We like to have our fingers on the pulse at Digital Next, and often that involves sitting under the proverbial learning tree and listening to what the people in the know are saying regarding the wide world of digital marketing. With this in mind, we’ve collected a list of the top 10 digital authorities and figures according to the metrics from Onalytica’s research on the subject.
You’d do well to learn from these peeps!
It won’t be a shock to many that Onalytica rated the Econsultancy as number one in its list of most influential brands on the web. Encompassing everything from market research, guides and training around digital marketing, including advice on internet marketing strategy and best practice, Econsultancy is a resource we return to again and again.
A blogger, author, strategist and speaker who works with companies to optimize their online personal and company brands with digital, content and social media marketing, Jeff Bullas is an Australian born and bred though-leader. With a background in information technologies and telecommunications, Bullas is routinely voted as a key influencer when it comes to all aspects of digital marketing.
From marketing, social, customer experience, content marketing and digital strategy, Social Media Today foster a sense of community and involvement among their readers by encouraging posts and dialogue on social networks, marketing and advertising, technology and data. This includes providing high rates of engagement with produced content as well as a moderator team to answer questions and help optimising content. Influencer Score: 27.14
Leicester isn’t only home to Premier League and World Snooker champions but also one of the most influential voices on the web. Sam Hurley is Head of Search Marketing at Midas Media and has a world of plaudits to his name that show his status in the industry as a voice who allows followers to keep up to date with the latest trends in digital marketing and how it will impact your business growth.
Co-founded in 2001, Top Rank Marketing have carved out a reputation as a thought leader among the digital marketing industry, and have been cited in publications such as The Economist, Forbes and Wall Street Journal for their content marketing, SEO, influencer marketing and social media marketing expertise.
As the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller ‘Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content’ and Head Of Content for MarketingProfs, Ann Handley is waging a self-styled war on mediocrity in content marketing. Needless to say, her credentials speak for themselves and it is this that causes her to be so well respected in the field.
Inc. started off as a magazine in 1979, focusing on growing and upcoming companies around the globe. Since then the company have been through a variety of sales and investments, with the current owners spreading their wings into the digital world to discuss all manner of business relevant issues.
As co-founder of Econsultancy, it’s no surprise Ashley Friedlein finds his way onto our list. Since selling the website in 2012, he has gone on to fund and act as chairman for Ably – a realtime messaging platform and continues to talk on innovations in the digital world. That’s why one of the common statements in digital is ‘if Ashley doesn’t know it – it ain’t worth knowing.’
While lacking in the scope and influence of some others on this list, Marketing Land make up for this with a variety of resources and daily newsletter to keep you updated and in the know.
As founder of Zebra Advertisement and the youngest Google Partners All-Stars Winner at the age of 24, Rocco has built his influence through regular contributions to Entrepreneur, Social Media Examiner and SEMrush, becoming a respected voice when it comes to paid search.
These digital authorities are the websites and Twitter feeds we find ourselves turning to again and again, is there someone you feel we’ve overlooked? Let us know.