The Online Marketing Institute is proud to recognize the Top 20 Digital Marketing Strategists for 2015, chosen for their innovative contributions in the digital marketing community and dedication to creating online education opportunities for business owners, marketers, and students around the world.
The list is comprised of distinguished OMI educators, authors, business owners, digital marketing professionals, contributors, and speakers, known for:
- Creating and leading the adoption of the newest, most effective digital marketing strategies
- Presenting incredible education opportunities through speaking engagements, blogging, and teaching
- Delivering high-impact, positive results for their clients and organizations
With new technologies and trends the likes of retargeting, content marketing, mobile adoption, and video content all moving into the forefront of digital marketing for 2015, the landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace. It's crucial that marketers around the world embrace changes, stay current with proven best practices, seek new opportunities, and take calculated risks to stay ahead of the competition. Through their involvement in the professional community, whether speaking, blogging, or teaching, these leaders are empowering marketers to do exactly that.
In conjunction with this announcement, we asked these top online marketers to share the #1 area of digital marketing that all businesses need to be focusing on for 2015. We'll be releasing their insights in a series of upcoming blog posts over the next few weeks. Several of these experts are also participating in our Free Virtual Event, the First Annual Get Better @ Week starting on Jan 19, 2015!
Here is our annual list of Top 20 Digital Marketing Strategists for 2015 in alphabetical order:
1. Kim Albee
President and Founder, Genoo Marketing Automation | @kimalbee
Among many other contributions to the digital marketing space over the past 23 years, Kim Albee is the President and Founder of Genoo, LLC, a software-as-a-service suite of tools that allow marketers to generate messaging, drive traffic, create demand and pass intelligent lead information on to their sales departments to build relationships. Kim has also been a longtime proponent of creating eLearning opportunities and sharing her experience in the digital marketing industry with aspiring marketers, through her Digital Marketing Certification curriculum.
2. John Baker 
President at dotJWT Worldwide | @jmbak
As the President of dotJWT for J. Walter Thomas, one of the world's best known marketing communication brands with over 150 years in the business, John drives strategy in digital technology adoption for the company. Pulling from over 25 years of international marketing experience and consulting, John is a regular blogger and educator on industry trends and analysis.
3. Susan Baroncini-Moe
Executive Coach, Marketing Strategist, Author, Business in Blue Jeans | @suebmoe
Susan Baroncini-Moe is the author of the bestselling, Business in Blue Jeans: How to Have a Successful Business on Your Own Terms, in Your Own Style. She is an executive coach and a marketing consultant for B2B and the wellness and hospitality industries. She regularly speaks to audiences of all sizes and has shared the stage with business giants like Michael E. Gerber, Bob Burg, and Larry Winget, among others. Susan and her businesses have been featured in Redbook Magazine, USA Today, MSN Living, Investor’s Business Daily, Yahoo Finance, and American Express Open Forum, and she is a Guinness World Records® titleholder.
4. Rohit Bhargava 
CEO & Founder, Influential Marketing Group | @rohitbhargava
Rohit is an author of five best selling books on digital marketing, including Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity and How Great Brands Get it Back, featuring contributions from Guy Kawasaki. As the founder of the Influential Marketing Group and over 10 years of experience at digital agencies, Rohit has advised global brands the likes of Intel, Lenovo, Unilever, Novartis, Pfizer, and Marriott on communications strategy, storytelling, and how to build an authentic image. Rohit is also a professor at Georgetown University, where he's renowned for his signature course on Global Marketing in the Age of Social Media.
5. Bernie Borges 
CEO and Founder, Find and Convert | @bernieborges
Bernie is a longtime speaker, blogger, and educator in the online marketing space. As the CEO and Founder of Find and Convert, a digital marketing agency and HubSpot partner of over 12 years, he has become well known in the industry for his digital tv show and podcast, The Social Business Engine which showcases practitioners and thoughts leaders succeeding on their social business journey. Bernie also participates in regular speaking engagements and presentations around the US, and is a former faculty member of the American Marketing Association.
6. Lisa Buyer
CEO, The Buyer Group | @lisabuyer
Social PR author, evangelist, journalist and publicist. Author of Social PR Secrets and named one of the top 40 Digital Strategists for 2013, Lisa Buyer is passionate and ambitious about how public relations, social media and online marketing influence each other. She is president and CEO of The Buyer Group, an interactive public relations and social agency located in Celebration, Florida and editor for Social #PR Chat covering trends in social PR, mobile PR, brand PR and SEO PR. Lisa writes for several industry publications covering how public relations influences search and social and is a regular speaker with PubCon, SMX, ClickZLive (formerly SES) and OMI. She is also an instructor of the University of San Francisco’s online Advanced Social Media certificate program. Lisa graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism. Go Gators! Her favorite hashtags are #yoga, #sunsets and #surfing.
7. Thom Craver 
Vice President of Development & IT, Internet Marketing Ninjas | @thomcraver
Thom is a technology innovator at Internet Marketing Ninjas, one of the world's best quality link building companies. He currently leads a team of 16, including web designers, developers, programmers, and system engineers in driving strategy and creating more efficient processes. Thom is a regular contributor to Search Engine Watch, speaker at ClickZ Live Conferences around North America, and was the keynote speaker at a Tedx Event in 2013. Thom also has over 20 years of classroom experience and creating curriculum for the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.
8. Courtney Herda 
President, Smarter Searches | @courtneyherda
What are you doing to improve the value of your website? If you have the opportunity to chat with Courtney about your business, you're definitely going to hear that question. Courtney has more than seven years of experience in content creation, optimization, sales, and retention of successful PPC, SEO and social media campaigns for companies of all sizes. After running search engine marketing for TV personality and financial speaker Dave Ramsey, Courtney launched Smarter Searches, her digital marketing consultancy. She has rapidly become an authority on search engine strategies and landing page optimization. Courtney was also recently interviewed in Forbes on how to get started with Google+ for Beginners and Businesses Alike.
9. Victoria Ipri 
Founder, Learn LinkedIn Fast | @victoriaipri
Victoria is an independent marketing consultant, focusing on teaching LinkedIn strategy and works largely with small B2B businesses to improve online marketing and lead generation results on LinkedIn. She is the founder of many successful LinkedIn groups, representing thousands of active members, and is regularly cited as a Top Influencer on Linkedin. Victoria is a sought-after speaker and author of the popular ebooks “Social Media for the Clueless,” "LinkedIn For The Clueless," and “How to Sell Your Book Using LinkedIn.” She holds a masters certificate in Advanced Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco, and lives in Philadelphia, PA.
10. Thad Kahlow
CEO, BusinessOnline
Thad has been in the internet marketing industry for over 16 years and has developed a wealth of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Web Analytics, and Interactive Marketing. Since being featured on the Inc 5000 list in 2011 and 2012 with his digital marketing agency, BusinessOnline, Thad has become a regular contributor to iMedia, ERA and B2B Magazine. He has also presented on how to drive meaningful and highly targeted web traffic at industry and executive conferences including the DMA, HTMA, AMT and Online Marketing Summit.
11. Kent Lewis 
President and Founder, Anvil Media | @kentlewis
Kent founded Anvil Media, an integrated marketing agency specializing in analytics, search engine & social media marketing 19 years ago. Under his leadership, Anvil has received recognition from Portland Business Journal & Inc. Magazine as a Fastest Growing & Most Philanthropic Company. Kent regularly speaks at digital marketing industry events and has been published in several books and publications including Business2Community, iMedia Connection, Online Marketing Summit, and Portland Business Journal. Kent was also recently recognized as a Top 25 Most Influential Pay-per-Click Expert and the Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association, Oregon chapter.
12. Phil Pallen 
Brand Strategist, Phil Pallen Collective | @philpallen
Author of the acclaimed, Shut Up and Tweet, Phil Pallen represents a new breed of digital brand strategists. In a world of interconnectivity, Phil's approach is that social media and visual identity are now truly co-dependent, essential pieces of a brand. Phil builds brands for TV personalities, public figures, and entrepreneurs around the world. As an avid writer, podcast publisher, and twitter aficionado, Phil keeps a pulse on the latest technologies and trends that determine what success looks like online. Join his new e-series and change the way you think about branding today.
13. Chad Pollitt 
VP of Audience, Co-Founder, Relevance.com | @chadpollitt
Chad co-founded Relevance.com, the world's first online publication dedicated solely to highlighting the content marketing industry. A member of the Forbes Top 100 list for global ad agencies in social content, Chad also authored "51 Things Your Mother Taught You About Inbound Marketing." He has contributed to industry media outlets, including the Guardian, Huffington Post, Social Media Today, Business2Community, and LinkedIn. In his free eBook, The Content Promotion Manifesto, Chad lays a foundation for content marketers to have successful and profitable campaigns in a short amount of time, while simultaneously building a lasting audience.
14. Kevin Popović 
Founder & CEO, Ideahaus | @kevinpopovic
As the founder of Ideahaus, Kevin drives strategy for one of the world's leading creative communications agencies, serving B2B, B2C and Non-Profit organizations that want to build their brands and increase sales. In 2010, Kevin was ranked #43 in Fast Company's The Influence Project measuring the "most influential people online." His latest book, 20YEARS Communications is looked to as an authority on the evolution of communications, and provides insight as to where communications was, is, and will go in the future.
15. Neal Schaffer 
President, Maximize Your Social | @nealschaffer
Neal has been a Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer for two years in a row. Also recognized as a Forbes Top 5 Social Sales Influencer, he has made an incredible impact on social media education through eLearning opportunities online and through his consultancy, Maximize Your Social. Neal is a global social media speaker who has spoken at over 200 events across three continents since 2009, and is a regular contributor to leading online publications. Neal also teaches as part of the Rutgers University Business School Mini Social Media MBA Program and is soon launching his Social Media Center for Excellence to continue down the path of offering meaningful online learning opportunities in the digital marketing space.
16. Miriam Slozberg
Social Media & SEO Consultant, Gemini Rising | @msmir
Over the past 4 years through her digital marketing consultancy, Miriam has worked with Sears, Whirlpool, and Hero Burgers on social media management and modern SEO techniques, including blog writing and keyword-driven unique content. With a Klout score of 79, it's safe to say Miriam knows what works and what doesn't when it comes to social media engagement. She runs an online coaching course, Social Influence University, to help entrepreneurs harness the potential of social media. Miriam was also named one of AGBeat's Top 50 Influencers of 2014 for social media evangelism and expertise. She's a regular contributor in The Boston Globe, Fortune, Worth, on radio shows, podcasts and blogs as a social media expert.
17. Debra Smallman 
CEO, Kaberg Consulting | @debras
Debra Smallman has over 20 years of media experience in both traditional and digital marketing. Debra has held several roles as Senior VP in major media agencies around the United States, and started her own consulting agency, Kaberg Consulting, 15 years ago. Through her consultancy, Debra leads strategy and focuses on providing consultation to numerous agencies and clients across a variety of industries and demographics.
18. Jamie Smith 
VP of Growth, iSpionage.com | @jamiesmithnow
Jamie founded Engine Ready Software, a strategic marketing service, and just recently successfully sold the business to another digital agency. Jamie has over 10 years of Internet Marketing experience, continually staying on top of the newest opportunities in the ever-changing Internet business landscape. He now also works with iSpionage.com, a search marketing competitive intelligence provider. It's used by business owners, marketing managers, and agencies to quickly optimize SEO, AdWords and other PPC campaigns using information from what their top competitors are doing.
19. Brian Solis 
Principal Analyst, Altimeter Group | @briansolis
Brian is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders, speakers, and published authors in new technology and digital anthropology. He's the Principal Analyst at Altimeter Group, his research and consulting firm that helps companies understand and act on digital disruption. His new book, What's the Future of Business (WTF), explores the landscape of connected consumerism and how business and customer relationships unfold and flourish in four distinct moments of truth. His previous book, The End of Business as Usual, explores the emergence of Generation-C, a new generation of customers and employees and how businesses must adapt to reach them. One of his most popular books, Engage, is regarded as the industry reference guide for businesses to market, sell and service in the social web.
20. Jeannie Walters 
CEO & Chief Customer Experience Investigator, 360 Connext | @jeanniecw
Jeannie is a world renowned customer experience speaker, writer, and consultant with more than 15 years experience in assisting all types of companies, including Fortune 500 to better empower and satisfy their customers. Jeannie has spoken at TEDx conferences, and has been awarded the Businesswoman of the Year by the Business Ledger and as An Outstanding Woman of Achievement by the Girl Scouts of America for her active leadership in numerous women's organizations.
Know someone else who should be on this list? Share your pick for the top digital marketer by tagging them in the comments below.