In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts and what direction to take your campaigns. There are so many platforms and tools available to businesses with online stores, whether you’re a huge corporation or a small business owner just looking to see some results from all those online marketing efforts you’ve been making.
It’s a common question: Who are the top digital marketing experts to follow if you want to become more successful online?
While there’s no clear-cut answer to this question, there are a few online marketers who have risen to the top of their fields and proven themselves to be some of the best strategists and digital marketers in the industry. If you’re looking for advice on how to better engage your audience and grow your account, then these are the people you should be listening to.
The Innovators: Twitter
One of the first people we’ll recommend you follow if you want to become a better marketer is Jay Danzis. He’s the founder of the digital marketing agency Mindful, and he has extensive experience in marketing, strategy, and management. Since Twitter launched its Promoted Products feature two years ago, Danzis has consistently been at the forefront of product innovation and strategizing. He was one of the first marketers to see the potential of promoted products on the platform. Even before the invention of promoted products, Danzis designed and launched Tailored Content — a content strategy tool that helps you target the right audience for your business. You can also find Danzis on LinkedIn.
The Generalists: HubSpot
Another innovative platform launched in 2017 that you might want to consider following is HubSpot. The marketing suite is one of the most popular options among businesses, and with good reason. One of the things that make HubSpot so special is how all its different platforms and software work together. For example, if you have a business blog on your website, you can integrate that blog with your other marketing platforms — email marketing, social media marketing, and more — so the content updates appear in real-time in all the places your audience is seeing your ads or engaging with your social media accounts. If a customer leaves a comment on your blog about an item that you’re selling, you can create a lead which you can follow up with a personalized email. Or, if someone visits your website and doesn’t leave any contact info, you can have HubSpot connect them to an email address for you to follow up.
The Subject Matter Experts: Google Analytics
If you’re looking to grow your account fast, one of the best places to start is with high-quality content. Content is becoming more important than ever as businesses evolve their approach to digital marketing and understand the difference between marketing to attract and retain customers and marketing to stimulate action and growth.
One of the most respected name in Google Analytics is Neil Patel. If you’re looking to take your analytics efforts to the next level, then you can follow his insights on how to improve your performance and achieve more with less effort. Patel is the co-founder of CrazyEgg, one of the world’s largest affiliate marketing networks, and one of the most recognizable brands in the industry. Additionally, his website BuildABlog.com is one of the foremost resources for anyone looking to start a business or looking to grow their personal brand.
The Connectors: Salesforce
Forbes has ranked Salesforce as the world’s most innovative company six times since its inception. It’s easy to see why this company is always coming up with new ways to make our lives simpler and accomplish more in less time. One area that makes Salesforce so unique is how it connects everything together. If you have a marketing automation hub set up with the right connectors, you can have all the disparate data sources — email marketing, social media, website analytics, and more — connected in real time and managed easily. For example, if you want to know the success of a social media campaign, you can pull the data directly from that campaign’s dashboard and analyze it alongside all the other metrics you track on a daily basis. This, of course, assumes you have an active social media strategy and a small to medium-sized business with enough resources to invest in marketing automation software.
The Integrators: Marketo
Marketo is the pioneer in cloud-based marketing software, which provides all the tools you need to operate and grow your business online. From creating and distributing engaging digital content to connecting with your ideal buyer, engaging with potential customers, and tracking the results of your marketing campaigns, you can do it all from one place. Furthermore, Marketo offers a free 14-day trial so you can have all the tools and features at your fingertips without having to invest in equipment or software.
While Marketo’s software is designed for large enterprises, you can still use it to manage small businesses. It’s also a great option for individuals who want to operate their own marketing efforts or contribute to other businesses’ campaigns. If you’re looking to take the mystery out of internet marketing, then Marketo is a safe choice and one of the best resources available for digital marketers worldwide.
The Strategists: Google
Last but not least, we have Google. This year alone, the World Wide Web giant has acquired 30 companies and launched 25 new products that further solidify its position as the best search engine and online marketing platform. Google Analytics and Google AdWords are two of the most popular products launched in recent years, making Google one of the most valuable brands in the industry. Following their research, you can expect to see very specific and targeted ads on your screen, as well as a steady increase in your conversion rates. If you’re looking to take the guesswork out of digital marketing and want to ensure that your campaigns are as effective as possible, then Google is a safe choice and one of the best online marketing platforms to ally with.
While there’s no question that following these online marketing experts will make you a better marketer, the decision is ultimately up to you. Keep in mind: Every single one of these platforms has thousands — if not millions — of users who are all trying to be helpful, so make sure you’re listening to the right people.