1. Seth Godin
Despite starting off in the world of work as a Canoe Instructor, Seth Godin has grown to become a staple of the inbound marketing world. Through creating and selling his $30 million company ‘Yoyodyne’, creating the immensely popular community website ‘Squidoo’, publishing seventeen books and running an awarding winning blog, Seth has managed to rally up over 409 thousand twitter followers, and quite a reputation.
Seth is also the poster boy for ‘permission marketing’. This is a term he coined that refers to marketing to customers who have given ‘permission’ for content to be sent to them – rather than pestering them with unwanted material.
As someone that Business Week named ‘the ultimate entrepreneur for Information Age’ we reckon that he is someone you should definitely be keeping your eye on.
Quick Stats on Seth
- He likes to call people who create buzz online ‘Sneezers’ who are spreading the ‘IdeaVirus’
- He has precisely 409,696 twitter followers
- His books have been translated into 33 different languages
- In 2013 he was inducted into the ‘Direct Marketing Hall of Fame’, and is only one of three to have ever achieved this
Blog: www.sethgodin.typepad.com
Twitter: @ThisIsSethsBlog
2. Daniel Pink
Thinkers 50 named him one of the top 15 business thinkers in the world and after publishing five provocative (and best-selling) books about the changing world of work, it is obvious that Daniel Pink is pretty clued in on how to succeed in a working environment – making him a top bloke to social stalk.
His podcasts reveal everything from how to write the best email pitch to an interview with Oprah, and if you join his other 297,000 followers then his tweets can keep you up to date with current marketing affairs four times a day.
Quick Facts on Mr Pink
- He calls his subscription newsletter ‘The Irregular and Irrelevant Pink Newsletter’
- Before venturing out on his own seventeen years ago he dabbled in politics and even worked as chief speechwriter to Al Gore
- He is now the host of a new National Geographic Chanel show about human behaviour
Must see blog post: How to Persuade Others with Two Irrational Questions: A Big Think Video with a ‘Jedi Mind Trick
Website: www.danpink.com
Twitter: @DanielPink
Image source: http://blog.linkbird.com/de/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Joe-Pulizzi-Content-Marketing-linkbird.jpg
3. Joe Pulizzi
Pulizzi has been using the term ‘content marketing’ for nearly 15 years and as the founder of the ‘Content Marketing Institution’ (the fastest growing media business of 2013), it is fair to say that he is a celebrated veteran in this field
He loves to tweet handy tips and tricks to his 58 thousand followers around 10 times a day, and don’t let the quantity fool you because they are also top quality – what else would you expect from the poster boy of content marketing!
Quick nitbits about Joe:
- He likes to wear orange. A lot.
- He often takes selfies with fans at conferences
- He is the brain behind ‘Content Marketing World’, the worlds biggest event of its kind and Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey was a keynote speaker this year
Website: www.joepulizzi.com
Blog: www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/author/joepulizzi/
Twitter: @JoePulizzi
4. Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki was the ‘Chief Evangelist’ at Apple for four years before he ‘started listening to his own hype and wanted to start a software company and make really big bucks’. Now, Kawasaki can be found at the ‘Canva’ office in Sydney, developing graphic design tools for the online world.
However, with a string of best-sellers and a 107 thousand twitter followers, Guy has mastered the art of social media – sharing a wonderful mix of social strategy posts and funny memes that will spice up your office scrolling.
Quick Facts about Guy:
- He went to Stanford University Law School for two weeks before he realised that he hated it and left
- His first job was with a jewellery company
- He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii
Blog: www.blog.guykawasaki.com
Twitter: @GuyKawasaki
5. Ann Handley
Ann has definitely mastered the art of writing how you can rethink your business markets, and has even been crowned as the most influential woman in Social Media – so she must know a thing or two!
As the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs and the co-founder of ClickZ.com (a top notch source of interactive marketing news and commentary) she has quickly become a LinkedIn influencer and the proud owner of 257 thousand twitter followers.
She can often be found posting seriously helpful tips on mastering your marketing and the odd inspirational quote thrown in for good measure!
Quick Anecdotes about Ann:
- She is a big fan of collecting marketing infographics on pinterest
- Her monthly marketing column for Entrepeneur magazine has become one of magazine’s most popular features
Must see blog post: 50 Social Media Habits You Can Stop Doing Now
Twitter: @MarketingProfs
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annhandley
So there you have it! Do you have any marketers and social media guru’s that you follow? Let us know in the comments below.
If you’d like to learn more about content marketing and how to use content to effectively engage with your contacts and convert them into sales qualified leads, download our free ebook ‘The Content Marketing Revolution’.