Twitter’s official company mission is “to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.” However, with over 320 million active users, Twitter can sometimes feel a bit … overwhelming.
As marketers, we are challenged with staying up-to-date with ever-evolving marketing trends and best practices, and Twitter can be a great source of information for that. If you’re able to sift through the junk on Twitter to get to the gold, you’ll find yourself in a great position to create digital relationships, get first-hand information from thought leaders, and stay on top of all things marketing.
In order to help you cut through the craziness, we’ve compiled a list of 10 marketing leaders (in no particular order) who are killing it on Twitter.
Matt Heinz – @heinzmarketing
President & Founder of Heinz Marketing, author, blogger, Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers.
Twitter Followers: 84.3k
Why you should follow him: Matt Heinz, marketing thought leader and author of Successful Selling, shares an abundance of content around marketing, sales, revenue growth, product success, and customer loyalty. His account boasts little to no self-promotional material, and instead acts as a hub of content for all things sales and marketing related.
Rand Fishkin – @randfish
Founder of Moz, author, blogger, tech investor.
Twitter Followers: 310k
Why you should follow him: Rand is a hip, no-nonsense tweeter. His account is a perfect mashup of tech and marketing – and we love that combination! Make Rand Fishkin your go-to-guy for all things SEO and data-driven marketing. Plus, he gets extra cool points because he has an amazing handlebar mustache.
Arianna Huffington – @ariannahuff
Co-Founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, author columnist, and sleep evangelist.
Twitter Followers: 2.31m
Why you should follow her: In addition to being an all-around powerhouse, Arianna Huffington offers great insight into politics, success, and reporting. The biggest draw to @ariannahuff’s account, in my opinion, is her advocacy for wellness, work/life balance, and sufficient sleep. Maybe her Twitter account will give you advice on how to convince your boss to put a “nap room” into your office, like the one at Huffington Post headquarters.
Guy Kawasaki – @guykawasaki
Chief Evangelist of Canva, author, and one of the original Apple employees responsible for marketing their Macintosh computer line in 1984.
Twitter Followers: 1.47m
Why you should follow him: Some people think Guy Kawasaki is the king of secular evangelism. He himself says he did not invent it – but he did popularize it. As the author of 13 books, including the recent The Art of Social Media, Kawasaki is best known for the role he played in Apple’s revolution, his active social media presence, and his legendary keynotes at Apple, Nike, Gartner, Audi, Google, et al. Not to mention he’s also the brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz USA – not a bad gig.
Neil Patel – @neilpatel
Co-Founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, and KISSmetrics. Columnist for Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, etc.
Twitter Followers: 194k
Why you should follow him: While his Twitter account may not be flashy or witty, Neil Patel knows a thing or two about marketing, and success. Think of Patel’s Twitter account as a “how-to-guide.” From content marketing to A/B testing, Patel’s account is a great resource for marketers.
Pam Dyer – @pamdyer
Chief Marketing Officer at Agile Alliance, Forbes Top-25 Influencer
Twitter Followers: 115k
Why you should follow her: Pam Dyer was recently named by Forbes as being one of the Top 20 Women Social Media Power Influencers, and made the Top 50 list for both genders. She’s the author of the Pamorama blog, which provides content related to “building buzz in a connected world.” Dyer’s Twitter account is a well curated mix of all things digital marketing.
Jay Baer – @jaybaer
President of Convince & Convert, New York Times bestseller, marketing consultant, speaker.
Twitter Followers: 201k
Why you should follow him: Well, firstly because he claims to be the most re-tweeted person in the world among digital marketers. And if that’s true, it’s probably for good reason. Jay Baer’s Twitter account speaks intelligently to trends related to MarTech, social media marketing, and content creation.
Joe Pulizzi – @joepulizzi
Founder of Content Marketing Institute, best selling author.
Twitter Followers: 98.2k
Why you should follow him: This guy knows content marketing. I mean, he really knows it. In addition to being the founder of the Content Marketing Institute, Joe Pulizzi has made content marketing his life’s work. Follow Pulizzi to state up-to-date on content marketing events, trends, and best practices.
Steve Farnsworth – @steveology
Chief Marketing Officer at Steveology Group, Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers.
Twitter Followers: 117k
Why you should follow him: At #7 on the list of the Top 100 Most Followed CMOs on Twitter, Steve Farnsworth makes marketing simple. By breaking complex strategies down into lists of simple tasks, tips, or tools, Farnsworth’s Twitter account is a great one to follow if you’re part of a small marketing team taking on big marketing challenges.
Brian Clark – @brianclark
Founder of CopyBlogger and CEO of Rainmaker Digital
Twitter Followers: 182k
Why you should follow him: Brian Clark helps marketers, and all people alike, be better at their jobs, and find happiness in what they do. As a founder of unemployable.com, Clark is passionate about providing actionable strategies for freelancers and creative entrepreneurs. In short, Clark has started eight successful businesses, the guy knows what he’s talking about.
Okay, that’s ten…but I have to throw in my editor’s favorite as a bonus… and my senior content manager’s pick as a bonus bonus:
Bonus: Ann Handley – @annhandley and @MarketingProfs.
Author of “Everybody Writes” and coauthor (with C.C. Chandler) of “Content Rules.”
Twitter Followers, @annhandley: 21.5k
Twitter Followers, @marketingprofs, 339k
As the world’s first Chief Content Officer ( of MarketingProfs), Ann Handley speaks and writes about how you can rethink the way your business markets. She was cited by Forbes as the most influential woman in social media and recognized by ForbesWoman as one of the top 20 women bloggers, She absolutely knows her stuff, and she shares generously on her Twitter feeds.
Senior Content Manager’s Pick: Mike Street – @MrMikeStreet
Senior digital and social media marketing director at Burrell Communications, and founder of the SmartBrownVoices podcast.
Twitter Followers, @mrmikestreet: 64.7k
As a senior marketer at Burrell Communications in Chicago, Street excels in his work around multicultural and multidimensional storytelling. Street has been nationally recognized for his exemplary campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, and for his #smartbrownvoices podcast that showcases successful Black and Latino startup founders, entrepreneurs, activists, marketers, and creatives.
#conclusions:
Twitter can be a great resource for marketers as long as you know who to follow, and what to ignore. Following these ten thought leaders on Twitter is a surefire way to get great marketing content, stay afloat of marketing and entrepreneurial trends … and find out what else Huffington Post’s headquarters has that your office doesn’t
It’s undeniable, Twitter as an important social channel. And your challenge as marketers is to find your target audience in that massive crowd and engage them. But what should you be doing to get more retweets, more followers, and more prospects for your business? Download Act-On’s eBook, “10 Things Marketers Should be Doing on Twitter,” and we’ll will walk you through some best practices and tips for using Twitter for business.