From entrepreneurs, to social media strategists, to killer content writers, there are tons of voices discussing the latest trends and giving us their unique perspective on leadership, social media, SEO, blogging, and inbound marketing. With all of the marketing rockstars out there, how do you determine who will provide the most value? And who should you be paying attention to?
Although we couldn't possibly list all of the incredible marketers out there, we think this list is a pretty great place to start. Here are six of the marketing rockstars that you need to pay attention to immediately.
If you know us at all, you know that the Impulse Creative team loves Simon Sinek. His TED talk, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" has over 21 million views, and he is best known for discovering the golden circle and for popularizing the concept of "why." Sinek is described as a "visionary thinker with a rare intellect" and teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire their team. If you're looking for ways to find your "why," to inspire your employees, and build a strong and cohesive team, Sinek is the guy to follow.
Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur and best-selling author. While he was working at his father's liquor store in New Jersey, Vaynerchuk learned the importance of e-commerce and email marketing. Then, he launched WineLibrary.com, one of the first wine sales sites. Over the years, Vaynerchuk has been at the forefront of various marketing techniques and loves sharing what worked for him during his business ventures.
Seth Godin has one of the most-loved marketing blogs on the Internet and has written 18 best-selling books (our favorite is Purple Cow). Godin, unlike many other marketers out there, makes little effort to cultivate a following and prefers to be discovered virally. In addition to his blog, Godin founded both Yoyodyne and Squidoo. Godin is a must-follow for entrepreneurs and marketers alike, and he frequently writes about marketing, leadership, and being an entrepreneur.
Chris Brogan helps entrepreneurs and other business professionals with leadership development and business strategy by teaching them to own their choices, life, and future. He is a New York Times best-selling author, the CEO of Owner Media Group, and a highly sought-after motivational speaker. Brogan's blog is full of helpful information about content marketing, social media, leadership, life as an entrepreneur, and more. Whether you're a small business owner, manager, or content creator, you'll be able to find valuable content on Brogan's blog and social media channels.
Rand Fishkin is the co-founder of SEOMoz, which is arguably one of the most successful and well-known SEO resources of all time. It was so successful, in fact, that Fishkin decided to turn it into a company and renamed it Moz. Today, Moz is one of the biggest providers of online marketing tools for businesses. Although Fishkin recently stepped down as CEO of Moz, he's still influential in the world of marketing and SEO and shares a ton of great info on his social media channels.
Regardless of whether you're a fresh-out-of-college marketer or someone who's been in the industry for a while, there's definitely something to learn from Ann Handley. She is the author of the Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content, was named one of the top 20 women bloggers by ForbesWoman, and was cited by Forbes as one of the most influential women in social media. Handley has tons of experience creating and managing digital content and is a must-follow for all content writers out there.
Tell us: Who are some of the most influential marketers in your mind? Who should we be paying attention to?