The digital marketing world is changing in more ways than one. With 86 percent of marketers implementing content marketing,
As new trends arise, the pioneers who are steering the industry are speaking up around the world. To prepare for what’s ahead, these early adopters and industry experts are the ones you want to be following.
Here are a few must-see speakers I would recommend checking out to learn how your company can stand out amongst its competitors:
1. John Hall – CEO of Influence & Co.
John is the co-founder of Influence & Co., the largest creator and distributor of expert content to major media outlets. He is a visionary who excels at helping companies and professionals become more engaging to the audiences that matter most. Whether it’s improving one-on-one communication or helping you engage a larger audience, you can see from his site that he is one of the most authentic speakers out there, making you feel like you’re listening to a trusted advisor. His book “Top of Mind” can be pre-ordered here for an April 2017 release. It will be an absolute must-read for any professional or company seeking to build influence and lead their industry.
2. Rohit Bhargava – CEO of Influential Marketing Group
Rohit is the bestselling author of “Non-Obvious,”and his company facilitates strategy workshops and innovation day summits. He also understands how to curate ideas and accurately predict future trends. With media changing so frequently, it’s important to have a solid guide to prepare you for what’s around the curve. Rohit’s persona is focused on a “nice guy” mentality, so it’s easy to connect with him when he’s on stage.
3. Luba Tolkachyov – Co-founder of Gravity Media
The ability to understand and connect people of different personalities and cultures in the workplace is becoming more important than ever. Luba specializes in multicultural marketing and understanding the people you work and communicate with every day. In the diverse world we live in, it’s important to recognize both the challenges and rewards that can arise between individuals and, most importantly, how to work through them.
4. Adam Singolda – CEO of Taboola
I started paying more attention to Taboola when it raised a whopping $117 million in funding to take content and media discovery global. In the last couple years, it’s been said that “content is king,” but if that’s the case, then distribution is undoubtedly the queen in that equation. How and where you distribute your content is vital to any media strategy; with Taboola’s position as a frontrunner in this area, Adam is a key individual to follow.
5. Shelly Palmer – CEO of Palmer Advanced Media
Shelly is one of the most influential people in media, with more than 600,000 subscribers to his daily newsletter about trends in tech, media, and entertainment. He is a speaker at various media conferences, even serving as the keynote speaker at this year’s CES event. Shelly has a knack for speaking on the latest industry trends and has the ability to build trust during his presentations.
6. Tami Cannizzaro – Senior Director of Marketing at eBay
Tami was an early adopter of social media while working for big brands (recently moving from
7. Elise Mitchell – CEO of Dentsu Aegis Public Relations Network
The public relations world is being flipped upside down as traditional firms shift their focus to digital marketing avenues that converge PR and content marketing. Elise has been in the game for a while, working with companies like Walmart and
8. Rishi Shah – CEO of ContextMedia
9. Carrie Kerpen – CEO of Likeable Media
Likeability is a fairly large factor when building a digital marketing presence. Dave Kerpen, Carrie’s husband, made himself just that through social channels and his own thought leadership efforts. In fact, he’s one of the most viewed LinkedIn Influencers, ranking above Richard Branson, Bill Gates and many others. With Dave focusing on Likeable Local, Carrie is leading Likeable and is a fantastic speaker. Her passion is easy to see in each speech. It’s no wonder why this couple is often seen keynoting digital marketing events.
10. Bryan Kramer – CEO of PureMatter
Bryan has extensive experience in all things social media. But what stood out to me was his passion for human-to-human connections. Media used to be about simply reaching mass eyeballs, but it’s finally transitioning to something more authentic and personalized. It’s becoming more important to reach audiences so they feel that connection personally, not as a group. This is a critical shift that companies need to be aware of and prepare for now.
Obviously, there are the Gary Vaynerchuks and Seth Godins of the world who have been in the limelight for some time now, but as new trends and technology arise, marketers will need to use multiple platforms and resources to fully understand the opportunities available. Hopefully, this diverse group of forward-thinking industry experts will help you navigate this ever-changing media world. I know I’ll be paying attention.
