Social media serves as an influencer’s paradise where marketers create visibility for businesses (top marketing influencers, top marketing experts in the world, marketers worldwide). Leveraging this platform for business growth differentiates general social marketers from the best social media marketers.

Social media marketing has become an essential tool for agencies and small business owners aiming to grow their brand, connect with customers, and boost sales. Famous social media marketing professionals like Gary Vaynerchuk and Mari Smith (digital marketing influencers on Instagram) are always up-to-date with the latest trends, changes, and features, helping you ensure your social media marketing strategies are relevant and successful.

But with thousands of experts claiming to be the best, who should you follow for digital marketing advice?(top marketing influencers)

Why Social Media Agencies Need to Follow Social Leaders

Why social agencies need to follow social leaders

Social media marketers shape effective marketing strategies by setting trends, sharing insights, and influencing how brands connect with their target audience.(B2B buyers, B2B companies, B2B social media, B2B marketing statistics) By following these social media leaders, agencies can enhance their social marketing plans and stay competitive.

The reasons are:

1. Valuable Content

Social media marketers share insights that help agencies create successful content. By understanding their strategies, agencies can discover what resonates with their audience. This means more engaging posts, a louder social media voice, and a steady flow of traffic to clients’ websites turning marketing campaigns into success stories.

2. Competitive Edge

Following top social media marketers gives agencies a competitive edge. They stay ahead of trends and strategies, crafting smarter campaigns that not only outshine traditional marketing but also capture attention across different platforms. This knowledge enables them to design social media marketing plans and increase brand awareness across multiple platforms.

3. Networking Opportunities

Connecting with social media marketers provides numerous opportunities. It sparks collaborations with influencers, bringing in authentic content and powerful brand mentions. These partnerships also offer real-time feedback and deep audience insights, helping agencies fine-tune their strategies. It’s all about building relationships that amplify impact.

4. Improve Marketing Impact

Agencies can improve their social media marketing campaigns by learning from top marketers’ tactics. By studying influencer success stories, they create content that grabs attention, builds brand recognition, and attracts new followers. This drives better lead generation and strengthens brand identity. It’s all about turning great ideas into powerful results.

5. Boost Engagement

Social media marketers know how to craft content that generates high engagement. By watching their moves, agencies can fine-tune their affordable social media marketing for small business strategy to boost interactions and build a loyal community. This leads to more leads, increased traffic, and a stronger online presence across social networks. It’s about learning from the best to grow bigger and better.(social media marketing challenges)

Top Social Media Marketers to Follow

Top social media marketers set trends and provide insights that shape effective social media strategies (top 10 digital marketing experts in the world). By following these social leaders, you can enhance your social media campaigns and build a strong online presence on social media sites.

(See also: Jeff Bullas, Mark Schaefer, Madalyn Sklar, Marsha Collier, Rachel Pedersen, Jay Baer, Lilach Bullock, Mike Allton, Neal Schaffer, Ryan Deiss, Brian Dean, Joe Pulizzi, Larry Kim, Matt Navarra, Oli Gardner, Pam Moore, Michael Stelzner, Robert Rose)

The top 10 social media marketers ranked by expertise across different specializations are listed below:

1. Neil Patel

Neil patel

Co-founder of Neil Patel Digital, Neil is a seasoned digital marketing expert specializing in SEO and content marketing. Neil is a New York Times bestselling author whose marketing blog generates over 4 million visitors monthly. Neil offers expert insights into SEO, content, and digital marketing analytics across various social media channels. Neil has become a leading figure in performance marketing, consistently sharing data-driven social media tactics that help businesses achieve measurable ROI from their campaigns.

Best for

  • Paid campaigns
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Social media marketing
  • Content marketing

Where to follow

Find Neil on LinkedIn and X

Read Neil’s blog

2. Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk

CEO of VaynerMedia, Gary is a serial entrepreneur recognized for digital marketing and social media strategy expertise. Gary stands as a leading authority on digital marketing tactics, branding, and business development. Gary has expanded VaynerMedia to over 1,000 locations while maintaining a strong personal social media presence. Gary excels in performance marketing, regularly demonstrating how data-focused social media campaigns can transform business outcomes through his agency’s proven track record.

Best for

  • Social Media Marketing 
  • Paid media
  • Digital communication
  • eCommerce

Where to follow

LinkedIn, X

3. Zaria Parvez

Zaria Parvez

Zaria Parvez, known as the Duolingo owl, built Duolingo’s following from 50K to 5M+. Zaria creates engaging content for diverse audience demographics and has become a Gen Z social media sensation. Zaria demonstrates the effectiveness of creative freedom and trust, implementing next-level marketing strategies across multiple social media platforms.

Best for

  • Social media management
  • Social media marketing
  • social media strategy

Where to follow

LinkedIn, X

4. Rand Fishkin

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. He also captured the journey behind starting these businesses in Lost and Founder, a book he authored about the startup industry. 

Best for

  • SEO
  • Data-driven marketing analytics
  • Startup culture
  • Entrepreneurship

Where to follow

Threads, LinkedIn

5. Mari Smith

Mari Smith

Dubbed the “Queen of Facebook,” Mari is a leading expert in Facebook marketing and social media strategies. 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.

Best for

  • Facebook marketing/Facebook advertising
  • Influencer marketing
  • Instagram marketing
  • Paid social ads

Where to follow (digital marketing influencers on Instagram)

LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram

6. Steven Bartlett

steven bartlett

Founder of Social Chain and host of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, Steven offers deep insights into social media marketing and entrepreneurship. Today, he continues to reshape how businesses approach social media and influencer advertising through his various social channels, making him a digital marketing guru for many budding entrepreneurs.

Best for

  • Social media events
  • Podcasting
  • Funds and Investments

Where to follow

LinkedIn and Instagram

Check out Steven’s podcast

7. Ann Handley

Ann Handley

Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, Ann is a pioneer in digital marketing and content creation. 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.

Best for

  • B2B marketing
  • Content marketing (B2B marketing statistics)

Where to follow

LinkedIn, X, Instagram

8. Amy Porterfield

Amy Porterfield

Amy Porterfield, a leading online marketing expert, specializes in business growth through effective social media marketing strategies. Amy began her career at Tony Robbins, developing marketing skills and recognizing digital courses’ potential. As founder of Digital Course Academy, Amy has helped thousands of students transform expertise into successful online courses that provide time, financial, and lifestyle freedom.

Best for

  • Email marketing
  • Performance marketing campaigns
  • Digital courses
  • Webinars
  • Social media marketing
  • Content creation
  • Content creation

Where to follow

LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook

9. Kim Garst

Kim Garst

CEO of KG Enterprises, Kim is a social media strategist known for her expertise in Facebook advertising and content marketing. 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. Kim specializes in data-focused social media marketing, helping brands leverage analytics to create more targeted and effective campaigns.

Best for

  • AI
  • Social selling
  • Social media strategy and marketing
  • Content creation

Where to follow

LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram

10. Rachel Karten

Rachel Karten

A seasoned social media consultant, Rachel has a track record of building strong social media presences for brands across various social media platforms. As a social media associate director at Bon Appétit, she led the social media team to win the Webby and National Magazine Awards for best social. Rachel is recognized as one of the top Instagram marketing experts, known for creating viral content and building engaged communities on the platform.

Best for

  • Engagement driven social media marketing(top social media managers on Instagram)
  • Marketing strategy tips
  • Social chats
  • Interviews

Where to follow

LinkedIn, Instagram

To Conclude

Social media marketing is a key part of any business strategy, but keeping up with industry trends can be challenging. For this purpose, there is a need for social media marketing influencers or digital marketing experts. One thing all these famous marketing experts have in common is their genuine desire to help marketing professionals like us (marketers worldwide).

The best social media experts excel in the following key areas:

  • Boost your social media presence
  • Understand consumer behavior
  • Learn what it takes to understand consumer behavior
  • Identify target audience needs
  • Improve your online social customer service
  • Discover all the latest social media tools updates

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can agencies effectively engage with these influencers?

Agencies engage with influencers by interacting with content, sharing posts, and adding thoughtful comments. Building meaningful connections occurs through project collaborations, live session participation, and outreach for guest posts or interviews.

2. Do these strategies work across all social networks?

Yes, though effectiveness varies by platform. Content marketing and audience engagement strategies apply universally, while each social media platform maintains specific best practices.

3. What’s the best way to stay updated with their content?

Stay updated by following their most active social media channels and subscribing to newsletters or blogs. Enable post notifications on Instagram and LinkedIn, and engage with their communities on Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

4. How can social media management companies help social experts in their day to day work?

Social media management companies like RecurPost provide tools for scheduling posts, tracking analytics, and managing multiple platforms from a single dashboard. This streamlines workflow, optimizes content strategies, and allows social experts to focus on creative tasks and engagement.

5. Are there any marketing costs involved in following their social media  profiles for the purpose of marketing?

No, following their profiles is free. However, some advanced insights may require subscriptions to their premium content, courses, or tools. Investing in these resources is optional but can provide deeper knowledge and a competitive edge, especially when considering social media management pricing factors in your strategy.

6. How to utilize the expertise of these marketers to gain an edge in the space of social marketing?

Apply their insights to create engaging content, implement effective campaigns, and monitor trends. Their strategies enhance brand identity, drive traffic, and increase awareness. Collaborations with these marketers provide influencer marketing advantages.

7. Which platforms are these marketers most active on?

These marketers are most active on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. TikTok is popular for short-form content, while Facebook and LinkedIn are preferred for community building and professional networking. Blogs and podcasts also provide in-depth insights.