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The 20 Most Influential People in Digital Marketing You Need to Know About in 2022
The top names in digital marketing have large followings and high engagement, significantly impacting trends. With the global industry nearing $786 billion, digital marketing is a strong career option. Learn about the 20 most influential people and see what benchmarks to hit on your way to the top.
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Things to Consider
Digital marketing happens online. Influential people want to stay active and caught up in conversations so that they’re relevant. They want to connect with people to increase their engagement. Unsurprisingly, the most influential people have huge followings and tons of mentions. They also have high engagement rates due to their replies and repostings.
PlatformThe survey pulls data from Twitter and LinkedIn, the top social media platforms for digital marketing and networking. However, it’s worth having a presence on other outlets, too. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are still popular platforms worth exploring. Newer options like TikTok can also help you expand your reach. | FollowersDharmesh Shah tops the list with nearly 300,000 Twitter followers. On LinkedIn, he has over one million followers. John Rampton has the most Twitter followers, with more than 1,250,000, but only 45,000 LinkedIn followers. These numbers should help you understand that you can diversify your followers across platforms and have a broad network. |
ActivityThe person with the most tweets is Pam Moore, with over 134,000 tweets. This impressive number also contributes to her having the third-highest engagement rate on the list. Regularly posting quality content means people will find your profile because you’re active online. You’ll gain followers and have more opportunities to engage with your audience. | InteractionsInteractions are a positive side effect of your high levels of online activity. You’re starting a conversation when you post content that makes people engage. Replying to others will boost your stats in terms of engagement rates. It also increases the possibility that other users will see your posts and interact with you, possibly leading to more followers. |
The most influential people on the list come from the companies you’d expect, such as Hubspot, Google, Marketing Nutz, Due, and Calendar. The SEO industry also has strong representation, with people from Moz and Google Search.
As you read about these marketers’ accomplishments, consider the demographics. There are four women on the list:
- Julie Joyce, founder of GreenID Marketing
- Pam Moore, founder of Marketing Nutz
- Ann Smarty, brand manager of Internet Marketing Ninjas
- Aleyda Solis, founder of Orainti
Four out of 20 isn’t a strong representation, but it shows an increase from previous years. As more women impact digital marketing, there will surely be more representation in the future. As the digital marketing industry grows, these demographics will change. Staying updated on trends and influencers will help your career.
The 20 Most Influential People in Digital Marketing You Need to Know About in 2022
1. Dharmesh Shah
Dharmesh Shah is the founder of Pyramid Digital Solutions and, later, HubSpot. He uses his rank as the top digital marketing influencer to share data about startups and teach others to optimize search engines and social media for marketing. In addition to helping companies grow, Shah is an angel investor in startups.
2. John Rampton
John Rampton founded Calendar, which aggregates all your online calendars into one place to help you stay on top of your schedule. He also founded Due, a financial app that helps people plan for retirement. He has over one million Twitter followers reading his motivational tips about finance, SEO, and business growth.
3. Pam Moore
Pam Moore has over 25 years of digital marketing experience. Forbes listed her on their Top 10 Social Media Influencers list, and she shares her knowledge on Twitter and LinkedIn. Across platforms, she has a combined audience of over 600,000 followers.
4. Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivan co-founded Third Door Media, home of the well-known blog Search Engine Land. His experience dates back to 1997, inspiring many people to call him the “father of search engine marketing.” He joined Google in 2017 and shares his expertise with almost 800,000 followers.
5. Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin founded SparkToro, an audience research tool, and Moz, an SEO software bundle. Fishkin has over 500,000 followers on LinkedIn and Twitter combined. He also has an active presence on Facebook and Instagram, broadening his reach in digital marketing.
6. Neil Patel
Neil Patel is a successful digital marketer recognized by the United Nations as a top entrepreneur. He co-founded Crazy Egg and created the keyword tool Ubersuggest. His tools and knowledge, shared with almost 900,000 followers, help people grow their brands.
7. Barry Schwartz
Barry Schwartz founded the Search Engine Roundtable and is the CEO of RustyBrick, a firm that helps businesses decrease costs while expanding their reach and profits. He also works as a consultant and shares his expertise with over 200,000 followers online.
8. Shama Hyder
Shama Hyder founded Zen Media, a PR company for brands that want to stand out and increase profits. She’s written books about her experience and shares tips with over 600,000 followers on LinkedIn and Twitter.
9. Aleyda Solis
Aleyda Solis founded Orainti, an SEO consulting agency. She has over a decade of SEO experience and regularly shares insights online with more than 150,000 followers. Solis also writes the SEOFOMO newsletter with more knowledge.
10. John Mueller
John Mueller is a Google Search advocate. He connects the inner side of Google with public websites to help rank them, so users get the answers they need. Mueller tops the mentions category with over 2,100 weekly when people tag him to get information about Google.
11. Matt Cutts
Matt Cutts is a software designer who worked as a United States Digital Service administrator, streamlining government agencies. Cutts also has a history at Google, including creating the SafeSearch filter. He often tweets to over 500,000 followers.
12. Dr. Pete Meyers
Dr. Pete Meyers is a marketer with Moz who also maintains the Google Algorithm History, a record of Google updates going as far back as 2002. He has a background in psychology and computer science that gives him a unique understanding of SEO and targeted audiences.
The most influential people on the list come from the companies you’d expect, such as Hubspot, Google, Marketing Nutz, Due, and Calendar. The SEO industry also has strong representation, with people from Moz and Google Search.
13. Julie Joyce
Julie Joyce is the founder of GreenID Marketing. The site provides free resources for businesses to pinpoint their audience and help make them into customers. You can book consulting time with Joyce and become one of her more than 25,000 followers.
14. Ann Smarty
Ann Smarty founded ViralContentBee.com and teaches online courses at MyBlogU.com. Smarty also contributes to countless SEO blogs, including Search Engine Journal. She has almost 80,000 followers who benefit from her SEO tips, social media insight, and blogging knowledge.
15. Glenn Gabe
Glenn Gabe is the president of G-Squared Interactive. He has 24 years of SEO and digital marketing experience, helping companies boost their search rankings and tackle algorithm issues. He has over 55,000 followers and writes a blog called The Internet Marketing Driver.
16. Brian Dean
Brian Dean founded Backlinko and co-founded Exploding Topics. Backlinko is one of the most prominent digital marketing blogs, while Exploding Topics is a new tool that helps businesses pinpoint trends before they happen. Dean regularly engages with his almost 200,000 followers.
17. Shane Barker
Shane Barker co-founded Content Solutions, a company that helped businesses map a digital marketing path. He became a private consultant but still shares his knowledge on Twitter. Barker has over 50,000 followers on LinkedIn and Twitter combined.
18. Mike Volpe
Mike Volpe worked as a CEO and advisor to several startups. As a result of this experience, he is still an angel investor for startups. Volpe is currently the vice president of B2B payments at Capital One and frequently shares digital marketing tips on Twitter and LinkedIn.
19. Wil Reynolds
Wil Reynolds founded Seer Interactive in 2002. Over the years, his SEO firm grew to employ over 200 people. Reynolds has over 75,000 followers on Twitter and LinkedIn and regularly engages with them. He also shares video content on a YouTube channel to reach more people.
20. Cyrus Shepard
Cyrus Shepard founded Zippy in 2009. The SEO company optimizes websites so online companies can increase their sales. One of Zippy’s missions is to provide free education for business owners, which Shepard does for more than 100,000 followers.
Main Takeaways
As more people venture into digital marketing, the number of followers on Twitter and LinkedIn increases. Engagement rates get more prominent, and mentions blow up as new marketers work to connect and learn from the best in the field. By following these 20 people on this list, you’ll learn about SEO, digital marketing, and forging a career in the industry.
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