Despite budget setbacks for many brands amid the 2020 pandemic, digital marketing remains a multi-billion dollar industry.
According to Global Industry Analysts, Inc.’s 2020 Digital Advertising and Marketing report, the United States (U.S.) market is estimated at $87.1 billion.
While the number is astounding, it comes as no surprise.
Statista’s 2020 digital population research revealed 87% of Americans are active on the internet.
The continual shift from traditional to digital marketing makes excellent business sense.
However, digital marketing is still an emerging and rapidly evolving industry — making it challenging to master for entrepreneurs, professionals, and businesses alike. Not to mention the common confusion about what digital marketing entails.
So, how do you remain competitive and develop successful digital strategies?
Here’s the good news:
Several top digital marketing experts share their best insights and techniques for free, from podcasts and blogs to social posts.
Not sure who the best digital marketing experts are or where to find them to seek advice?
We’ve got you covered with a curated list of top digital marketers across various specialties.
Here’s an overview of what we’ll discuss:
Table of Contents
What Digital Marketing Is
Digital marketing is any form of advertising that uses electronic devices or the internet.
Digital marketing is a general category. It encompasses many different facets, such as:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Data and analytics
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
A digital marketing specialist uses digital channels to achieve marketing goals.
Due to the diversity of categories, many digital marketers choose to specialize in a given area.
Popular Digital Marketing Positions
To better understand the different digital marketing specialties, we’ve listed five of the most popular positions below.
If you’ve found one or two that interests you the most, focus on learning from the experts that align best with those niches.
Digital Marketing Analyst
A digital marketing analyst uses data-driven approaches to online marketing. It requires deep research and analysis of brand marketing and competitor performance to build optimized strategies.
Data-driven approaches can involve search marketing, paid media, email marketing, and digital campaigns.
Content Marketing Strategist
A content marketing strategist is an inbound marketer who drives leads and brand awareness through curated, omnichannel strategies. This role requires a broad set of marketing skills, such as copywriting, SEO, research, and analysis.
Email Marketing Specialist
An email marketing specialist engages customers, improves brand loyalty, and brings in new leads. Email marketing specialists build email lists of target audiences, create personalized email newsletters, and analyze email campaign performance.
Search Engine Optimization Specialist
An SEO specialist optimizes websites through on-page tactics, such as keyword tags and link building strategies, to improve search engine rankings and drive web traffic. SEO specialists also track and analyze website analytics and paid search advertisements.
Social Media Strategist
A social media strategist strategizes social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and platform-specific content to improve a brand’s online presence. A social media strategist is a social media expert who can transform marketing goals from ideation to completion.
Key Skills of a Digital Marketing Expert
You might wonder what makes someone a digital marketing expert.
While it’s true most digital marketers will choose a focused specialty, a seasoned professional will still have well-rounded knowledge and experience across the board.
To be considered a digital marketing expert, here are the six key skills to master:
- Copywriting
- Video
- SEO
- Email marketing
- Analytics
- Reporting
Top Digital Marketing Experts to Follow for Valuable Industry Advice
When curating this list of digital marketing experts, we made sure to focus on individuals who:
- Are qualified digital marketing professionals (e.g., a distinguished industry leader, company founder, or prominent marketing freelancer)
- Bring something unique to the table (e.g., humor, personality, or charisma)
- Consistently share valuable industry advice, tips, and best practices
Andréa Jones
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing
Andréa Jones is an all-around social media expert based out of Canada, with over six years of experience in the industry.
In 2018, Jones founded the Savvy Social School to help inclusive entrepreneurs and social media managers develop great content.
The school offers valuable courses and downloadables, such as:
- How to create visually engaging media
- How to grow your business on top social platforms (e.g., Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook)
- Done-for-you social media posts for various industries
Jones is also the founder of the Savvy Social Podcast. We recommend giving it a listen. She shares key insights into social media strategy and interviews other digital marketing experts who express what works for them.
In 2020, we got the opportunity to interview Jones about social media challenges during the pandemic on our Agency Ahead podcast.
On Jones’s social channels, you can find teasers of her podcast episodes, advice for growing your social accounts, and workshops for continued learning.
Mark Schaefer
Digital marketing expert niche: Content marketing, social media marketing
When it comes to content marketing, Mark Schaefer is the holy grail.
Schaefer is a best-selling author, professor, and keynote speaker who discusses content marketing best practices at length.
However, he’s best known for being a disruptor in the space. He offers innovative ideas for growing your business that sometimes go against the grain.
Schaefer’s book, Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins, discusses fresh new ways to humanize your brand to beat out the competition. He also hosts the Marketing Companion podcast with marketing agency owner and entrepreneur, Brooke Sellas.
The podcast covers various digital marketing topics, from Instagram strategies to brand campaign analysis.
As a digital marketing consultant and renowned industry pundit, expect to find new content trends, tips, and inspirational quotes throughout his social media channels.
Andy Crestodina
Digital marketing expert niche: Content marketing, SEO, analytics
Andy Crestondina is the co-founder and chief marketing officer (CMO) of the award-winning web design and development company, Orbit Media Studios.
Crestodina is a long-form content champion and provides results-driven information to help others improve marketing online. He’s also written hundreds of articles about digital marketing strategies and how to rank on search engines.
So, Crestondina knows how to create compelling content campaigns.
If you want valuable industry statistics to remain competitive in the field, the Orbit Media Studios blog is packed full of them.
On social media, Crestodina shares data-driven material on how to improve SEO, write better content, and optimize your website for the user experience.
Ann Handley
Digital marketing expert niche: Content marketing
Ann Handley is an author, speaker, and chief content officer (CCO) at MarketingProfs.
Her book, Everybody Writes, is a Wall Street Journal bestseller and discusses how to create engaging content that outshines competitors.
A coveted LinkedIn influencer, Handley’s social channels contain entertaining material on content creation, podcasting, and blogging.
If you want a mix of insights and to receive tangible results for your business, give her a follow.
For more in-depth advice, check out MarketingProfs’ knowledge base. It’s full of articles, case studies, videos, and other informational content across digital marketing fields curated by Handley and her team.
Rand Fishkin
Digital marketing expert niche: SEO, audience intelligence
Rand Fishkin is the chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of SparkToro, an affordable market research and audience intelligence platform.
Previously, Fishkin was the CEO and co-founder of Moz, where he was best known for his Whiteboard Friday series on the Moz blog.
Whiteboard Friday sessions still exist in his absence and have powerful tips on improving your SEO, regardless of your skill level.
Fishkin is also the author of Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World, a must-read book for anyone looking to start their own company.
With a community of more than 100,000 followers on LinkedIn, Fishkin is active on social media. While he used to just focus on SEO, Fishkin now shares his digital marketing expertise as a whole and tips on audience intelligence.
In 2020, we had the opportunity to interview Fishkin and his team about changing audience behavior on our Agency Ahead podcast.
Neal Schaffer
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing, influencer marketing
Neal Schaffer is an author, speaker, and long-time social media expert. His social channels contain social media thought leadership, trends, and industry updates.
Schaffer also teaches people how to build and monetize digital and social channels on his podcast, Maximize Your Social Influence.
On his blog, you’ll find helpful tips on influencer marketing, along with SEO and content marketing insights.
Logan Lyles
Digital marketing expert niche: B2B podcast marketing, content marketing
Logan Lyles has over 10 years of experience in the B2B sales and marketing space.
Lyles is the vice president of customer experience at Sweet Fish Media and co-host of B2B Growth.
Our favorite episode hosted by Lyles is with Hannah Mans, director of account-based marketing at Directive. In the episode, the pair discusses how to own your marketing career.
Wil Reynolds
Digital marketing expert niche: SEO, search, paid marketing
Wil Reynolds has been a search marketer for over 15 years.
Reynolds often speaks at marketing events about SEO, big data, and the future of search as an industry leader.
In a 2019 Voices of Search podcast episode, Reynolds discussed how he went from economics teacher to scaling an online marketing business to $25 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
Reynolds is the founder and vice president of innovation of Seer Interactive, a big data digital marketing agency.
A useful resource from Seer Interactive is its Wasteful Wednesday series. Reynolds and his team share outrageous keywords to remove from your accounts to avoid unwanted clicks and costs through short but impactful videos.
In 2020, we spoke to Reynolds about how Seer uses Traject Data for SEO.
Ann Smarty
Digital marketing expert Niche: SEO, social media marketing
Ann Smarty runs SEOsmarty.com, which offers leading SEO and digital marketing courses.
Our favorite is her Viral Content Buzz course, where she shows you how to create viral media for major social networks.
Want more awesome insights?
Smarty guest posts around the web and contributed to the Traject blog about video product reviews.
Jay Baer
Digital marketing expert niche: All-around digital marketing expert
To say Jay Baer is a big deal is an understatement.
Baer is a New York Times bestselling author, professional speaker, and all-around digital marketing expert.
In 2017, he was inducted into the Word of Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame, and in 2018 the Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) Speaker Hall of Fame.
Baer is also the founder and president of Convince & Convert, a multi-million dollar content marketing agency.
In 2011, the Convince & Convert blog was listed as the top content marketing blog by Content Marketing Institute. To this day, it remains a coveted resource for professionals across the globe.
On social media, Baer shares things like:
- Industry benchmarks
- Social media tips
- Upcoming conference information
- Marketing tips
Additionally, we recommend checking out Baer’s Social Pros podcast if you want to dive deeper into social media marketing.
Ryan Deiss
Digital marketing expert niche: All-around digital marketing expert
Ryan Deiss is a digital marketing expert, entrepreneur, and investor. He’s been referred to as the “Godfather” of digital marketing.
Deiss is the founder and CEO of DigitalMarketer, an online community and training agency for digital marketing professionals.
He’s also the founder and CEO of Scalable, a growth acceleration platform for founders.
He often posts witty marketing insights and shares helpful tips from industry thought leaders on his Twitter account.
For more long-form insights, stay tuned to the DigitalMarketer blog. It’s become one of our favorites because of the growth hacks, tutorials, and infographics that Deiss and his team share weekly.
Heidi Cohen
Digital marketing expert niche: Content marketing, social media marketing
Heidi Cohen is a distinguished professor, content marketer, and president of Riverside Marketing Strategies.
Her blog, Actionable Marketing Guide, is a top resource to learn about content marketing, mobile, and social media. It also features marketing fundamentals for beginners.
Cohen regularly shares case studies, campaign ideas, and industry research on social media.
Madalyn Sklar
Digital marketing expert niche: Twitter marketing
Where Mari Smith is the queen of Facebook, Madalyn Sklar is the queen of Twitter.
Sklar is the founder and host of the #TwitterSmarter podcast, which discusses best practices and marketing tips for working smarter.
Sklar’s also the founder and host of the corresponding #TwitterSmarter chat, which has received more than 12 billion impressions since its launch in 2015.
For expert Twitter advice to add to your industry reading, check out Sklar’s blog.
Pam Moore
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing
Pam Moore is the CEO and founder of Marketing Nutz. She’s also the host of the highly-rated SocialZoomFactor podcast.
With over 25 years of digital marketing and branding experience, Moore has worked with large companies like IBM, Chick-fil-A, and Sprout Social.
As a social media expert, Moore shares tips and resources to grow your business and develop performance-driven social strategies.
Shama Hyder
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing, viral marketing
Shama Hyder is a natural-born digital marketing strategist and entrepreneur.
At the age of 13, she found a way to sell and earn a commission. At the age of 23, Hyder founded Zen Media, a digital marketing and public relations (PR) agency that capitalizes on viral opportunities.
Hyder is an expert at driving momentum for brands through robust omnichannel campaigns.
Named a LinkedIn Top Voice in Marketing & Social Media in 2017, 2018, and 2019, Hyder shares posts about:
- New social media trends
- Paid advertising tips
- Technology industry updates
- Marketing and copywriting advice
Perhaps of most value, however, is the Zen Media blog. The blog has great content to scour for advice, from solutions to PR challenges to social media tips for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies.
Mike Allton
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing, blogging
Mike Allton is your go-to guy if you want to start or grow your blog or learn social media growth hacks that work.
Allton is an award-winning social media blogger, speaker, and brand evangelist for Agorapulse.
He founded The Social Media Hat and Blogging Brute, two resourceful blogs for sharing social media growth tips, tools, and expert blogging advice.
You can find free resources and guides to optimize your social and content marketing strategies on both blogging platforms.
Darren Rowse
Digital marketing expert niche: Content marketing, blogging
Follow Darren Rowse for helpful blogging and content marketing insights.
Rowse is the founder of ProBlogger, a successful coaching platform for current and aspiring bloggers. On the blog, you’ll find eBooks, podcasts, educational courses, and articles to help you start, grow, and monetize your blog.
ProBlogger is an essential resource to level up your content marketing strategy and write engaging material that converts.
While Rowse’s Twitter is more of a classified section for blogging jobs, he posts tips and advice on LinkedIn.
Perry Marshall
Digital marketing expert niche: Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
Perry Marshall is a renowned business strategist, author, and online advertising genius.
His firm, Perry Marshall & Associates, is known for its online marketing consultations, which applies Marshall’s 80/20 strategy concept.
Marshall focuses on Google AdWords and Facebook advertising and has written books on both subjects.
On his website, you can find free advertising tools and online workshops. If you want to learn more about PPC advertising, consider Marshall king.
Shay Rowbottom
Digital marketing expert niche: LinkedIn marketing, video marketing
When Shay Rowbottom talks, people listen.
Rowbottom is a LinkedIn marketing expert, influencer, and CEO of Shay Rowbottom Marketing, her coaching and consulting business for social media growth on LinkedIn.
When it comes to creating high-quality video content, Rowbottom knows all the tips and tricks to captivate an audience and go viral.
On Rowbottom’s LinkedIn, you can view her engaging videos that discuss LinkedIn marketing, business development, and entrepreneurial advice. On her website, she offers a six-week LinkedIn Video Bootcamp.
How to connect: LinkedIn
Larry Kim
Digital marketing expert niche: PPC advertising, search marketing, chatbot marketing
Larry Kim is the founder and vice president of marketing at MobileMonkey, a chatbot marketing tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Before founding MobileMonkey, Kim founded the popular search marketing platform WordStream.
Kim is also a notable digital marketing expert on Google AdWords, Facebook advertising, and SEO. He often posts nifty brand campaigns, social media news and tutorials, and the occasional light-hearted joke on social media.
Goldie Chan
Digital marketing expert niche: LinkedIn marketing, video marketing
Goldie Chan is the founder and head of content and creative at Warm Robots, a social media agency that specializes in organic brand growth for major businesses.
With over 70,000 followers on LinkedIn, Chan is one of the most prolific video content creators on the social network. She was called the “Oprah of LinkedIn” by Huffington Post and has produced educational courses for LinkedIn as an instructor.
Chan runs the #LinkedInCreators and #WomenOnLinkedIn communities, and posts about brand storytelling, marketing, and occasional life advice across her social channels.
We interviewed Chan on our Agency Ahead podcast in 2020, where she discussed building employee ambassadors and a personal brand on LinkedIn.
Jasmine Star
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing
Jasmine Star is a photographer, social media guru, and founder of Social Curator, a subscription service that provides social media images, caption templates, and coaching.
Star’s blog features information on how to leverage Instagram to increase sales and drive traffic to your brand, as well as social media and photography tips.
She also has a podcast, The Jasmine Star Show, focused on business growth, entrepreneurial advice, and social media marketing.
Star’s creative background gives her content an edge and a fresh perspective on how to market and grow a brand.
Lauren Fraser
Digital marketing expert niche: SEO, social media management
Lauren Fraser is the founder of LMF Marketing, a boutique digital marketing agency focused on wellness and travel industries.
Based out of Australia, LMF Marketing specializes in SEO, paid media, and social media management. The agency also offers freebies, like an SEO checklist and guide on local marketing.
Fraser is known for taking an authentic marketing approach and posts tips about SEO, social media statistics, and digital strategies.
How to connect: Instagram
Victoria Boyd
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media management, marketing consulting
With a master’s degree in internet marketing, Victoria Boyd knows how to curate successful digital strategies.
Boyd is the creator of Make it Marketable, a course for service-based entrepreneurs who want to scale their business and drive leads. She also has a social media agency that provides performance-driven social strategies, social media management, and consulting services.
Follow Boyd for information about her free training courses, social media marketing tips, and revenue growth advice.
Courtney Day
Digital marketing expert niche: Facebook advertising, social media management
Courtney Day is an up-and-coming digital marketing expert to watch.
Day is the founder of the Australian-based digital marketing agency, MCD Creative. Her agency’s services include:
- Paid advertising
- E-commerce audits
- Social media management
- Product photography
Jeanne Jennings
Digital marketing expert niche: Email marketing
Jeanne Jennings is an email marketing expert with over 20 years of industry experience.
Jennings is the founder and chief strategist of Email Optimization Shop, a boutique consultancy that optimizes email marketing performance for medium- to enterprise-sized businesses.
She’s worked with clients like Verizon, Hasbro, and Capital One.
Jennings is also the general manager of Only Influencers, an online email marketing community for professionals.
Michael Stelzner
Digital marketing expert niche: All-around social media expert
Michael Stelzner is the founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner, one of the web’s most well-known social media publications. The website covers social media post optimization, and updates and news on the latest social networks.
Stelzner also created Social Media Marketing World, the largest social media conference in the industry.
For actionable tips from leading social media professionals, listen to Stelzner’s podcast, Social Media Marketing.
Mari Smith
Digital marketing expert niche: Facebook marketing
Mari Smith is a social media expert and a Facebook marketing queen.
Smith is so knowledgeable that Facebook hired her as a co-facilitator in 2015 for its Boost Your Business event.
If you want to leverage Facebook to grow your business, Smith is the person to connect with. Her successful tactics rely on relationship building and video marketing.
Smith regularly posts about Facebook best practices on her social channels and shares valuable insights on how to maximize the platform and its paid advertising service.
For instructive Facebook resources, we recommend Smith’s blog.
Brittany Berger
Digital marketing expert niche: Minimalist content marketing
Brittany Berger is a digital marketing consultant who helps experienced content marketers get the most out of their online strategy.
Berger discusses the power of repurposing high-quality content, or what she calls minimalist content marketing.
Her videos are engaging and informative, with relevant content strategy and social media tips.
For current insights and free content resources, check out her blog and social media channels.
James Carbary
Digital marketing expert niche: Social media marketing, B2B podcast marketing
James Carbary is an author and social media marketer who specializes in B2B podcasting. His company, Sweet Fish Media, produces and markets podcasts for B2B brands.
What’s even cooler?
Carbary is the executive producer and co-host of B2B Growth with Logan Lyles, another digital marketing expert on this list. Together, their energy and knowledge of marketing synergize on the podcast, so give it a listen.
Follow Carbary for information on B2B podcasting and how it can drive additional brand revenue.
Ahmad Munawar
Digital marketing expert niche: B2B consulting, lead generation
Ahmad Munawar is a Toronto-based B2B marketing and lead generation titan. He founded Boutique Growth in 2014 to help boutique consultants land clients and scale their business.
Munawar regularly posts videos on LinkedIn about sales and marketing growth, business tips, and ways to add value to your organization.
Allen Gannett
Digital marketing expert niche: LinkedIn marketing, creative strategy
Allen Gannett is an author, technology entrepreneur, and digital marketer who runs two video series on LinkedIn: #BookStuff and #AllenAsks.
In his video series, Gannett shares perspectives of the business world through rising entrepreneurs and thought leaders’ eyes.
Gannett’s book, The Creative Curve, contains information on digital marketing and how to find the right idea at the right time. It’s a must-read — especially if you struggle with creativity.
How to connect: LinkedIn
Mary-Anne Da'Marzo
Digital marketing Expert niche: TikTok marketing, social media marketing
Mary-Anne Da’Marzo is an up-and-coming social media expert and TikTok influencer based out of England.
We love Da’Marzo’s YouTube and TikTok channels, where she posts social media and productivity tips.
On LinkedIn, Da’Marzo shares cool brand campaigns for inspiration, short informational videos about TikTok marketing, and addresses commonly asked questions in the industry.
In 2019, Da’Marzo founded a full-service digital marketing agency, Firebelly Media. In addition to her company services, she offers marketing consulting.
Final Thoughts: 33 Top Digital Marketing Experts to Watch in 2021
Digital marketing is essential to grow a business and remain relevant to consumers. As a continually evolving field with a variety of specialties, it can be difficult to master or understand.
On the bright side, plenty of digital marketing experts generously share valuable tips and free resources to help individuals and businesses.
Pick your favorites from the list, follow them, and make time to read their insights. Staying informed in digital marketing is a must if you want to be successful.
