Author: Ellen Gomes
As we kick off 2017 with the fresh energy and optimism that a new year brings, like me, I bet many of you have made some achievable (and not so achievable) New Year’s resolutions. This year, one at the very top of my list is to more actively consume industry news and trends and apply them to my own marketing. At Marketo, we finished the year by running a social countdown, called #marketocountdown, that highlighted some of the top influencers to follow so you can stay up to date on trends, tips, and best practices.
Missed the countdown? Don’t worry—we created a Storify of the 31 days that you can look at and a Twitter List so you can follow all of the influencers with just one click. Want more details? I’ve listed each influencer and their social handles below. Check it out and let us know if you follow someone who you think should be on the list.
1. Ann Handley
Ann Handley is the Head of Content at MarketingProfs and author of the WSJ bestseller, Everybody Writes. She actively wages war on mediocre content marketing.
2017 is the Year to Challenge Our Content Marketing Assumptions https://t.co/8k62h9NJjB [my latest] pic.twitter.com/JGSDtF8oor
— Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) January 4, 2017
2. Brian Fanzo
A Millennial keynote speaker, translator of geek speak, and change evangelist, Brian Fanzo doesn’t stop there—he’s a live video pioneer and also hosts the #SMACtalk and #FOMOfanz podcasts.
Entrepreneurship Taught Me I Suck At These 10 Things! https://t.co/uEe9pA4mtq #EntrepreneurLife #Entrepreneur pic.twitter.com/hl0yU4XLD2
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) January 5, 2017
3. Bryan Kramer
Bryan Kramer is a TED Talk and keynote speaker, the author of Shareology and Human to Human #H2H, and the CEO of PureMatter.
What Makes the Best Storytellers the Best – @bryankramer https://t.co/hsNgcPdJnV #brand #storytelling pic.twitter.com/RyEzarE2jd
— PureMatter (@purematter) January 5, 2017
4. Jessica Northey
Jessica Northey is a social media entrepreneur that speaks fluent hashtag and is a fan (and social promoter) of country music with #CMChat.
Doing a @CMchatLIVE tonight with @JessicaNorthey in one hour. Y’all stay tuned and get your questions ready!
— Luke Combs (@LukeCombsMusic) December 20, 2016
5. Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki was the former Chief Evangelist of Apple but since then has been busy writing 13 books, keynoting, and serving as the Chief Evangelist of Canva. He’s always on Twitter sharing what’s new and trending.
Nonprofits making excellent use of Instagram to reach out to audiences. https://t.co/uRHFzN6cnq pic.twitter.com/uRijCBP1sv
— Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki) January 5, 2017
6. Joe Pulizzi
You can find Joe Pulizzi running Content Marketing Institute and on stage (in orange) giving a keynote at Content Marketing World. In his free time, he’s also the author of four content marketing books.
My Latest – Five #ContentMarketing #Trends to Watch in 2017 https://t.co/6odIrxMijo #CMWorld
— Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) December 19, 2016
7. John Jantsch
John Jantsch is a small business marketing consultant, speaker, and author of Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Referral Engine, and The Commitment Engine.
Why Your Website Needs a Storyteller Instead of a Designer https://t.co/JnNsHDVRbY
— John Jantsch (@ducttape) January 5, 2017
8. Lee Odden
Lee Odden is the CEO at TopRank Marketing while also finding time to be an author, speaker, consultant on B2B content and influencer marketing, social media, PR, and SEO. Fun facts: He loves bacon and has a pretty awesome beard.
2017 Trends for CMOs: Ignite Content Performance with Influencers https://t.co/jrAtcpeOge pic.twitter.com/2swQQKjS4k
— Lee Odden (@leeodden) January 2, 2017
9. Mark Schaefer
Mark Schaefer is a social media keynote speaker, author of five best-selling marketing books, host of the Marketing Companion podcast, and consultant focusing on digital transformation.
What would I do if I were starting a blog from scratch? https://t.co/sBYbNu7kSi
— Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer) January 5, 2017
10. Peg Fitzpatrick
Peg Fitzpatrick is a popular social media speaker and the author of The Art of Social Media. She offers great advice on DIY design and visual marketing.
How to Make Your Pinterest Pins Look Like a Million Bucks https://t.co/QdzJSQLXvP pic.twitter.com/fMILUJlcZX
— Peg Fitzpatrick ✨ (@PegFitzpatrick) January 4, 2017
11. Michael Brenner
Michael Brenner is the CEO of Marketing Insider Group and is also a content marketing consultant, marketing speaker, writer, and the author of The Content Formula.
The Ultimate Guide to The Best Marketing Conferences of 2017 https://t.co/Dc18ncYhcd #Storynomics #CMOclubsummit #DigidayDBS #MKTGnation pic.twitter.com/RDAmlHyVn5
— Michael Brenner (@BrennerMichael) January 4, 2017
12. Michael Stelzner
Michael Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner and Social Media Marketing World. He hosts the Social Media Marketing podcast and is the author of Launch and Writing White Papers.
NEW: How to Back Up Your #SocialMedia Content https://t.co/Zb1OMwOKhn by @kristihines pic.twitter.com/4178Wnwcyq
— Michael A. Stelzner (@Mike_Stelzner) January 5, 2017
13. Matt Heinz
Matt Heinz is the President and CEO of Heinz Marketing which offers consulting services that cover B2B demand generation, pipeline management, sales enablement, content strategy, inside sales effectiveness, marketing technology, and driving revenue and results. He’s an awesome speaker and has been known to contribute to a Definitive Guide or two.
Modern Marketing Field Guide: Raise Awareness, Drive Response & Close More Business http://t.co/J3lA5c84MU
— Matt Heinz (@HeinzMarketing) October 24, 2014
14. Neal Schaffer
Neal Schaffer is an author, global social media speaker, social media marketing influencer, and aims to help businesses generate ROI from social media. His Twitter feed is often a one-stop shop for trends, tips, and tricks.
#Twitter will tell brands more about people who see their tweets https://t.co/p2U1GXxZip via @petersontee pic.twitter.com/4Dk5fsJ3Jr
— Neal Schaffer (@NealSchaffer) January 5, 2017
15. Zach King
Zach King is a filmmaker, Viner, and YouTuber. He makes video look easy and teaches others how to use it and incorporate it into their strategies.
One of my favorite parts of filmmaking is figuring out how we are going to create the magic. Behind the scenes at our @McDonalds shoot #ad pic.twitter.com/lp9b9cjQ9K
— Zach King (@FinalCutKing) December 6, 2016
16. Kim Garst
Kim Garst is a keynote speaker and Forbes Top 10 social media influencer.
5 Ways To Brainstorm Great #Content Marketing Ideas https://t.co/LKhYMGcAOv
— Kim Garst (@kimgarst) January 5, 2017
17. Jon Loomer
Jon Loomer is an entrepreneur, business owner, accidental marketer, and Facebook Ads geek. In his free time, he is a Brewers fan and baseball stats nerd.
From Nothing (My Story): https://t.co/6QpbqI9y27
— Jon Loomer (@jonloomer) January 5, 2017
18. Jay Baer
Jay Baer is the most re-tweeted person in the world among digital marketers. He is also an author, speaker, and President of the consultancy and media company, Convince & Convert.
A terrific post on why statistics are catnip to social and content marketers. https://t.co/gpc52OhlaA
— Jay Baer (@jaybaer) January 4, 2017
19. Joel Comm
Joel Comm is a live video marketing expert, keynote speaker, New York Times best-selling author, and social influencer.
We have two ears and one mouth. Perhaps we should listen twice as much as we speak? pic.twitter.com/NDqMR7wqSM
— Joel Comm (@joelcomm) January 5, 2017
20. Mari Smith
Mari Smith is a social media thought leader, Facebook marketing expert, globe-trotting speaker, and an author.
Facebook Extends Auto-Captioning to Videos From Pages https://t.co/DcHbbT0BwV via @SocialTimes | Great news!
— Mari Smith Ⓜ️ (@MariSmith) January 5, 2017
21. Pam Moore
Self-described as 50% marketing, 50% geek, Pam Moore is the CEO of Marketing Nutz and a keynote speaker, consultant, and social media influencer.
34 Social Media Truths in a Nutshell – #SocialZoomFactor Podcast https://t.co/FTQZ6zlOdi <-fr our 2012 / 2014 archives #keynote #throwback
— Pam Moore (@PamMktgNut) January 5, 2017
22. Chris Brogan
Chris Brogan is the CEO of Owner Media Group. He is also the New York Times best-selling author of 9 books and counting—his latest is Find Your Writing Voice.
Influencer marketing? I’ve got some thoughts – https://t.co/VUd3N9H84y
— Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) January 5, 2017
23. Amy Porterfield
Amy Porterfield helps businesses monetize their online marketing efforts to grow their social media fan base and email list to make a revenue impact.
Get your online business up and running with these must have tools and resources for 2017. Click here! https://t.co/trzQcRei6l
— Amy Porterfield (@AmyPorterfield) December 30, 2016
24. Sam Hurley
Sam Hurley is a social influencer and entrepreneur. He shares copious tips and tricks to optimize your content and digital marketing.
Use these 7 #SEO Updates to Improve Your Google Search Rankings in 2017! >>>> https://t.co/5ajLc2XDSi <<<< pic.twitter.com/C2n36IlmDu
— Sam Hurley <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2/72x72/1f60e.png" alt="