Digital marketing isn’t rocket science but it takes enormous time and effort even to fully understand the basic strategies that actually work. On top of that, digital marketing strategies, whether related to search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, eCommerce conversions, online reputation management, or anything else, continue to change with each passing year. Therefore, budding digital marketers must learn from those who have ‘been there and done that.’ It is one of the best ways to gain an edge over the competition.
Here is the list of top seven digital marketing experts and keynote speakers who are leading the pack in 2020:
1. Neil Patel
Co-founder of Kissmetrics, Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, and Neil Patel Digital, he has over a million social media followers.
Neil Patel is one of the world’s leading digital marketing experts and keynote speakers in 2020.
A NY Times bestselling author, Neil has featured in the list of top 100 entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by former US President Barack Obama.
Neil has also been honored by the United Nations, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal.
He has in past consulted internet and technology giants such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, HP, etc. and other companies such as NBC, Thomson Reuters, General Motors, and SalesForce.
Neil’s digital marketing blog generates over 3 million views per month. His YouTube channel covering a variety of topics on digital marketing receives over 10 million views each month.
You can follow Neil Patel on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and his website.
2. Ryan Deiss
One of the world’s leading digital marketing experts and co-founder of several companies that employ hundreds of people across the globe, Ryan Deiss is one of the most sought after keynote speakers in the United States.
Ryan created the famous ‘Customer Value Optimization’ methodology where he created and popularized a number of online selling strategies that thousands of companies around the world now take for granted.
He is the founder of DigitalMarketer.com and RivalBrands.com.
His books – The Invisible Selling Machine and Digital Marketing for Dummies – are among the bestselling digital marketing books worldwide. The book titled ‘The Invisible Selling Machine’ is considered a must-read for email marketers.
He is also the founder and host of the Traffic and Conversion Summit, one of the most famous digital marketing events in North America.
You can follow Ryan on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and his website.
3. Gary Vaynerchuck
The chairman of VaynerX, Gary heads an advertising agency with over 100 clients worldwide. He is a famous digital marketing influencer, keynote speaker, and angel investor.
He is said to have made early investments in well-known companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Venmo, and Uber.
Gary’s first eCommerce venture – a wine selling business – grew from $3m to $60 within five years.
The success of this venture catapulted him into the list of the top digital marketing influencers worldwide. Now, he is considered an authority on eCommerce marketing.
Since then, he has taken up or launched several new projects including VaynerX, PureWow (women’s lifestyle brand), Green Street (cannabis branding & marketing agency), Resy (restaurant reservations app), etc.
You can follow Gary on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and his podcast.
4. Tim Ferriss
Listed as one of Fortune’s top 40 under 40, Tim Ferris is a prolific entrepreneur and blogger. He is regarded as one of the top digital marketing experts worldwide.
His podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show Podcast has recorded more than 100 million downloads so far.
Tim is known for having made early investments in more than a dozen companies such as Facebook and Shopify that are now considered global giants in their market sectors.
Many of his books are on the bestseller lists of the NY Times and Wall Street Journal.
You can follow Tim on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and his podcast.
5. Ann Handley
Named by Forbes as one of the most influential women in Social Media and one of the top 20 female bloggers, Ann Handley is a partner at MarketingProfs. This organization is known globally for its free resources, online events, and training programs.
IBM has recognized her as one of the top 7 people who are shaping modern-day marketing.
Ann is a famous keynote speaker and counted among the best digital marketing pioneers in 2020.
She is also co-founder of ClickZ.
With books such as Content Rules, and Everybody Writes, Ann has become a bestselling author on the Wall Street Journal.
You can follow Ann on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and her newsletter.
6. Rand Fishkin
One of the most well-known faces in the SEO industry, Rand Fishkin co-founder and former CEO of MOZ, one of the most trusted SEO tools available today.
Now a famous digital marketing expert and keynote speaker, Rand is known for his SEO blogs and Whiteboard Friday tutorials.
Rand started his internet business in 2003 with a blog. This blog eventually grew into a large-scale consulting business.
After leaving MOZ, he founded SparkToro, a company that helps its clients understand and reach their target audiences.
Rand is author of the famous book titled Lost And Founder.
You can follow Rand on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and medium.
7. Joe Pulizzi
An entrepreneur, author, speaker, and podcaster, Joe Pulizzi has founded several startups, including the famous Content Marketing Institute (CMI). He is considered an authority in content marketing.
Some of his best-sellers include Killing Marketing, Content Inc, and Epic Content Marketing.
The Fortune Magazine has in the past named his book – Epic Content Marketing – in the list of must-read business books.
You can follow Joe on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and his website.
8. Larry Kim
Larry Kim is the founder of WordStream, one of the most well-known PPC marketing software companies in the world. He is also the CEO of MobileMonkey, a leading chatbot building platform for digital marketers.
Larry is considered as one of the best digital marketing experts in PPC (Google ads, Facebook ads, etc.) marketing.
Larry regularly shares his insights and opinions on topics related to digital marketing on CNBC, Search Engine Journal, and Inc. Magazine.
You can follow Larry on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Hubspot, and his website.
9. Justyn Howard
Founder and the CEO of the popular social media management and analytics company, Sprout Social, Justyn Howard has helped thousands of business organizations and agencies run their social media campaigns more effectively.
The company has so far received funding over $110m.
Justyn didn’t have any formal college education. He traded his dirt bike to buy his first computer. He relied on books in the public library to learn how to program.
If social media management is your focus area, Justyn is one of the best digital marketing experts and keynote speakers you should follow in 2020.
You can follow Justyn on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and his website.
10. Jay Baer
A marketing and customer experience keynote speaker, Jay Baer has authored a total of 6 bestselling books.
Jay is also the founder of a digital marketing company that works with popular brands such as the United Nations, Oracle, Nike, Cisco, and Hilton.
If you want to go beyond the theory of digital marketing and learn how to drive business growth, following this influence will almost certainly help in the long run.
You can follow Jay on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and his website.
Author Bio
Simon Mikail is one of the founders and head of operations at 405 Ads. Simon serves as an online marketing manager to businesses and agencies worldwide. His overall business and marketing experience has helped hundreds of business owners get their presence done right when it comes to today’s online world.