Who Are The Kingpins In Digital Marketing Right Now

Running a business these days may seem easy, considering how accessible information is with a swipe of a finger.  However, the business landscape has also given opportunities for people to call themselves ‘gurus’ and regurgitate information they’ve gleaned from the frontrunners and pillars of their respective niches.  Unfortunately, the world of digital marketing isn’t spared from this challenge.

With more and more influencers popping out of the woodwork, it’s best to get to know the leaders in this niche.  So, to get started on who to follow and listen to when it comes to digital marketing, this article will give a rundown of who are the kingpins in digital marketing right now. 

Gary Vaynerchuck, VaynerMedia

One of the most influential and known digital marketing experts is Gary Vaynerchuck, also known as Gary V.  This bestselling author is a public speaker, a prolific content creator, and an angel investor who owns a digital marketing agency, VaynerMedia.   

Gary V has been one of the first few people who could hop on and harness the power of digital marketing for e-commerce and YouTube since the ’90s. He continues to provide educational and engaging content on various online and offline media platforms, which shows his impact on the digital marketing scene.

Douglas James, ‘High-Ticket Client Guy’

In the world of high-ticket sales, Douglas James is the name to remember.  Dubbed as the ‘High-Ticket Client Guy,’ he’s coached and trained more than a thousand entrepreneurs on turbo-charging their earning potential.  A big believer in using YouTube as the primary tool for digital marketing, he continues to help entrepreneurs whose goal is to turbo-charge their businesses’ earning potential. 

Larry Kim, MobileMonkey

Larry Kim is a digital marketing coach, influencer, and one of the top contributors on Medium, where he hosts his blog.  Aside from sharing his insights on Google Ads, digital marketing, Facebook Ads on Twitter, and his blog, he works as the founder and CEO of Wordstream and MobileMonkey, tools well known to digital marketers. 

Shama Hyder, Marketing Zen

A trailblazer in the digital marketing realm, a bestselling author, a public speaker, and one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30, Shama Hyder continues to remain on the cutting edge of what’s latest in the digital marketing world—sharing her insights on Marketing Zen. This blog gives its readers insightful content about digital marketing. 

Seth Godin, Purple Cow

Seth Godin is a well-known writer, speaker, and thought leader about unconventional entrepreneurship.  He runs a podcast, blog, teaches courses on Udemy, and is frequently seen on YouTube and Ted Talk.  His books ‘Purple Cow’ and ‘The Dip’ are among the most recommended books anyone looking into beginning a business or marketing should read. 

Amy Porterfield, Online Marketing Made Easy

A podcast host, a ‘For Dummies’ author, and a mentor, Amy Porterfield is one of the names one should know if they want to look into successful digital marketing practices.  She’s worked with mega-brands for six years and was named one of the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers by Forbes magazine.  She currently creates online programs to teach small businesses and entrepreneurs to leverage social media to convert leads from strangers to fans to loyal customers. 

Neil Patel, Kissmetrics

Neil Patel is a digital marketing guru of digital marketing who specializes in content marketing and search engines.  He’s well-known as the most influential force in SEO education and one of Forbes’s top 10 digital influencers. He consults for big names in the television, car industry, and e-commerce, amongst others, and is a co-founder of digital marketing tools such as Kissmetrics, HelloBar, and Crazy Egg. 

Ryan Deiss, DigitalMarketer

Ryan Deiss is one of the biggest creators and leaders in the digital marketing industry.   Known for his Customer Value Optimization methodology, he’s one of the go-to guys who provide tools and training for digital marketers. Aside from these, he’s the founder of DigitalMarketer, Traffic Conversion Summit, Rival Brands, and plattr.com.

Ann Handley, MarketingProfs

A writer since the 80s, Ann Handley transitioned from being a journalist to a marketer. She’s been a prolific public speaker, best-selling author, and Chief Content officer for a company that teaches everything you need to know about marketing in the digital age—MarketingProfs. 

Named one of LinkedIn’s influencers and Forbes’s Top Thought Leaders, she’s also recognized by IBM as ‘one of the people shaping the world of modern marketing.’  She shares snapshots of marketing trends, as well as tips on how to make the best business decisions on her blog.

Key Takeaways

To sum up, these prominent names are considered the pillars and frontrunners in the digital scene because they could ride the first wave of digital marketing and consistently prove they apply what they say to their followers and what they teach their students.

These names may not be trendy to people in other niches, but these are the giants and thought leaders in the digital marketing industry.