Quick! Name a social media platform. Name another one! And another! Again! Argh!!
Once your heart returns to a normal BPM (that was rather exciting, eh?), consider the four platforms that you shouted in panicked response. You most likely started with Facebook, then probably mentioned Instagram and/or Snapchat and/or Pinterest, and finally…?
There’s an excellent chance that one of your four was Twitter (if you mentioned something other than those ones…I don’t even know who you are anymore). Twitter, the platform everyone loves to dis. Twitter, the one that people claim to not use anymore. Twitter, how the mighty have fallen.
Except nuh-uh.
Twitter: The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
If you follow the social media world at all, or are involved in digital or content marketing in any way, you’ve seen countless articles and posts declaring Twitter either dead, dying, or really, really sick.
It’s growth is anemic. It’s numbers look puny compared to Facebook, and increasingly Instagram and Snapchat.
But Twitter ain’t over the hill just yet. It’s still a (relatively) popular kid:
- Roughly 319 million monthly active users
- 67 million users in the United States
- Projected ad revenue for 2017: $3.26 billion
- 83% of world leaders are active on Twitter
- There’s an average of 6000 tweets each second, or 500 million each day
- eMarketer predicts that 67.2% of American companies with 100+ employees will be active on Twitter in 2017
It’s not Facebook, but it’s not exactly Myspace, either (remember Myspace? Or Friendster? No? Me neither).
Twitter is (still) great for your business. It allows for fast, real-time communication and response. You can connect, share, and engage directly with your fans, followers, customers, clients, and yes, even your haters (haters gonna hate).
That makes it a worthy channel for content marketing.
But that speed and immediacy also means there’s a ton of tweets coming at your face like a pack of flying monkeys all day, every day. It can feel like the worst trip to Oz ever.
So be selective. Choose the accounts you follow carefully. Go with only the best of the best of the best.
There’s a surplus of super accounts you could follow. Hootsuite, Buffer, Copyblogger, Ann Handley, Jeff Bullas, Andy Crestodina, and so on. They’re always on the “Must Follow Content Marketing Accounts” roundups.
Follow them by all means, but don’t be afraid to look for the hidden or forgotten gems.
Want a few suggestions? 1) Never start a sentence with “I’m not racist/sexist, but…”, and 2) check out these Twitter accounts (and a few bonus podcasts and blogs) for some of the best marketing tips, tricks, and pointers from the people walking the walk. And doing it like a boss.
Douglas Burdett
Douglas Burdett is the B2B principal at Artillery Marketing, and he hosts The Marketing Book Podcast, a weekly interview with a marketing book (I guess that’s implied by the title) author. Each 45-50 minute episode delves into the book, its subject matter, and the author’s experience in the area.
The show was named one of the ten best marketing podcasts of 2016 by LinkedIn, and Burdett shares curated and original content, as well as his thoughts on things happening in the industry with his 33.7K followers.
Check out: his most recent share is the latest episode of the podcast, entitled “A Practitioner’s Guide to Account-Based Marketing” by Dave Munn.
Pat Flynn
You’ve probably already heard of Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income. He’s kind of the guru of affiliate marketing, and he shares his tremendous insight via a weekly podcast (260 episodes and counting), a blog, and a Twitter account (146K followers). You can pick your preferred poison with Pat.
In case you’re wondering if this guy is really successful enough to be giving advice, let me assure you: he is. Pat is very transparent about his earnings, sharing them in a monthly income report. Last month (February 2017), for example, he earned $148,006.60, primarily through affiliate marketing and selling his own ebooks and online courses.
Check out: 3 Tiny Shifts That Made a Huge Difference in My Business and SEO in 2017: Proven Content Ideas That Attract Backlinks
Mark Schaefer
He’s a six time best-selling author of marketing books including Known, The Content Code, and Born to Blog.
He’s the co-host of the Marketing Companion podcast with Tom Webster (the “world’s most entertaining marketing podcast”).
Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Schaefer. Author, speaker, consultant, educator, and tweeter (to which his 152K followers can attest). He focuses on growth – his blog is aptly called {Grow} – and with over 30 years of experience in sales, PR, and marketing, he has a lot to share on the subject. Schaefer was recently named one of the top ten marketing influencers of 2016.
“We are clearly in a new phase of content marketing where great content is no longer the finish line, it’s the starting line.” ~Mark Schaefer
Check out: Content Marketing Success and the Crappy Quality Myth
Larry Kim
If numbers equal quality, then Larry Kim is a top-notch guy. He has 675K followers on Twitter, the most of anyone on this list.
He’s got an impressive background and experience to justify all the rabid fans eating up his every tweet.
Kim is currently the CEO of Mobile Monkey, a set of dynamic tools for B2B, B2C, ecommerce, and agencies to turn mobile visitors into red hot leads. Mobile is so hot right now (much like zombies…the only thing hotter is zombies on mobile devices).
He’s also the founder of Wordstream, which manages $1 billion of ad spend for roughly 10,000 customers. Not bad.
“There’s no magic formula; it’s all about being thoughtful and focusing on areas where you can make an impact.” [on content marketing] ~Larry Kim
And finally, Kim is a prolific columnist and guest contributor for Inc., Search Engine Land, Social Media Today, and many more. His articles pop up all over the web, covering topics that include AdWords/PPC/SEM, social media ads (Facebook/Twitter), entrepreneurship, and start-ups.
Check out: 11 Shockingly Brilliant Hacks to Get Searchers to Click
Jon Loomer
Everyone likes to consider themselves an expert on something (and we all know someone who considers him or herself an expert on everything).
Jon Loomer, though, is the recognized guru of Facebook ads and marketing (although he prefers to call himself a Facebook ads “geek”…tomato, tomato [editor’s note: I guess that expression doesn’t work so well when written, please read it aloud in the appropriate way]).
His 25.1K followers receive a steady diet of original and curated content on all things Facebook and marketing via that channel. Loomer’s blog is the spot for FB marketers to get the straight dope.
When you want to understand something, you turn to the acknowledged authority: KFC for chicken, Louis C.K. for saying what we’re all thinking, and Loomer for Facebook marketing.
Check out: Entrepreneurs: 7 Reasons Why Content is Required
Sujan Patel
There’s a very good chance you’ve read something written by Sujan Patel even if you don’t realize it. As he says himself, “I create more content than most consume.”
And that’s a very good thing. Patel shares his wisdom with his 43.9K followers and the countless others who have the good fortune to stumble upon his stuff elsewhere.
This guy likes to stay busy: founder of growth and digital marketing agency Web Profits, co-host of the Growth Mapping podcast (only 16 episodes so far) with Aaron Agius, part of the leadership team for Pick (scheduling meetings made easy), Linktexting (desktop traffic to mobile app downloads), and Mailshake (cold email outreach), as well as being a prolific guest blogger with 14+ years of internet marketing experience. Whew.
Check out: High Performing Blog Post Formats and How to Build a Killer Content Campaign by Working Backwards
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Michael Brenner
I’m starting to notice a trend here: the best people to follow on content marketing are the ones actively out “there” sharing everything they know in a way that everyone can understand. And Michael Brenner is no exception (I asked each of his 84.3K followers, which took a while, but it’s always worth it to verify…I’m a perfectionist).
He’s a keynote speaker, the CEO of Marketing Insider Group, and author of The Content Formula.
Beyond that, he’s clearly passionate and wicked knowledgeable about marketing. That’s a winning combination.
Check out: The Future of Content Marketing: 3 Predictions You Need to Know
David Meerman Scott
Author? Check. Keynote speaker? Check. Marketing strategist? Check. Thousands of followers on Twitter (127K)? Check. Meet David Meerman Scott (is it just me, or does everyone else immediately picture Mer-Man from He-Man & the Masters of the Universe whenever they see that name? Just me? Okay. Moving on).
His books include Newsjacking, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, and Cashing In With Content.
His blog covers a wide variety of topics including content marketing, industry specific news or opinions, and sales. His posts tend to be short(er) and easy to digest, but jam-packed with powerful tips and insight.
“My blog is my front door to the world. And Twitter is the open window.” ~David Meerman Scott
Check out: Why You Still Need a Blog in the Age of Social Networking
Seth Godin
You know him (probably). You love him (definitely). Mr. Seth Godin.
Coming in second place with 600K followers, his Twitter account is really just a way to keep on top of his frequent but short blog posts. He does occasionally make a comment or mention a special sale/event, but not often.
“In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” ~Seth Godin
Godin is a very productive blogger (posting at least once per day) and author (18 bestsellers and counting, including Tribes, All Marketers Are Liars, Permission Marketing, and Meatball Sundae). He’s also a speaker, marketer, and entrepreneur.
The blog posts typically take the form of a quirky story, anecdote, or analogy. It’s often up to you to make the connection between it and something to do with business, or marketing, or content creation, or life in general…but the connection is there.
Check out: Like Riding a Bike
Darren Rowse
An elder statesman, if you will, Darren Rowse has been sharing advice and tutorials on blogging for many years.
He started his website, Problogger, in 2004. Thirteen years ago. Did the internet even exist back then?
It was originally meant to keep track of what he was himself learning about blogging and making money from that blogging. Over the subsequent years, it’s become the go-to source for ambitious bloggers to monetize and improve their digital domains (to become, in a word, a “pro-blogger”…see what Rowse did there?).
Rowse may not write as much original content these days, but his 243K followers don’t seem to mind. The site does have an active stable of staff and guest writers, so the content is still flowing, and Rowse is busy with speaking and training events, his podcast, and managing his empire.
Blogging is the cornerstone of any good content marketing plan. Rowse can make you better.
Check out: 12 Types of Facebook Live Videos that You Could Create to Help You Grow Your Blog and Business
Rand Fishkin
With a name that cool – Rand Fishkin – and a moustache that awesome, he’s a hard man to forget. He deserves a place on most lists (Best accounts to follow, marketers to watch, moustaches I am jealous of, names I’d consider for my next born…you know, the important stuff!).
Rand Fishkin: founder of Moz and co-founder of Inbound.org.
Rand Fishkin: author, blogger, and host of the epically informative and enlightening Whiteboard Fridays.
Rand Fishkin: the guy who’s going to help you market better and crush your SEO efforts.
All you have to do is follow. 372K followers can’t be wrong (although that rule of thumb doesn’t always work…Kim Kardashian has 50.8 million. ‘Nuff said).
“Best way to sell something – don’t sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect, & trust of those who might buy.” ~Rand Fishkin
Check out: Better Alternatives to “Expert Roundup”-Style Content – Whiteboard Friday
Finally, I promised you a few additional sources, and I am a man of my word. In addition to the Twitter personalities listed above, consider:
- The Marketing School podcast with Neil Patel & Eric Siu. 250 episodes and growing, most are 10 minutes or less and tackle a single marketing issue or pain point.
- There are a lot of great marketing blogs out there that might not have a single person running the show, but still provide quality content on a regular basis. Kissmetrics, Social Media Examiner, Marketing Profs, Content Marketing Institute, and Duct Tape Marketing are all fantastic sources to add to your read list.
When a recognized expert wants to share their wisdom, the smart ones take notice and pull up a chair. Twitter (and the entire internet, for that matter) makes it easy to sit at the digital feet of hundreds of masters.
Learn from them. They’ve already hacked a trail through the jungle. All you have to do is follow the path.
Did we forget anyone? Who would you add to the list? Leave your additions in the comments below: