In a world where everything is digital, traditional marketing just doesn’t make the cut anymore. You need a way to connect and foster relationships with your consumer base; you need digital marketing. Digital marketing offers something that its predecessor cannot: two-way dialogue in which you speak ‘with your audience’ rather than ‘at your audience.’ More than that, even when employing a digital marketing agency, taking a digital approach saves you money and brings in higher conversions and ROIs. Look at it this way, with traditional marketing you can take out an ad on a local paper that will be seen by a limited audience, but with digital marketing you can post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and much more, reaching a much broader audience with a much lower cost.

1. The Top 20 Marketing Thought Leaders You Should Definitely Be Following
In a world where everything is digital, traditional marketing just doesn’t make the cut
anymore. You need a way to connect and foster relationships with your consumer base;
you need digital marketing. Digital marketing offers something that its predecessor
cannot: two-way dialogue in which you speak ‘with your audience’ rather than ‘at your
audience.’
More than that, even when employing a digital marketing agency, taking a digital
approach saves you money and brings in higher conversions and ROIs. Look at it this
way, with traditional marketing you can take out an ad on a local paper that will be seen
by a limited audience, but with digital marketing you can post on Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, and much more, reaching a much broader audience with a much lower cost.
For this, you need to know what’s what in the realm of digital marketing. And who
better to turn to than the top tech influencers 2017 has seen? Exactly, here are 20 of the
top thought leaders you should be following.

2. 1: Neil Patel
The co-founder of Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics and Hello Bar, Neil Patel is one of the top
marketing and analytics influencers you’ll come across today. Make sure to also check
out his blog with tons of useful tidbits!
Memorable Quote:
“There’s only one key behind producing great content day after day… You don’t need to be
the best writer. You don’t need to be a top expert (although it can help). You don’t need
any fancy tools (although they can also help). What you do need to do is understand your
reader.”

3. 2: Mark Schaefer
Best-selling author, keynote speaker, consultant and blogger, Mark Schaefer is the guy
you turn to for social media and marketing advice.
Memorable Quote:
“Creating great content is not the finish line. It’s the starting line.”

4. 3: Rand Fishkin
As the founder and ‘Wizard of Moz,’ look no further than Rand Fishkin if you want to
know anything and everything about SEO (mobile SEO included).
Memorable Quote:
“Search engines are unique in that they provide targeted traffic—people looking for what
you offer.”

5. 4: Guy Kawasaki
As chief evangelist of Canva and previously of Apple, Guy Kawasaki’s feed is filled with
gems relating to graphic design, marketing and technology.
Memorable Quote:
“Create something, sell it, make it better, sell it some more and then create something that
obsoletes what you used to make.”

6. 5: Mike Stelzner
If you’re familiar with Social Media Examiner, then you’re familiar with its CEO and
founder, Mike Stelzner. And with those titles it’s no surprise that his feed is packed with
the latest news and updates of the social media marketing world.
Memorable Quote:
“Empower your readers with social sharing buttons.”

7. 6: Jeff Bullas
As a best-selling author, keynote speaker, marketing blogger and #1 Global “Digital
Marketing Influencer,” Jeff Bullas is a man of many hats.
Memorable Quote:
“Less is more. Keeping it simple requires time and effort.”

8. 7: Mari Smith
Have questions on Facebook, Twitter or other social channels? Well, Mari Smith is now
your go-to source for social media marketing advice.
Memorable Quote:
“Content is king, but engagement is queen and she rules the house!”

9. 8: Seth Godin
Straying from the norm, Seth Godin’s Twitter page is a retweet of his blog. That being
said, he’s a marketing wizard who deserves that ‘Follow.’
Memorable Quote:
“Why use social media? Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about
the stories you tell.”

10. 9: Larry Kim
The founder of WordStream and CEO of Mobile Monkey, Larry Kim is someone you
know if you advertise online. Enough said.
Memorable Quote:
“Search marketing is all about harvesting existing market demand. Don't get me wrong: as
search marketers, we do a brilliant job of harvesting that demand. But search doesn't
grow new demand.”

11. 10: Pam Moore
Pam Moore is one of Forbes’ Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer, has worked with
countless global Brands, and specializes in leveraging social and digital technologies.
Memorable Quote:
“If you aren’t using social media, you are creating language barriers with your audiences.”

12. 11: Kim Garst
Twitter expert, social media pro and CEO of Boom! Social, Kim Garst is a Top Forbes
Influencer with highly relevant social media Tweets.
Memorable Quote:
“Legendary service is one of the criteria that sets one company apart from its competitors.
It’s the mark of a truly authentic company – you just can’t fake caring!”

13. 12: Barry Schwartz
Whenever there’s a new update to Google’s algorithms, Barry Schwartz is there to save
the day. Not only is he an editor with Search Engine Land, but also the executive editor
of the hugely popular Search Engine Roundtable.
Memorable Quote:
“Any time choice is restricted in some way, there is bound to be someone, somewhere, who
is deprived of the opportunity to pursue something of personal value.”

14. 13: Avinash Kaushik
Avinash Kaushik is the digital marketing evangelist of Google, co-founder of Market
Motive, and a blogger who makes data simple.
Memorable Quote:
“To guarantee success, spend 95% of your time defining the problem and 5% of the time
solving it.”

15. 14: Pam (Dyer) Hughes
Pam Hughes is a heck of a woman and her Twitter feed is a trove of social media
treasures. Oh yeah, she’s also been named as a top social influencer by Forbes.
Memorable Quote:
“Social media is inherently a selfish medium.”

16. 15: Brian Clark
The definition of an entrepreneur, Brian Clark is known as a thought leader in
everything content marketing.
Memorable Quote:
“These days, people want to learn before they buy, be educated instead of pitched.”

17. 16: Amy Porterfield
From her various blog posts, podcasts and knowledgeable Tweets, Amy Porterfield will
help you grow your social presence and monetize off of it.
Memorable Quote:
“My business strategy has always been to learn from those that are getting results and
model what’s already working.”

18. 17: Marsha Collier
With an impressive 48 books under her belt (many on eCommerce), it’s no mystery why
Marsha Collier has been featured in Forbes, Time, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and
much much more.
Memorable Quote:
“Content-based marketing gets repeated in social media and increases word-of-mouth
mentions; it’s the best way to gather buzz about a product.”

19. 18: Brian Halligan
Brian Halligan is CEO of HubSpot, a senior lecturer at MIT and occasional motivational
quote Tweeter. But really though, his feed is filled with posts on inbound marketing and
sales.
Memorable Quote:
“In God we trust; all others bring data.”

20. 19: Scott Monty
A real social media maven (seriously, The Economist names him as the #1 Social
Business Leaders), Scott Monty was global head of social media at Ford and is currently
the CEO of Brain+Trust Partners.
Memorable Quote:
“Trust in corporations is declining. It’s sliding every year. Trust in government is down.
Trust of businesses is down. Whom do people trust? Experts, analysts, people who are
independent, in some instances the media, but also someone who is like them—family,
friends, coworkers, someone who is part of your network.”

21. 20: Glen Gilmore
Another Top Forbes Social Media influencer, Glen Gilmore has been called a ‘futurist’ by
IBM and a “man of action” by TIME magazine. And if you’re a fan of technology and the
future, take a look at his feed. You’re welcome.
Memorable Quote:
“Be committed to excellence. Listen and respond better than anyone else. Aim to earn trust,
not 'followers.'”

22. Thought Leader Roundup
Got all of that? No worries if not, here’s a tl;dr version of the top tech influencers on
Twitter you should be following:
1. Neil Patel
2. Mark Schaefer
3. Rand Fishkin
4. Guy Kawasaki
5. Mike Stelzner
6. Jeff Bullas
7. Mari Smith
8. Seth Godin
9. Larry Kim
10. Pam Moore
11. Kim Garst
12. Barry Schwartz
13. Avinash Kaushik
14. Pam Dyer
15. Brian Clark
16. Amy Porterfield
17. Marsha Collier
18. Brian Halligan
19. Scott Monty
20. Glen Gilmore