Small businesses drive the U.S. economy, and marketing drives a company's growth, with 77% of small businesses using social media to promote and grow their business. So we wanted to know who’s behind the ideas and trends driving small business marketing?
We scoured all sorts of social media and influencer tools, checked best-seller lists, and the lists of top influencers in marketing, business, and small business. Here’s the final roundup.
We’ve listed these influencers in order of the number of Twitter followers they have. Note: The size of someone’s Twitter following might not necessarily be the final word on how influential they are, but it’s as good a measurement as any. We’ve also included each influencer's Moz Followerwonk social authority score, just for comparison.
A word to the wise: All influencer lists are a bit arbitrary. How influential someone is depends on how influential they are to you.
1. Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee)
1. Gary Vaynerchuk (1.47M followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 90
Twitter bio: Family 1st! CEO of @Vaynermedia. Vlogger and Podcaster. Investor in Twitter, Snapchat, Uber, Venmo. 4X NYTimes best-selling author. Mentor on @planetoftheApps. @NYJETS fan.
2. John Rampton (@johnrampton)
2. John Rampton (1.42M followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 80
Twitter bio: Entrepreneur and connector. Founder of @Due. I blog about my successes and epic failures for @Entrepreneur, @TechCrunch and @Mashable. #fintech
3. Lolly Daskal (@LollyDaskal)
3. Lolly Daskal (1.2M followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 84
Twitter bio: Dedicated to bringing Heart Based Leadership to organizations & individuals. Coach. Consultant. Speaker. Columnist. Best Selling Author: The Leadership Gap.
4. Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog)
4. Seth Godin (605K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 72
Twitter bio: Author, blogger, a lifetime of projects. This is a retweet of my blog.
5. John Daymond (@TheSharkDaymond)
5. John Daymond (575K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 82
Twitter bio: We are connected. Check out my new co-working space @BlueprintandCo.
6. Mari Smith (@MariSmith)
6. Mari Smith (@530K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 74
Twitter bio: Social Media Thought Leader. Top Facebook Marketing Expert. Globe-trotting Speaker. Author. 'Mari like Ferrari.' https://fb.com/marismith.
7. Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone)
7. Grant Cardone (402K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 84
Twitter bio: Best Selling #Author 19 BusinessProgram #CEO #Father #Husband; CEO Cardone RealEstateAcquisitions; 500M in RE HOLDINGS. https://CardoneAcquisitions.com
8. Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs)
8. Ann Handley (@396K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 73
Twitter bio: Head of Content at MarketingProfs; author of the WSJ bestseller Everybody Writes. I'm waging a war on mediocrity in content marketing. https://www.annhandley.com
9. Glen Gilmore (@GlenGilmore)
9. Glen Gilmore (@321K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 78
Twitter bio: TIME "man of action;" FORBES Top 20 Social Media; Speaker. Author. Lawyer. Rutgers Adjunct. Top 100 #DigitalMarketing #IoT #AI #AR
10. Pam Moore (@PamMktgNut)
10. Pam Moore (297K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 70
Twitter bio: CEO Marketing Nutz; #Speaker; Trainer; Strategist; Love God, Family, Friends, Beach & Life! #Forbes Top 10 #SocialMedia #Influencer; https://pammarketingnut.com.
11. Brian D. Evans (@BrianDEvans)
11. Brian D. Evans (287K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 83
Twitter bio: Inc 500 Entrepreneur. Founder/CEO @Influencive. Unorthodox problem solver. I help brands create massive impact online. #Blockchain. Writer at Inc., Forbes, etc.
12. Jay Baer (@jaybaer)
12. Jay Baer (239K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 69
Twitter bio: Keynote speaker & emcee. NY Times best-selling author. President: marketing & social media customer service consultancy @Convince; https://convinceandconvert.com.
13. Bryan Kramer (@bryankramer)
13. Bryan Kramer (203K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 73
Twitter bio: "The Zen Master of Marketing" Forbes. #TEDTalk & Keynote Speaker, Author- Shareology & Human to Human #H2H, CEO @PureMatter & H2H Companies, @Forbes Contributor.
14. Brian Moran (@brianmoran)
14. Brian Moran (@201K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 69
Twitter bio: Helping #entrepreneurs & marketers navigate the small-to-midsize business marketplace. Ex @WSJ, @Inc. & @Entrepreneur.
15. Matthew Toren (@matthewtoren)
15. Matthew Toren (@200K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 66
Twitter bio: Entrepreneur, Investor & Influencer. Columnist @Entrepreneur; Best Selling #SmallBusiness Author. Founder @YoungEnt, @Kidpreneurs @BizWarriors, @i_SmallBusiness
16. Sam Hurley (@Sam___Hurley)
16. Sam Hurley (168K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 84
Twitter bio: The Guy Who Went From 'Nobody' to #1 Marketing Influencer in 15 Months (Without a Website). Featured in: @entrepreneur @inc @fastcompany @Forbes @TheNextWeb.
17. Doug and Polly White (@letgotogrow)
17. Doug and Polly White (151K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 50
Twitter bio: Columnists @entrepreneur and @RTDNEWS. #SmallBusiness Growth Experts. #Speakers #Scale
18. John Paul Aguiar (@JohnAguiar)
18. John Paul Aguiar (146K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 63
Twitter bio: I Help Bloggers, Entrepreneurs With Blog Marketing, Twitter Marketing, Social Media. Kidney Transplant Rec - #2 Top Influencers in Marketing 2016 by BuzzSumo.
19. Chris Guillebeau (@chrisguillebeau)
19. Chris Guillebeau (145K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 65
Twitter bio: Writer, traveler, entrepreneur. Visited every country in the world; still traveling. Host of #SideHustleSchool - new episode every day!
20. Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends)
20. Anita Campbell (140K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 67
Twitter bio: Tweets from the Small Business Trends family of publications and its CEO, Anita Campbell.
21. Evan Kirstel (@evankirstel)
21. Evan Kirstel (118K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 86
Twitter bio: #Influencer #ThoughtLeader Helping #B2B clients w #SocialMediaMarketing in #Enterprise, #IoT, #Telecom, #Security#Cloud, #DigitalHealth https://evirahealth.com
22. John Jantsch (@ducttape)
22. John Jantsch (116K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 62
Twitter bio: Small business marketing consultant, speaker and author of Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Referral Engine and The Commitment Engine.
23. Gail Gardner (@GrowMap)
23. Gail Gardner (@112K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 67
Twitter bio: Small Business Marketing Strategist. Send me a connection request on LinkedIn or Skype (username growmap).
24. Tod Krauss (@TodKrauss)
24. Tod Krauss (102K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 48
Twitter bio: #SocialMedia #StrategicMarketing promotion, Twitter #Advertising & account management for #Business niche growth. #Marketing #SEO #Branding #SmallBiz
25. Gene Marks (@genemarks)
25. Gene Marks (@83.6K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 69
Twitter bio: CPA and owner of small biz https://marksgroup.net who writes every day on small biz for the Washington Post and weekly for Forbes, Inc., HuffPo, Entrepreneur.
RELATED: 13 Steps to Creating a Successful Small Business Marketing Strategy
26. Bernadette Doyle (@bernadettedoyle)
26. Bernadette Doyle (78.1K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 26
Twitter bio: Small business marketing expert with BIG IDEAS - passionate about helping people create multiple streams of income.
27. David Newman (@dnewman)
27. David Newman (72.2K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 52
Twitter bio: #Marketing Expert. #Speaker. Author of https://t.co/AVPakWcUOk. Jalapeño & Atari Fan. Dog lover. Marketing for Smart People... Like YOU!
28. Brian Sutter (@SmallBizBrian)
28. Brian Sutter (66.4K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 48
Twitter bio: Marketing Director @WaspBarcode Sharing ideas about #Strategy & Online #Marketing for #SmallBiz. Contributor for @Forbes @SCOREmentors @AllBusiness_com
29. Robert D. Hisrich (@roberthisrich)
29. Robert D. Hisrich (64.7K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 41
Twitter bio: #1 Entrepreneurship expert. Consultant. Professor. Author (40+ books, 300+ articles). Advisor in marketing, small business, and startups. World traveler.
30. Carol Roth (@caroljsroth)
30. Carol Roth (62.6K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 68
Twitter bio: Entrepreneur/Play Myself on TV. Judge @GreatestMakers/Media Contributor; Business Advisor; Small Biz Advocate; $2Billion+ deals; Have My Own Action Figure
31. Dave Kerpen (@DaveKerpen)
31. Dave Kerpen (58.7K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 59
Twitter bio: Dad, Husband to @CarrieKerpen 1st. CEO @LikeableLocal, Founder @LikeableMedia. NYTimes bestselling #author, The #ArtofPeople. Columnist @INC. Love #Mets #Orange
32. John Lawson (@ColderICE)
32. John Lawson (56.9 followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 52
Twitter bio: John Lawson is the Amazon #1 best-selling author, Commerce Strategist, CEO of ColderICE Media and One of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers in America.
33. Tony Restell (@tonyrestell)
33. Tony Restell (55.8K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 65
Twitter bio: Social Media Marketing for Recruiters and Small Businesses. Follow for tips + insights that'll help Small Business Owners + Recruiters. #SocialRecruiting
34. Dennis Wagner (@TheDennisWagner)
34. Dennis Wagner (51.9K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 62
Twitter bio: Business Coach, Entrepreneur, Branding, Leadership, Sales, Management, Marketing, Social Media, SEO, Technology, StartUp, Advertising, Small Business Expert
35. Jeff Walker (@JeffWalker)
35. Jeff Walker (53.3K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 55
Twitter bio: #1 New York Times bestselling #author of LAUNCH. 20-year #onlinebusiness and #onlinemarketing #entrepreneur. Creator of #ProductLaunchFormula
36. Paul Wilson (@prwilsonmedia)
36. Paul Wilson (43.2K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 47
Twitter bio: Your Social Media 'Personal Trainer.' Making #socialmedia marketing work for #smallbiz, #socialenterprise & #charity. Family man, sports fan and Rotarian.
36. Pamela Slim (@pamslim)
36. Pamela Slim (41.1K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 37
Twittter bio: Author, Speaker, Passionate Connector. Founder of K'é a Small Business Community Space in downtown Mesa. Latest book: Body of Work.
38. Rieva Lesonsky (@Rieva)
38. Rieva Lesonsky (40.8K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 53
Twitter bio: CEO GrowBiz Media & SmallBizDaily. Advocate, influencer, journalist & thought leader for #smallbusiness & #entrepreneurs. Former edit director @Entrepreneur.
39. Ivana Taylor (@DIYMarketers)
39. Ivana Taylor (36.3K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 63
Twitter bio: Simplifying marketing with tools, tips and strategies for small businesses on a budget. Host #BizapaloozaChat Mon 2pm ET. /Thu 8pm ET. A @dnbus top Influencer.
40. Robert Jones (@exodusanalytics)
40. Robert Jones (33.8K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 70
Twitter bio: Exodus Digital Marketing. Business consultants. #growthhacking #startup #socialmedia #Mediabuyer #influencer #ppc #seo
41. Laura Roeder (@lkr)
41. Laura Roeder (33.2K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 53
Twitter bio: Founder at @MeetEdgar, I blog at https//lauraroeder.com
42. HeidiCohen (@heidicohen)
42. HeidiCohen (32.8K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 48
Twitter bio: Actionable Marketer, speaker, professor, journalist shares practical advice on social media, content marketing, small business & life.
43. Steve Strauss (@SteveStrauss)
43. Steve Strauss (31.9K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 55
Twitter bio: Senior @USATODAY small business columnist, speaker, influencer & spokesperson. Best-selling author of The Small Business Bible. More at https://www.MrAllBiz.com
44. Perry Marshall (@PerryMarshall)
44. Perry Marshall (30.2K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 43
Twitter bio: World's #1 Expert on Sales Growth through 80/20 Leverage. Bestselling Author on Google & Facebook ads.
45. Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg)
45. Gabriel Weinberg (28.9K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 62
Twitter bio: CEO & Founder, @DuckDuckGo. Co-author, Traction. Working on a book with @LilBunnyFuted on mental models. I want to publish zines and rage against machines.
46. Matthew Paulson (@MatthewDP)
46. Matthew Paulson (17K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 48
Twitter bio: Christian, Husband, Dad, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Author. Founder of https://MarketBeat.com/, https://GoGoPhotoContest.com.
47. Laurie McCabe (@lauriemccabe)
47. Laurie McCabe (15.7K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 54
Twitter bio: IT analyst; Co-founder, SMB Group. Passionate about helping SMBs and entrepreneurs apply tech solutions to grow their businesses!
48. Alyssa Gregory (@alyssagregory)
48. Alyssa Gregory (14.5K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 50
Twitter bio: #DigitalMarketing Strategist, #ContentMarketer, #SmallBiz Consultant, #Writer, Founder of @smallbizbonfire. Mom of 3 entrepreneurs in training.
49. Naomi Dunford (@NaomiDunford)
49. Naomi Dunford (10.2K followers
Followerwonk Social Authority: 47
Twitter bio: At work? I help little businesses prep for growth. Because growth is great, but also REALLY HARD. At home? Unschooler. INFJ. Pisces with Aries rising.
50. Vandana Taxali (@medialegal)
50. Vandana Taxali (15.7K followers
Followerwonk influencer rating: 52
Twitter bio: Legal tips entrepreneurs, small business (intellectual property, entertainment, startups, copyright, digital marketing, social media law). Art agent @GaryTaxali
