As an advertiser investing in enhancing demand for your business, marketing influencers can significantly impact business growth by leveraging their audience and credibility to drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversions. Although the personality you choose to represent your brand may vary depending on your business type (for example: industry-specific thought leaders, LinkedIn influencers, B2B micro-influencers), we recommend the following eight digital marketing influencers based on their accolades, innovating thinking and following.
8 Best Digital Marketing Influencers to Follow in 2025
1. Seth Godin @ThisIsSethsBlog
Who is he? Seth Godin is a marketing guru, entrepreneur, best-selling author of books in 39 languages, and notable public speaker. He’s one of the most well-respected influencers in the marketing space.
Why should you follow him? Godin founded one of the first internet-based direct-marketing firms, Yoyodyne, with the idea that companies needed to rethink how they reached customers. Yahoo! bought his company in 1998 and kept Godin on as a vice president of “permission marketing,” a concept also introduced by Godin.
Godin has spoken and written extensively on the future of branded content and shares his sentiments on his blog and on Akimbo, his top-rated podcast. He is a marketing guru with an innate ability to predict the future of consumer engagement, famously noting that, “The brands that will win moving forward will be the ones that deliver anticipated, personal, and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.”
Main platforms:
- Facebook (526k followers).
- Instagram (410k followers).
- LinkedIn (255k followers).
- X (244.6k followers).
Main channels:
Content marketing, email marketing, permission marketing.
2. Ann Handley @MarketingProfs
Who is she? Ann Handley is the chief content officer at Marketing Profs and the author of two Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business.
Why should you follow her? Handley is a leading voice in content marketing, frequently celebrated for her penchant for making complex marketing concepts accessible to marketing professionals and businesses of all sizes and industries. On her blog and elsewhere, Handley delivers concepts with a level of wit that makes her posts as enjoyable as they are useful. Her unique blend of content awareness and native advertising know-how makes her a powerhouse of information.
Main platforms:
LinkedIn (480k followers).
X (49.5k followers).
Instagram (32.3k followers).
Main channel:
Content marketing.
3. Gary Vaynerchuk @garyvee
Who is he? Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur, sought-after speaker, best-selling author, and the CEO and co-founder of VaynerMedia, a full-service digital agency.
Why should you follow him? Vaynerchuk has spoken extensively about marketing and native ads in multiple channels and media, including a video series on how best to utilize native ad platforms. He’s been a guest speaker at the Native Advertising Summit and has written some remarkable books about how to create effective native content.
Vaynerchuck has amassed over 3 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), and on his self-titled podcast, The Gary Vaynerchuk Audio Experience. He offers invaluable content designed to help veteran and novice marketers alike as they seek to stand out in today’s digital ecosphere.
Main platforms:
TikTok (15M followers).
Instagram (10.4M followers).
Facebook (6.8M followers).
LinkedIn (5.7M followers).
X (3M followers).
Main channels:
Social media, native.
4. Mari Smith @MariSmith
Who is she? Frequently referred to as the “Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is an industry leader in social media advertising on the world’s most widely used social media platform. Smith is a go-to resource for business owners and marketers seeking to leverage social media to build engagement and bolster revenue.
Why should you follow her? If you’re on Facebook, following Smith is a no-brainer, especially if you’re an SMB. Her Social Scoop Facebook group is a constant source of guidance. Smith’s client list is impressive, including such top brands as Verizon, Cisco, Microsoft, and Marketo. She’s even worked alongside Facebook to establish the social media platform Blueprint certification process and help businesses optimize their digital presence.
Main platforms:
LinkedIn (59k followers).
X (533k followers).
Facebook (259k followers).
Instagram (49k followers).
Main channel:
Social media.
5. Neil Patel @neilpatel
Who is he? Neil Patel is an accomplished entrepreneur, investor, and marketing influencer. He’s made a name for himself co-founding numerous successful startups and consulting for some of the biggest names in the business, including Amazon, eBay, and Google. He’s been named a top influencer on the web by The Wall Street Journal.
Why should you follow him? Neil gives invaluable advice on conversion and web analytics, growth hacking, social media marketing, and content marketing strategy. You can learn a lot from Patel, specifically in technical and niche areas, as his posts/tutorials are extremely accessible, fun, in-depth, and easy to read. You can tune into Neil on his own podcast and read his regular blog posts via his website.
Main platforms:
Facebook (1.1M followers).
LinkedIn (713.7k followers).
X (469.6 followers).
Instagram (603k followers).
Main channels:
SEO, content, social media.
6. Rand Fishkin @randfish
Who is he? Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and CEO of Snackbar Studio and SparkToro. He’s also the founder and former CEO of SEO software startup Moz. Fishkin got his start back in 2001, as he recognized the importance of organic search and figured out how to drive traffic through the variety of search engines on offer back then. After becoming an authority on SEO he launched his own blog, which he quickly turned into his own software business.
Why should you follow him? After turning his relatively unknown blog into an SEO empire, Fishkin has plenty of experience with online marketing and has become an influencer through his popular blog, The Moz Blog. He has written on every single topic in the marketing field and is a humble and accessible presence in the online marketing world. He has over 462,000 followers on X, where he frequently offers valuable marketing advice.
Main platforms:
LinkedIn (175.6k followers).
X (461.2k followers).
Main channel:
SEO.
7. Chad Pollitt @ChadPollitt
Who is he? Chad Pollitt is an author, director of growth at Ayokay, and executive marketing coach at Fort Wayne Web Design and SEO. Formerly, he was a partner and VP of audience at the Native Advertising Institute, a global think tank dedicated to advancing native advertising as an industry. Chad has written several books and regularly contributes to industry media outlets, including HuffPost, The Guardian, and Social Media Today.
Why should you follow him? Chad specializes in and frequently writes about display advertising, content marketing, and social media. He continues to be a regular on top industry thought leader lists. His books include The Step-By-Step Guide to Native Content Amplification and Everything You Need to Know About Marketing Analytics & Artificial Intelligence.
Main platforms:
X (25.9K followers).
LinkedIn (6k followers).
Main channels:
Native, AI.
8. Jay Baer @jaybaer
Who is he? Jay Baer is an internet pioneer and the founder of the digital marketing consulting agency Convince & Convert. He’s also a notable speaker, digital media entrepreneur, and author of the best-selling book Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help Not Hype.
Why should you follow him? Jay has over 25 years of marketing experience and has worked with over 700 companies, including 35 of the Fortune 500. Read his work for insight into how to gain new customers and retain more customers by motivating and engaging today’s distracted consumers.
Main platforms:
X (257.7k followers).
LinkedIn (52.1k followers).
Main channel:
Content marketing, email marketing.
How to choose the right digital influencer for your campaigns
Check their previous partnerships
Influencers can be a valuable source of information and help you and your team shape more effective marketing campaigns, but not every influencer will lead you to success. Prioritize influencers who have worked with brands or within industries similar to your own, and who have a proven track record of elevating other brands. That doesn’t mean you need to make an apples-to-apples match, but there should be some overlap when it comes to understanding your key audience and growth mission.
Check their engagement rate
Influencers should be able to sell themselves, and your proof of that is their engagement and subscriber numbers, with particular focus on the former. Are people tuning in to what they have to say, and more importantly, are they actually engaging with their posts, videos or reels? When an influencer is amassing a following and keeping those people engaged, they’re likely offering insights and resources that can help you promote growth.
That said, don’t assume that an influencer’s follower metrics on one platform are indicative of their influence in the wider social universe. Some influencers (and their followers) favor different platforms for different reasons — for instance, you may find an influencer’s X account is quiet, but their TikTok or Instagram tells a different story.
Test both micro and macro influencers
Yes, big numbers can translate to big insights when it comes to followers, but that’s not always the case. Micro-influencers can be just as influential to your marketing efforts as the ones with multi-million follower metrics. Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to follow and engage with micro-influencers, especially if they fall into a specific niche as it relates to your industry, target audience, or channel targets.
Keep in mind, too, that not every influencer is bound to social. Influencers that may seem minor on social channels may be busy making a big splash at conferences and keynotes, or on bookshelves, in newsletters, and in magazines.
Key Takeaways
You are doing the right thing by including influencer marketing in your marketing mix, as influencers will enable you to expand your reach and establish trust between your target audience and your brand, often leading to direct deals. The digital marketing influencers above offer a unique combination of veteran knowledge and timely — and occasionally industry-disruptive — insights that can bolster and shape your business for years to come.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is influencer marketing in digital marketing?
Influencer marketing in the digital marketing space is when you leverage the credibility and reach of an individual to promote or create awareness for a product, service, or sentiment. Influencer marketers can increase your audience base through organic means and avoid the common pitfalls of overt marketing via ads.
How is influencer marketing paid?
There are several ways influencer marketers are paid, including:
- Flat fee or rate: Providing a set payment amount for content creation, such as videos, stories, and posts. Rates are often based on key reach metrics, such as follow count and engagement rate.
- Pay-per-post or pay-per-views: Compensation depends on the number of posts or views the influencer reaches.
- Performance-based: The influencer’s payment is tied to performance metrics, such as clicks, leads, and conversions.
- Product/service exchange: The influencer is compensated with free products, services, or exclusive opportunities.
- Retainer agreements: These support long-term relationships in which the influencer is paid on a monthly or quarterly fee, with the expectation that they will create content throughout the retainer agreement.
Who is the best internet marketer?
The best internet marketer can vary based on industry, marketing platform, and strategic goals. I consider the influencers above — including Ann Handley, Mari Smith, Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Neil Patel — to be the current market leaders.
How do you become a digital influencer?
Creating a strong online presence is key to becoming a successful digital influencer. To grow that presence and develop an engaged audience, consider:
- Focusing on a niche: This is a product, service, or space about which you’re passionate and knowledgeable.
- Establishing your target audience: Performing due diligence about your audience — including demographics, interests, and online habits — can help you create targeted content and grow your reach.
- Engaging with your audience to build strong relationships: Comments, messages, and audience-focused engagement posts are pivotal in creating the sense of community and loyalty that drives influencer success.
- Collaborating and networking with other influencers and brands: This enables you to expand your reach and create cross-platform awareness.
