quick Sprout and shares his vast marketing and entrepreneurial knowledge in the form of extensive, practical guides. He’s one of the greats in the content marketing industry.
29. HubSpot Blog
If you want a complete guide to inbound marketing, noted authority HubSpot has it. Their blog posts cover the gamut – from video marketing to blogging and branding, from public relations to mobile marketing. They don’t leave anything out.
30. Drew McLellan – Drew’s Marketing Minute
Drew McLellan is a well-regarded marketing guru. He’s appeared everywhere, including Entrepreneur, Business Week, the New York Times, and Fortune. On his blog, Drew’s Marketing Minute, he lends his wisdom and experience to a range of marketing topics, questions, and issues.
30. Chris Brogan
Chris Brogan is the CEO of Owner Media Group, a New York Times bestselling author, and a marketing expert. He’s an amazing influencer, speaker, teacher, and all-around authority. On his blog, he shares his expertise to help you build your own brand of success and growth.
31. The Content Strategist (Contently)
Brought to you by Contently, The Content Strategist is all about upping your content game. The blog focuses on how to improve your strategy and leverage your content so it makes a maximum impact. It’s a great resource for anyone who wants to stay on the cutting-edge.
32. Jesse Wisnewski – The Copybot
Jesse Wisnewski of The Copybot shares knowledge, tips, and writing know-how. He describes what he shares in his writing as “lessons forged through hard-fought battles in the trenches of life and business.” That sounds pretty heavy, but his posts are just what he promises. This is essential writing advice. It touches on work life, content marketing, and how they all get mixed together.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Looking for some new #blogs to read? Check out this round-up of 35 amazing blogs via @ExpWriters!” quote=”Looking for some new #blogs to read? Check out this round-up of 35 amazing blogs via @ExpWriters!”]
33. Econsultancy
Want updates and news on what’s happening in the marketing industry? Want to know how to approach changing consumer trends and new technology? You can find it on Econsultancy. Along with all that, they also feature spotlights on companies doing it right (think small businesses and start-ups). Plus, they do features on smart moves and missteps from the big guns (think Adidas, Amazon, and Facebook).
34. Influential Marketing Blog
If you want to stay on top of companies and brands who are innovating with their marketing strategy, follow Rohit Bhargava’s Influential Marketing Blog. He explores how companies like Amabrush (makers of a futuristic, automated toothbrush), Fender, KFC, and more are reaching the masses. He’s got the chops – he also teaches marketing classes at Georgetown University and has written five best-selling books on business.
35. Joanna Wiebe & Copyhackers
Joanna Wiebe is the co-founder of Copyhackers and a pioneer for conversion copywriting. In particular, she focuses on conversion copywriting and its power and potential. She’s 100% self-taught in the industry, so she comes from a grounded place that’s incredibly relatable. Read her posts and you’ll see they are witty, sharp, and insightful.
I had her on the Write Podcast for a fun, enlightening episode last year. Listen in here.
Add These Popular Bloggers to Your Daily Digest
In case you didn’t notice, there’s one thing all these high-profile blogs and popular bloggers have in common.
What is it?
Beyond providing timely information and guidance, they each have unique points of view. They each approach the marketing world from a different angle. They offer perspectives that are entirely their own.
So, maybe you find yourself in need of strategies or a fresh idea. Perhaps you need new insight, practical guidance, or some inspiration. If so, turn to the wealth of people sharing on the web. All these thought leaders, authorities, experts, influencers, go-getters, and gurus have something to offer.
You’re never alone in your endeavors. That’s a comforting thought when you’re hunched over your computer at 3 a.m., or stuck in meetings well past quitting time.
So, grab as much information and enlightenment as you can. As for what you do with it – that’s up to you! The world is your oyster. 😉
If your content needs that extra push, too, we’ve got you covered. Check out our content creation solutions, customized to your brand and content need.
We talked to more than 15 content marketing experts (19, to be exact) this month and asked them for 2016-geared content marketing predictions on our industry. Here’s what they shared. Longer insights directly from the experts are shared below the infographic.
The Experts Weigh-In: 19 Content Marketing Predictions For 2016
“Really excited to see where content marketing goes in 2016. I have a sense that we’re nearing some really big changes, perhaps even a bit toward segmentation of sorts. I’m kind of thinking back even to blogs like Daring Fireball and Kottke that have been curators of a sort, while also taking occasion to go longform on a topic if need be. This mix – long plus short, or rich media plus plain text also – is one direction I could see things heading, as it might support the varied tastes of readers who might want different things!”
“The job of content marketers will be challenging in 2016. The volume of content published will continue to grow exponentially and getting your voice heard will be harder. Thus it will be important to research content opportunities before you start creating content.
For example, what content does your audience love, what emotional elements engage them, what formats do they like and what content do they particularly like to share such as quotes, facts, images, tips, research, news, etc.? What is the best content in your space and how can you improve on it? It will also be increasingly important to have an amplification strategy before you create content. Who will share the content and who will link to it? You need a clear outreach strategy for influencers and link building. Building relationships with key influencers will grow in importance. In 2016 the battle for content engagement will be won or lost before any content is even written.”
4. Ted Rubin, Social Marketing Strategist, Keynote Speaker, Brand Evangelist, Acting CMO of Brand Innovators, Twitter @tedrubin
“For marketers thinking about approaching content marketing from a networking and community building aspect rather than a marketing and sales aspect can be very difficult. Brands need to attract customers, but breaking through the clutter is challenging. Every day brands and marketers are spending millions trying to get you to use, keep using, and share that you love their brands. But why aren’t they doing everything they can, and using some of those millions to do it (probably way less that they are spending on those marketing campaigns), making experiences with their brand remarkable. Opportunities to do this are given to brands each and every day and they simply, turn their heads, rave about their latest and great “campaign’ as if it were a military conquest, and pass up ways to really create customers for life.
2016 needs to be the year of doing what I call… Looking People in the Eye Digitally. The last few decades of marketing tactics have made us lazy communicators and I’ve had just about enough. Most often we don’t even pay attention to who we are talking to other than via the data we collect (and even that’s a maybe). In order to fix this and really start to benefit from the content we produce (both as individuals and as companies), we need to start looking people in the eye digitally.’
Brands, in 2016, and going forward… Standout by “LIKING” them BEFORE they “LIKE” you. #RonR… #NoLetUp!”
“360 Degree Live Video Experiences: The year 2015 started an era of live casting with the introduction of new technology such as Periscope, Facebook Live and Blab. 2016 will take some of these live broadcasts to an entirely new level with the introduction of live 360 degree broadcasts that will allow people to move their mobile phones and experience the action as if they were actually present and moving their heads. In addition we’ll see the wide scale adoption of cost effective virtual reality devices that will enable fully immersive 3D experiences that are live. Much of this will be enabled by low cost 360 cameras like the Ricoh Theta combined with economical devices like Google Paper that transform the smart phones everyone already owns into a virtual reality device. This represents an entirely new opportunity for marketers to give factory tours and any other form in-person experience the mind can imagine.”
“Make 2016 your year of quality over quantity. Rather than straining to get out as many content assets as you can, concentrate on producing fewer but truly epic pieces, and then repurpose and re-promote them over and over again.”
“Content Marketing in 2016 will see a new focus on creating great content that embraces real-time input from the community while creating and delivering the content at the right time! “Content is king” inspired marketers to create content just because they knew that content was powerful rather than asking for feedback, leveraging data and creating great content. Thanks to apps like snapchat, periscope and Facebook live streaming brands can now crowd source content ideas in real-time while also surveying their audience to better understand the content they should be creating for their community. Live streaming will also drive a new focus on creating more authentic content and dissolving the notion that customers prefer perfect content.
2016 is an exciting year for content marketing as I believe the content will be more data driven and include the community in the creation like never before ultimately making happy customers, community and marketers!”
8. Shane Barker, #1 Social Media Consultant, Writer, Co-Founder at Modera, Twitter @shane_barker
“2016 will be the year of the Social Media Influencers! Brands large and small will start to research, evaluate and hire influencers through platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. These influencers will become micro-producers of original content that is tailored for their following and spoken in their voice. These unique campaigns will create social proof for the brands while driving traffic and ultimately more sales.”
“I predict that in 2016 content marketers will switch to quality over quantity of content published and devote more time to content promotion and distribution. I’m already starting to see this shift with the leading marketers/companies in Q4 of 2015. I believe so strongly in this that in prediction that I built ContentMarketer.io to help with content promotion.”
“Here are my thoughts on content marketing for 2016 …
During the course of 2016, we will continue to see a deluge of content, with most of it ranging from poor to decent quality content. Leading content marketers, however, will figure out that even good quality content is not good enough. You have to be thinking about elite content (or what Rand Fishkin calls 10x content).
In a recent BuzzSumo Moz study, the data showed that most articles get very few shares or very few links, but even fewer articles get a significant number of shares AND links.
There is a real battle for attention going on out there, and you need to do what it takes to stand out from the crowd.”
Thanks for the connection and the opportunity to submit my prediction. Here is a shorter version and a link to my longer post on the subject. Feel free to quote any or all of this in your article and if you can find a way to link to that post, I would really appreciate it.
“I predict a massive correction in advertising budgets that will drive an increase in content marketing. This will require us to get pretty darn good at showing Content Marketing ROI.
We’ll also see more personalization, visual content and brand-produced entertaining content. Is 2016 the year of more brands finding a personality and sense of humor? Read my longer post with more 2016 insights.”
12. Guillaume Decugis, CEO & Co-Founder at Scoop.it, Twitter @gdecugis
“First, proving Content Marketing ROI will become more and more important in 2016: content marketing is maturing and after a grace period experimenting with it, marketers are now expected to show how it impacts lead and revenue generation.
Second, I’d say that things are getting serious: content marketing is not yet a science but a proven methodology for it has emerged and gone are the days when you could simply rely on pure creativity and… luck. While content generation remains key, successful content marketers invest at least as much time and budget in the other parts of the content marketing cycle: planning, distribution as well as analyzing what works and doesn’t.
Third, we’ll see the rise of Content Marketing Automation as many of the tasks in that cycle and methodology can and should be automated for greater results and time saving. Distribution to social channels, generating content emails from your posts, discovering great content to share or analyzing performance data are all examples of tasks that smart marketers will perform better and faster by using content marketing software.
“In 2016 in terms of content marketing, I’m greatly increasing investment on Social Media Ads and Video content promotion. I’m cutting back (even more) on Google+.”
14. Michael Stricker, Marketing Director at SEMrush, Twitter @RadioMS
“At first, the cessation of Google’s Auto-Suggest API will choke many keyword researchers seeking it’s insights into what gets entered and clicked in search. Tools such as SEMrush that use their own intrinsic methods to arrive at Related Terms will continue to perform.
Eventually, someone may find a way to purchase that autocomplete data from Google and present the results, but this signals the end of an era wherein free tools like Soovle and ÜberSuggest were helpful.
The nosebleeds induced by skyscraper content will sap the strength of many creators. Broad evidence suggests that social sharing of such tomes far exceeds actual reads. Ridiculously encyclopedic collections (One Million Ways to Sew On a Button!) will tarnish the trade and in the end, searchers must be understood, personified and their queries taken in context so that a more concise, useful and usable answer can be served. Fortunately, data about audience interests, affinities and better targeting is becoming commonplace and easier to use! I predict that use of interviews to construct personas will be methodized and rise to practical prominence in 2016.”
“In-house content creators need to understand the customer journey and how properly placed PR with influencer mentions impacts organic search traffic.
Always ask yourself, “Is this content more powerful on our website or as a digital asset on a partner website?”
For example, consumers often search “brand + reviews” right before making a purchase just to confirm they are making a good decision. A positive mention of your brand on a third-party authority website is psychologically more powerful than a list of testimonials on your company website.”
“I’ll just put it this way. The human species produced 27,000,000 pieces of content every day in 2012, and internet use is increasing daily. How to cut through that noise? That’s your top challenge for 2016.
I’ve developed a set of guidelines to shock and awe readers into paying attention to you. I call it the P.A.V.E. Principle. I developed it through my discussions with some of the best copywriting minds working today. (Who noticed me after my post, “Confessions of a Google Spammer” jumped to #1 on the inbound.org content Hall of Fame.)
The PAVE Principle: Be Personal, Authentic, Vulnerable, and use Emotions.
Here are the people and posts that express these values best.
Personal: Joanna Wiebe is really good at this, and it has a lot to do with her meteoric rise in the copywriting world. Check out her article on Mad Men and copy writing to see what I mean. (Mind blown moment: Check out how often she uses the word “I” in her writing to connect with readers.)
Authentic: Julia McCoy wrote the best piece on this. Go read it. (Mind blown moment: 43% of millennials rank authenticity over content.)
Vulnerable: Brian Lenney wrote a great piece about how persuasive vulnerability can be. (Mind blown moment: The top viewed TED talk of all time is about the power of vulnerability.)
Emotions: Talia Wolf is one of the most well-known masters of emotional persuasion. (Mind blown moment: Steve Jobs also knew these tricks and used one–anchoring–when announcing new product prices.)”
17. Olga Andrienko, Head of Social Media at SEMrush, Speaker, Blogger, Twitter @OlgaSEMrush
“1. The struggle of writing for humans and pleasing search engines will be brought to a whole new level. One just doesn’t go without the other any more. Content should be optimized and never over optimized.
2. I see more and more content marketers talk about metrics, ROI, tools like Google Analytics and how to use them to track success. This is a very optimistic trend, because data always does more good than harm.
3. Another trend will be people realizing they can’t constantly produce new content, and start re-purposing their content. I see it at SEMrush as well. Instead of creating a whole new post, we get a webinar that our audience liked and create post based on the presenter’s insights and slides. We’re reworking all Twitter chats we hosted to get the best quotes and use them.”
“In the early years of social media, we got way too focused on being active and producing content regularly, ignoring the fact that much of the content produced was low quality and really served no purpose. Over the last two years, everyone from search engines, social media sites, to even the users themselves, have really made it clear that quality is way more important than quantity.
in 2016, companies have to focus on quality, and further more, start to really understand what quality means. Does your content answer a question, help someone make a decision, and provide real value. You have to be willing to take yourself out of it being your company and your content and really ask, is this someone I would read or share? 9 times out of 10 it is not.
Spend more time researching topics to add historical relevance to them, reach out to experts to have them comment or add to the article, use real design firms to create quality graphics and Infographics, and use visuals in your content that actually summarize and work with the content, instead of just useless stock photos meant to check off your article requirements.”
“2016 is going to be the Year of Reckoning in content marketing. How so?
1. Business owners will come aboard the content marketing train or find they’re being left behind. It’s time to produce good content (such as starting a blog, produce videos and graphics, engage and create on social media) or join the outdated group of people who aren’t.
2. Content marketing creators will vary their content productions more to step up the game. Podcasting is hot right now; it’s not over-saturated just yet, but will be in late 2016. Now is the time to start yours. Better and more unique forms of video content will happen. Live streaming will be even more popular. Forms of better engagement on social media, like Twitter chats, and tools for engagement, will grow; to rise above a standard level of infographic, gifographics will be created; content will be better researched and more effort put in; we’ll find more answers online as companies grow and produce their own unique content. To rise above the content sea, you have to be a thought leader. Be unique. Add your own insight. Create your own tool. And that will require major investments. Gone is the DIY age of content marketing.
3. Inbound marketing will thoroughly trump outbound. Cold calling, interruptive TV ads, mail flyers will be less in existence, and companies will realize the necessity and significance of inbound marketing investment and production.
Don’t be left out in the Year of Content Reckoning; join the rising revolution of (better) content marketers. Add your voice. Be heard. Stand out, engage your fans, build an audience.”
Have a 2016 marketing prediction? Enjoyed these expert predictions? Share your thoughts in the comments!
For any kind of marketer, Twitter is a hugely powerful tool. This social media platform has more than 304 million monthly active users: it’s a way for information to travel faster and broader than almost any other platform on the web.
That said, within those 304 million users, who are the ones worth following as content marketing leaders? That have similar interests to us as marketers, and are leaders within the content marketing space? Let’s take a look!
60 Top Content Marketers You Should Follow (Today) On Twitter
My list of these top 60 content marketers is made up of the crème de la crème of the industry. These content marketers specialize in everything from Content Marketing 101, SEO and how content fits into that, all the way to advanced branding techniques. I follow these guys and have engaged with them regularly.
Good stuff will follow if you start following them today – you’ll probably learn a few things as you consistently see and read their content.
Here you go (all their names are linked to their Twitter handles), in no particular order:
1. Rand Fishkin. Rand Fishkin is an author, blogger and founder of SEO Giant Moz. People who follow his tweets can look forward to ample marketing, SEO, technology and startup information.
2. Jay Baer. Author of the New York Times bestselling book Youtility, Jay Baer is a global keynote speaker, and digital media entrepreneur as well as being president the strategy consulting firm @Convince.
3. Brian Clark.CEO of Rainmaker Digital, Brain Clark is also the curator of several successful content marketing websites.
4. David Burn.David Burn is a content strategist, writer and brand specialist who assists content marketers in learning to distribute content effectively and write pieces that will draw readers in.
5. Michael Brenner.Michael Brenner is a renowned speaker, author and blogger with @MKTGInsiders as well as being Head of Strategy @Newscred. Brenner is also the former VP of Content Marketing with @SAP.
6. Mitch Joel. President of Mirum, Mitch Joel is a marketer, speaker, author and self-proclaimed “media hacker.” Additionally, Joel is a blogger at Six Pixels of Separation. People that can’t get enough of Joel via Twitter can check out his new book Ctrl Alt Delete.
7. Brian Fanzo.I enjoy catching Brian on Periscope as well as watching all of his keynote speeches. He’s an energetic social media advocate, going by the title “Change Evangelist”, has a huge following, and is behind the iSocialFanz site. Follow him for great insights on how to run your social media.
8. Sue B. Zimmerman.She’s the “Instagram Expert”, a successful entrepreneur, speaker, and Instagram coach. This lady is the go-to expert when it comes to Instagram, and she’s hot on Periscope too.
9. Neil Patel.Neil Patel is a renowned entrepreneur and blogger who has started two analytics companies: @CrazyEgg and KISSmetrics. He’s a top followed content marketer (I read and enjoy all his stuff).
10. Pamela I Wilson. Pamela I. Wilson is the owner of Big Brand System. She also manages the CopyBlogger blog and produces educational products for the company.
11. Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt. Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt is an attorney-turned-content marketer who was named one of the Top 50 Rich Media Influencers to follow.
12. Paul Roetzer. Paul Roetzer is the Founder of The Marketing Performance Blueprint & The Marketing Agency Blueprint as well as being the Creator of Marketing Score (@MKTScore).
13. Aaron Orendorff. Aaron Orendorff’s mission is to “save the world from bad content.” He is also a contributor for publications like @EntMagazine, @FastCompany, @BusinessInsider, @SuccessMagazine, @CopyBlogger and @Unbounce.
14. Lee Odden. Lee Odden is the CEO of @TopRank, where he specializes in online marketing. He is also a B2B Content Marketing consultant and a social media and PR specialist.
15. Bob Geller. Bob Geller is a PR and content specialist as well as being the president of Fusion PR.
16. Joanna Wiebe. She is the genius copywriter and Internet marketer we all aspire to be. CEO of Copyhackers and top-notch wordsmith, Joanna has been featured in numerous places and sites.
17. Jeff Deutsch. Jeff Deutsch is the VP of Marketing for @ptengine. He also contributes content to @HubSpot.
18. Ryan Hanley.Ryan is the host of the popular Content Warfare podcast and author of the book by the same name.
19. Amanda Subler. Amanda Subler is a former journalist turned public relations, content marketing and video production specialist. She is also a PR and Media Manager for @CMIContent.
20. Tim Ash. Tim Ash is the CEO of Site Tuners and author of the bestselling book Landing Page Optimization.
21. Meryl K. Evans. Meryl K. Evans is a writer, editor, social media specialist and content marketer. Her tweets are aimed at helping content marketers adapt to web standards and boost site traffic.
22. Doug Kessler. Doug Kessler is a content marketing, B2B copywriting, social media and tech marketing specialist who focuses on helping content marketers learn to promote their brand and write better content.
23. Matt Heinz. Matt Heinz focuses on helping B2B companies produce more revenue via focused marketing strategies. He also helps companies produce more demand from customers and hone their sales process.
24. Bernie Borges. Bernie Borges is the host of The Social Business Engine Digital TV Show & Podcast as well as being the CEO of popular B2B digital marketing firm Find and Convert.
25. Neal Schaffer. Neal Schaffer is an author at @MaxYourSocial as well as being the founder of @msocialbusiness and @socialtoolssmmt.
26. Bryan Eisenberg. Bryan Eisenberg is the founder and CMO of Ideal Spot. He is also a keynote speaker and author.
27. Rebekah Radice. She’s an award-winning social media author, speaker and strategist. She works at the uber-cool PostPlanner and is behind #InfluencerChat, as well as a co-host for #ViralChat from Post Planner on Thursdays.
28. Jay Acunzo. Jay Acunzo works on content at @NextViewVC, and is the host and producer of the Traction podcast, where he discusses and features super cool entrepreneurial stories.
29. Lisa Petrilli. Named one of the Top 20 CMO’s by Forbes, Lisa Petrilli is dedicated to empowering women in positions of business & leadership in the world of digital communication.
30. Andrew Davis. The founder of Monumental Shift, Andrew Davis teaches marketers how to find and target a niche in order to grow business and produce great work.
31. Heidi Cohen, Heidi Cohen is a speaker, professor and journalist. He shares tweets on social media, content marketing and how to create successful small businesses.
32. Henneke Duistermaat. She calls herself someone who’s on a mission to stamp out “gobbledygook,” and for that alone we love her. CEO of Enchanting Marketing, she is uniquely known for her “doodles” on her blogs and books and has been featured in podcasts and more.
33. Kim Garst.She’s been called the First Lady of Periscope, and rightly so; she’s just a joy to watch. Kim is a Forbes Top 10 SM Influencer and author of the acclaimed Will the Real You Please Stand Up.
34. Ann Handley. Ann Handley is the Head of Content at Marketing Profs. She is also the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Everybody Writes.
35. Joe Pulizzi. Joe Pulizzi is a content expert at @CMIContent. He is also the author of Epic Content Marketing.
36. Kathryn Hawkins. Kathryn Hawkins works with @EucalyptMedia, a booming content marketing agency that focuses on teaching startups, universities, and B2B companies how to manage their clients and produce high-quality content.
37. Erika Heald. Erika Heald is a content marketer, social media coach, writer, editor and blogger. She is also the Head of Content with @HighwirePR.
38. John Jantsch. John Jantsch is a small business marketing consultant at Duct Tape Marketing.
39. Joe Lazauskas. Joe Lazuskas is Editor-in-Chief for @Contently. He was also named one of the Top 10 Content Marketing Influencers to follow.
40. Kari Lloyd. Kari Lloyd is a writer who specializes in content and SEO. She currently uses her content marketing skills to help @VonageBiz boom. She was also named one of the Top 50 Content Marketers to Follow on Twitter.
41. Seth Godin. Seth Godin is an author and blogger who is gaining notoriety for his unique approach to content creation.
42. Guillaume Decugis.He’s a highly successful entreprenuer, content marketing expert, and the founder of curation platform Scoop.it (over 2 million users). Bonus: He’s very approachable! I interviewed him here.
43. Ann Smarty. Ann Smarty is a brand manager with @NinjasMarketing, creator of MyBlogU, and an all-around smart content marketer.
44. Daniel Newman. Daniel Newman is the CEO of @Broadsuite. He often speaks on the topics of social, mobile, big data and cloud computing. Additionally, Newman is the host of #CloudTalk.
Twitter Chat Content Marketers
In addition to offering a wide variety of content marketing specialists, Twitter also provides a platform for Twitter Chats, interactive, web-based communities that offer a space for interviews, collaboration, communication and networking. These chats provide a great way for content marketers to interact with new contacts and build authority in their niche. Additionally, participating in a Twitter chat can be a great marketing tool, in and of itself.
For the best content marketing-focused Twitter chats available on the web today, check out this list:
45. Cathy McPhillips (Twitter Chat: #CMWorld) Cathy McPhillips is the Marketing Director for @cmicontent. Her Twitter chat, #CMWorld |is focused on discussing all things content marketing related.
46. Kelly Hungerford(Twitter Chat: #BizHeroes) Kelly Hungeroford is a Digital Marketer. Her Twitter chat #BizHeroes is focused on helping companies build better customer experiences and promote solid marketing communities.
47. Buffer(Twitter Chat: #BufferChat) We love Buffer… and we love their chat! Buffer is a social media app that lets you schedule posts out to all your platforms. Happening every Wednesday at 11 CST/12 EST, they talk about all things social/content/bookworm related – a wide variety.
48. Sheila Scarborough(Twitter Chat: #AWCConnect) Sheila Scarborough is a writer and speaker with @TourismCurrents and @PerceptiveTrav. Her Twitter chat, #AWCConnect is designed to enlighten and educate women in the professional communications field and takes place on the 1st Thursday of each month.
49. Mack Collier(Twitter Chat: #BlogChat) Mack Collier is dedicated to helping companies build their brand and create winning content. His Twitter chat, #Blogchat, discusses blogging topics for the professional, business and personal fields.
50. Brian Katz(Twitter Chat: #Mobilebiz) Brian Katz is a mobile marketing expert whose Twitter chat is dedicated to all things mobile. Great for content marketers who want to learn about how customers interact with their content on a mobile basis, #Mobilebiz discusses the ins and outs of a mobile world on a weekly basis.
51. Maria Elena Duron(Twitter Chat: #Brandchat) Maria Elena Duron is a Marketing Coach and Personal Branding Specialist. #Brandchat is ideal for content marketers who want to learn more about how to market their unique brand.
52. The Social CMO(Twitter Chat: #MMchat) The Social CMO CMO runs #MMchat, which stands for “marketer Monday” and offers conversations with executives from a whole host of different marketing and social media content firms.
53. Brian Honigman(Twitter Chat: #InsiderChat) Brian Honigman is a Content Marketing Consultant and CEO of @HonigmanMedia. #InsiderChat, which offers interviews with expert influencers to help people “win at marketing and business.”
54. Jenise Fryatt(Twitter Chat: #ContentChat) Jenise Fryatt is a Content Marketing Strategist for Smarter Shift as well as being the Moderator #ContentChat. #ContentChat offers a place for content marketers to discuss the latest developments and trends in the content marketing world. Additionally, the chat offers interviews with thought leaders and plenty of opportunities to network.
55. SEMRush (Twitter Chat: #SEMrushchat) SEMRush offers ways for content marketers to take their business to the next level. Twitter users who follow #SEMrushchat will get high-quality industry updates and tips as well as the chance to connect with top influencers.
56. CoScheduleApp(Twitter Chat: #CoChat) CoSchedule is a drag-and-drop marketing calendar designed to help content marketers create content distribution schedules. The company’s Twitter chat, #CoChat, helps people learn more about editorial strategies, content creation and distribution.
57. Pam Moore(Twitter Chat: #GetRealChat) Pam Moore was named a Forbes Top 10 Social Media Influencer. Her Twitter chat #GetRealChat focuses on how to boost business, maximize existing content and develop new content that readers will love.
58. Kelly Lieberman(Twitter Chat: #PinChat) Kelly Lieberman is a Pinterest expert and, considering the fact that a recent study proves that Pinterest drives more people to websites than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ combined, it’s possible that you might want to follow in her footsteps. Content marketers can tune in to #PinChat for tips on how to use Pinterest to drive engagement and distribute great content.
59. Marketing Cloud(Twitter Chat: #ETcafe) Marketing Cloud’s Twitter chat covers digital marketing and the latest trends and topics in the industry. Previous topics include how best to use social media and how to personalize content.
60. Express Writers & Julia McCoy(We’ll be launching a Twitter Chat soon!) Excuse the self-promotion, but it’s just; I’ve been most-read on many of the guest blogs I post at. And we post fun stuff at Express Writers! I specialize in content marketing, distribution and content creation, and share what I know, or stuff I read all over the web that I love. My team shares on similar topics. Follow us, and I hope you enjoy reading what we share!
The Case for Twitter: A Content Marketer’s Paradise
Twitter is a veritable paradise for the content marketer who wants to learn. In addition to offering a platform to access some of the world’s most talented content marketers, Twitter also provides near-instant communication with many industry specialists and chats areas, both of which can help content marketers step up their game and become truly competitive.
One of the most important purposes Twitter serves is to act as an ignition point between interested content marketers and industry experts. Because the social media platform provides the basis for rich and informative connections to take place, content marketers are truly unhindered in the depth to which they can take their Twitter-based connections.
Twitter also offers a formidable way for marketers to stay in the loop. Because Twitter is one of the main social media platforms where news goes to break, interested content marketers can ensure that they will always be on the cutting edge of the content marketing field. This, in turn, ensures access to the best and most up-to-date information as well as an effective and important way to disseminate information of your own.
Lastly, Twitter is a great place for young marketers to build authority and gain notoriety by re-tweeting powerful content and curating a Twitter persona to attract engagement and encourage interaction from other inhabitants of the Twitter-sphere.
The Power of a Twitter Chat
Have you heard how hot Twitter chats are? Many of the experts I’ve quoted above are in Twitter chats.SEMrush hosts #semrushchat, a busy Wednesday morning chat that has had thousands of tweets in it’s lifetime and guests like Hubspot. Sprout Social, hosts #SproutChat on Wednesdays. Ann Smarty hosts #MyBlogGuest, every Thursday at 11 am EST. (I’ve linked to more Twitter chats above.)
Well, I recently found out just how powerful a Twitter chat can be. The first week of September, I started really ramping up our Twitter chats, and one day we joined about 8, including #semrushchat, #bufferchat, #SMchat, #SproutChat, #SmallBizChat and more. That one day when we joined that many chats, we had a huge surge in website traffic. And I’m talking about 2,000 visitors. Incredible, right?
Right now, Express Writers is joining up to 5 Twitter chats each week. This is due to the fact that Twitter chats have the power to seriously enhance any business. Twitter chats are so effective, in fact, that 34% of marketers successfully generate leads using Twitter chats. This iSocial list does a great job of compiling the best Twitter chats for marketers to join and interested content aficionados can find plenty of good stuff in any one of these Twitter chats.
If you’re going to engage in Twitter chats, though, be sure that you’re being a polite Twitter citizen. Our Tweet Chat Etiquette Guide will help you learn the in’s and out’s of Tweet chats so that you can better promote your company and connect with knowledgeable people in your niche.
Yeah! Join a Twitter chat, and follow your industry leaders. It’ll be huge for you. I promise.
Finally.. Did I Miss A Content Marketer?
Let’s make this more than 60! I’d LOVE to know what marketer I missed – even if you want to add yourself to the list, feel free to comment below. I’ll edit this post if you’re (or your suggestion is) worthy!
Download your Free copy of 35 Popular Bloggers in Content Marketing You Should Be Following
