Homepage > Blog > 12 Best Digital Marketing Experts and Online Marketing Influencers to Follow in 2024
The internet can be a noisy place. The boom in social media means that there are increasingly more booming voices pushing their own personal brand. It’s no longer just a place to post personal photos or cat memes, but also a space to share sound business advice.
To ensure that you’re getting advice that you can trust and build your business upon, here are 12 of the leading voices to follow on social media. These digital marketing experts share top tips on how you can follow their examples and build your own brand and business.
Reasons Why You Should Follow Digital Marketing Experts
- Valuable Content: From podcasts to blog posts, marketing experts regularly share what they’ve learned from their own successful experiences.
- Competitive Edge: Digital marketing experts like to share predictions about trends that they expect to take off. Following them on social media gives you an advantage as you’ll be able to implement these trends, often before your competitors, helping you to remain competitive in a constantly evolving digital world.
- Free Advice: Most of the time, marketing experts share their insights for free. Information is equally useful for beginners and professional digital specialists. There you can find a lot of topics: from information about marketing strategy for startups or long-established agencies to expert opinions and current industry news. All you need to do is subscribe to an email newsletter. If you don’t want to share your email address, you can simply wait for their next social media post. It’s free. You just need some time to read or listen to the content.
List of the Top 12 Digital Marketing Experts To Follow in 2024
1. Neil Patel
Rated as one of the leading eCommerce influencers, Neil Patel has co-founded a global, award-winning, digital marketing agency as well as marketing and analytics tools. In fact, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, he has created one of the top 100 most brilliant companies, while the United Nations and Barack Obama have recognized his entrepreneurial expertise.
Aside from entrepreneurship, he’s also highly regarded for his thoughts on digital marketing. Global brands like Amazon and even leading names in marketing tools like Salesforce have used him as a digital marketing expert.
Main areas of expertise:
- Paid campaigns
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
Why you should follow him:
- He has spoken at hundreds of conferences, including major growth marketing conferences, around the world.
- His marketing blog attracts millions of visitors per month, proving his extensive knowledge of content marketing and SEO.
- He regularly shares free content that includes podcast episodes and online digital marketing training courses.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
2. Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin is the founder behind one of the leading inbound marketing software solutions, Moz. After founding Moz, he went on to co-found SparkToro, a market research and audience intelligence tool, as well as Snackbar Studio, an indie game developer. He also captured the journey behind starting these businesses in Lost and Founder, a book he authored about the startup industry.
Aside from writing about his experiences working in digital marketing, he’s also a frequent keynote speaker on entrepreneurship and marketing. According to his bio, helping others to improve their marketing is one of his biggest focus areas.
Main areas of expertise:
- SEO
- Startup culture
- Entrepreneurship
Why you should follow him:
- He’s been featured in a couple of listicles including Businessweek’s 30 Under 30.
- He has built a multimillion dollar company.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
3. Gary Vaynerchuk
To stay up to speed with the latest marketing trends, be sure to tune into and follow GaryVee. He describes himself as a serial entrepreneur and co-founded a number of businesses, some of which was acquired by the likes of American Express and Constellation Brands.
When it comes to speaking about marketing, his Q&A series broadcasted live on Instagram and Facebook has also attracted big names. Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, and Casey Neistat are just a few of the notable guests who’ve appeared on #AskGaryVee. On top of that, he’s also appeared next to Ellen Degeneres and Conan O’Brien on national TV.
In his role as CEO of VaynerMedia, a global creative and media agency, he also works with global brands like Toyota, Johnson’s, and Unilever. He has grown this company to a presence in over 1,000 locations, in addition to his own massive online presence.
Main areas of expertise:
- Marketing
- Paid media
- Digital communication
- eCommerce
Why you should follow him:
- He has written a number of New York Times best-selling books.
- He has been included in the Fortune list of the Top 50 Influential People in the NFT industry.
- He has more than 40 million followers combined on his social media channels.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
4. Ann Handley
Ann has been working with content long before digital marketing erupted onto the scene. She worked as writer and editor for a number of B2B and consumer magazines before co-founding ClickZ.com, one of the first resources for digital marketing.
She’s a prolific writer, both online and offline. In addition to writing for publications, she’s also authored and co-authored best-selling books.
Aside from writing, she’s also a keynote business speaker. Drawing on her experience of over two decades, she helps business leaders improve their digital marketing strategies, while at the same time empowering marketers to become leaders.
You can also find her at MarketingProfs, a marketing education company trusted by hundreds of thousands of marketers. Here, she’s in charge of all professional education and training content.
Main areas of expertise:
- B2B marketing
- Content marketing
Why you should follow her:
- She was named by Forbes as one of the leading thought leaders.
- She was identified by IBM as one of a handful of people shaping modern marketing.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
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5. Larry Kim
From blogger to founder to CEO, Larry Kim wears many hats. Plus, he’s regarded as a master in all these positions.
PPC Hero, Search Engine Land, and the US Search Awards have all named him as Search Marketer of the Year. His entrepreneurial skills have also been recognized by the United States Senate and House of Representatives for growing the job market in Boston.
He founded his most recent venture, Customers.ai, to help businesses spend less on paid advertising. Customers.ai offers website visitor identification and remarketing, helping users to convert site traffic into leads. His first venture, WordStream, is still going strongly and was acquired by Gannett in 2018 for $150 million.
Aside from sharing blog posts on Medium, where he’s ranked as the eighth most popular author, he also contributes to Inc. Magazine and Business Insider to mention only two publications. He actively participates in the digital marketing space and also speaks at national as well as international conferences each year.
Main areas of expertise:
- Google Ads
- Facebook Ads
- Email deliverability
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
- Entrepreneurship
- Startups
Why you should follow him:
- He’s a guest lecturer at Harvard, Boston University, and MIT.
- He has founded two super successful companies.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
6. Mari Smith
Mari is the face to follow for everything related to Facebook marketing. Nicknamed “the Queen of Facebook”, Forbes has described her as a leading Facebook expert who even the platform turns to for help.
Her expertise extends beyond Facebook and she’s also rated as one of the top social media thought leaders across the globe. In fact, Forbes has listed her as one of the top 10 social media influencers for three consecutive years.
As you would expect, she has a massive, loyal following on the major social media channels. Plus, in the offline world she often speaks at events and has co-presented events with leaders like Sir Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, and the Dalai Lama.
Aside from being a regular keynote speaker, she gets involved on a more practical level and offers training (online as well as on-site).
Main areas of expertise:
- Facebook marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Instagram marketing
- Paid social ads
Why you should follow her:
- She is a recognized Facebook Partner and consults with the platform on their Blueprint Certification programs.
- She consistently ranks as one of the most popular speakers.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
7. Ryan Deiss
Business owners looking to scale should follow Ryan Deiss. He’s the founder of The Scalable Company that helps entrepreneurs scale their businesses.
Before he founded The Scalable Company, he also launched DigitalMarketer.com, a go-to resource for training and tools boasting a massive hub of digital marketing experts. If you want to learn more about digital marketing, you can also catch him at the Traffic & Conversion Summit, where he’s the host.
Even if you haven’t attended a Traffic & Conversion Summit or signed up to DigitalMarketer.com, you likely have used one of his strategies. He, for example, created the Customer Value Optimization (CVO) methodology, a marketing strategy that businesses of all sizes can implement.
Main areas of expertise:
- Digital marketing
- Bootstrapped growth
- Leadership
Why you should follow him:
- Aside from being a digital marketing expert, he has first-hand experience founding and growing online businesses.
- He has created and popularized several digital strategies used by businesses today.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
8. Brian Dean
To grow your SEO skills, subscribe to Brian Dean’s YouTube channel. Entrepreneur.com has labelled him an “SEO genius”, while Success Magazine has called him one of the global digital marketing experts on SEO.
He worked as a freelance SEO consultant for a couple of years before founding Backlinko. Over the course of nine years, he has grown Backlinko into one of the leading marketing blogs. It’s been featured by publications like TechCrunch, HuffPost, and Fast Company and was acquired by Semrush in 2022.
His current project is Exploding Topics, a tool that helps companies uncover topics set to explode. It’s already trusted by major brands like Google, Shopify, and Apple.
Main areas of expertise:
- SEO
- Backlinks
- Entrepreneurship
- Content writing
Why you should follow him:
- He’s founded an eight-figure business.
- He has created one of the most successful blogs and has been named as one of the best bloggers.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
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9. Amy Porterfield
Creators thinking about creating and selling an online course can tune into Amy Porterfield’s podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy, which has been downloaded millions of times. Creating digital courses and promoting them using webinars and email marketing are her focus areas.
Rated as one of the leading digital marketing strategists herself, her top-ranked podcast has also featured insights from other top digital marketing experts. What makes her podcast such a great resource is the practical approach she takes. Whether it’s a step-by-step guide or a mini-marketing masterclass, after listening to her podcast you’ll be equipped to take action immediately.
Aside from podcasting, she also excels at writing. Her book – Two Weeks Notice – is a bestseller. Like her podcast episodes, it takes a step-by-step style outlining how to start an online business.
Main areas of expertise:
- Email marketing
- Digital courses
- Webinars
- Social media marketing
- Content creation
Why you should follow her:
- She’s built an eight-figure business which was listed in Inc. 5000 in 2021.
- She releases new podcast episodes twice a week.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
10. Kim Garst
For everything related to artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing, there’s Kim Garst. She’s a digital futurist and AI consultant who believes that you can embrace AI while remaining authentic.
She teaches businesses how to train AI so that their unique brand message is reflected and they can engage more authentically with their target audiences. To date, she’s helped over one million business owners which is a huge feat alone.
While she’s helping businesses use AI to get on the map, her own career took off before AI. Between 2010 and 2018, she focused on all things social media and her expertise in the field landed her a coveted spot on the Top 20 Women Social Media Power Influencers list issued by Forbes.
Main areas of expertise:
- AI
- Social selling
- Social media strategy and marketing
- Content creation
Why you should follow her:
- She’s an international bestselling author.
- She’s been featured in leading publications like Social Media Examiner, Businessweek, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
- She’s built multiple seven-figure online businesses.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
11. Tim Ferriss
Marketing experts looking to brush up their business skills should follow Tim Ferriss. He’s probably best known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek that sold millions of copies and was translated into dozens of languages. He went on to write four more books and start a very successful blog.
His podcast is equally popular. The Tim Ferriss Show podcast is the first business-interview podcast to generate more than 100 million downloads. Fast-forward and it’s been downloaded more than 900 million times. From iconic actors, like Hugh Jackman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, to sci-fi authors, like Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood, to Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, his podcast has featured a long list of acclaimed guests.
In addition to being an accomplished author and podcast host, he’s also a successful entrepreneur and early-stage tech investor. Fast Company has listed him as one of the most innovative business people. He’s also made Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list.
Main areas of expertise:
- Entrepreneurship
- Consumer product design and marketing
- Lifestyle optimizations
Why you should follow him:
- He’s been featured in a number of leading publications including The New York Times, The Observer, and Fortune.
- He’s made TV appearances on shows like Dr. Oz and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
12. Pam Moore
Pam’s list of experiences and titles are nearly as long as her follower list, making her one of the most experienced digital marketing experts. After spending more than 15 years working at Fortune 10 brands and startups, she embarked on her own entrepreneurial journey and founded Marketing Nutz, a digital marketing training and consulting boutique agency.
Aside from being an experienced marketer and CEO, she’s also an exceptional speaker. From keynote presentations to workshops and virtual training sessions, she combines her passion for helping others with her extensive industry know-how to engage diverse audiences.
The impact she’s had on the digital marketing industry has been recognized by the likes of Forbes. She’s often cited in leading publications as thought leader and, along with Ann Handley and Mari Smith, she’s also been named as one of the top 10 women social media influencers by Forbes.
Main areas of expertise:
- Personal branding
- AI
- Digital marketing trends
- Brand culture
Why you should follow her:
- She’s one of the most experienced digital marketing experts and has filled a number of corporate marketing roles.
- She’s worked with various industries and global names like Redken, Sony, and IBM.
Links to social networks or blogs to follow:
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Conclusion
Whether you’re a digital marketer or business owner, it’s key that you continuously grow your marketing knowledge so that you can avoid common costly mistakes. Staying up to speed with the latest marketing trends will also help you optimize your campaigns and remain one step ahead of others in your niche.
One of the best ways to do that is to follow a few digital marketing experts. They typically share actionable insights in an engaging way, meaning that you’ll get access to more than just boring facts.
