Content Marketing 2017: Top 200 Global Influencers

Influence is topical and so someone who is influential on SEO is not necessarily the expert on influencer marketing or video content creation. We went deeper into the specific sub-categories and tracks at CMWorld2017 to call out the influencers who are driving engagement within the influencer community on these niche topics.

You can use this blog post to understand what is driving the online debate and who is most influential in the focus area that you really care about in your role whether it is Social Media, Lead Generation, Branding, Video Creation, Sales or Influencer Marketing for example.

HOT TOPICS IN CONTENT MARKETING

We analyzed over 5million social media posts and blog content from January 2017 to see which associated topics and sub-categories received the most attention in conjunction with the content marketing online debate. Here is the word cloud showing the most frequently used keywords:

The most frequently mentioned words spoken about in the context of content marketing were:

1. Digital Marketing
2. Social Media
3. Branding
4. Growth Hacking
5. SEO
6. Leads
7. Infographic
8. Blogging
9. Content Writing
10. Lead generation
11. BTB
12. Data-driven
13. Copywriting
14. Tools
15. Storytelling
16. Content Strategy
17. Startup
18. Visual
19. ROI
20. Video Marketing

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With #CMWorld happening this week in Ohio we were very interested to learn which influencers were driving the most influence on the key topics or “tracks” at CMWorld.
Out of all the tracks at CMWorld these were the top 10 getting the most attention among the content marketing influencers:

1. Social Media
2. Analytics and Data
3. Sales
4. Video
5. BTB
6. Writing
7. Influencer Marketing
8. Agency
9. Lead Generation
10. Content Strategy

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We looked at each of these topics or “tracks” and generated a list of the top 50 influencers within each track. Below is the top 25 in each category if you want to see who ranks from 25-50 please download the full report:

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1. Top 50 Social Media Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@leeodden	Lee Odden	100
2	@NealSchaffer	Neal Schaffer	74.8
3	@markfidelman	Mark Fidelman	58.33
4	@briansolis	Brian Solis	51.94
5	@markwschaefer	Mark Schaefer	47.62
6	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	42.51
7	@2morrowknight	Sean Gardner	38.17
8	@PamMktgNut	Pam Moore	36.5
9	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	35.67
10	@iSocialFanz	Brian Fanzo	35.38
11	@BrennerMichael	Michael Brenner	33.32
12	@GuyKawasaki	Guy Kawasaki	32.08
13	@jaybaer	Jay Baer	31.79
14	@bryankramer	Bryan Kramer	30.19
15	@rachelloumiller	Rachel Miller	30.1
16	@teedubya	Travis Wright	29.49
17	@TedRubin	Ted Rubin	27.71
18	@ajagrawal24	AJ Agrawal	24.61
19	@TamaraMcCleary	Tamara McCleary	24.01
20	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	23.53
21	@sujanpatel	Sujan Patel	23.31
22	@CynthiaLIVE	Cynthia Johnson	22.21
23	@AmishaGandhi	Amisha	21.89
24	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	21.76
25	@lilachbullock	Lilach Bullock	21.58

 

2. Top 50 Analytics and Data Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@randfish	Rand Fishkin	100
2	@sethfarbman	Seth William Farbman	91.4
3	@dougkessler	Doug Kessler	80.38
4	@BernardMarr	Bernard Marr	78.33
5	@Ronald_vanLoon	Ronald van Loon	50.02
6	@leeodden	Lee Odden	43.65
7	@OttLegalRebels	Marc R Gagné MAPP	43.37
8	@evankirstel	Evan Kirstel	39.6
9	@FeldmanCreative	Barry Feldman	39.13
10	@larrykim	Larry Kim	38.88
11	@TamaraMcCleary	Tamara McCleary	37.93
12	@BrennerMichael	Michael Brenner	35.49
13	@DaveChaffey	Dr Dave Chaffey	34.96
14	@cspenn	Christopher Penn	34.15
15	@neilpatel	Neil Patel	33.12
16	@data_nerd	Carla Gentry	32.04
17	@IanCleary	Ian Cleary	30.13
18	@iSocialFanz	Brian Fanzo	29.33
19	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	28.95
20	@YvesMulkers	Yves Mulkers	28.53
21	@dez_blanchfield	Dez Blanchfield	28.46
22	@KirkDBorne	Kirk Borne	27.97
23	@jayacunzo	Jay Acunzo	27.78
24	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	26.75
25	@dannysullivan	Danny Sullivan	26.71

 

3. Top 50 Sales Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	100
2	@kimgarst	Kim Garst	85.11
3	@Nickpanayi	Nick Panayi	59.67
4	@sujanpatel	Sujan Patel	52.04
5	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	49.02
6	@danielnewmanUV	Daniel Newman	44.62
7	@GlenWestlake	Glen Westlake	43.69
8	@markwschaefer	Mark Schaefer	41.41
9	@HeinzMarketing	Matt Heinz	40.36
10	@dmscott	David Meerman Scott	38.54
11	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	37.51
12	@InboundMarketer	Maria Pergolino	37.3
13	@TrondLyngbo	Trond Lyngbø	32.51
14	@johnkoetsier	John Koetsier	32.05
15	@smoothsale	Elinor Stutz	25.7
16	@AHZimmerman	Andy Zimmerman	25.41
17	@JackKosakowski	Jack Kosakowski	25.23
18	@DanScalco	Dan Scalco	24.94
19	@lilachbullock	Lilach Bullock	23.28
20	@MelonieDodaro	Melonie Dodaro	22.91
21	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	22.91
22	@Ronald_vanLoon	Ronald van Loon	22.63
23	@BrennerMichael	Michael Brenner	21.99
24	@Sam___Hurley	Sam Hurley	21.31
25	@elonmusk	Elon Musk	21.05

#ContentMarketing 2017: Top 200 Global Influencers

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4. Top 50 Video Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	100
2	@GuyKawasaki	Guy Kawasaki	35.7
3	@CynthiaLIVE	Cynthia Johnson	31.89
4	@joelcomm	Joel Comm	29.86
5	@LuriaPetrucci	Luria Petrucci	24.35
6	@elonmusk	Elon Musk	23.42
7	@alvinlindsay21	Alvin Lindsay	22.03
8	@FX_Digital	Steve Cartwright	21.8
9	@iSocialFanz	Brian Fanzo	21.18
10	@jaybaer	Jay Baer	19.43
11	@NoteworthyWifey	Amy Noteworthy	17.66
12	@WarrenWhitlock	Warren Whitlock	17.34
13	@KeithKeller	Keith Keller	16.42
14	@SameerPatel	Sameer Patel	16.22
15	@RobRe62	Roberto Re	15.35
16	@cspenn	Christopher Penn	15.27
17	@markfidelman	Mark Fidelman	15.26
18	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	15
19	@evankirstel	Evan Kirstel	14.08
20	@LElkan	LARRY ELKAN	13.83
21	@chrisbrogan	Chris Brogan	13.45
22	@Schmittastic	Future Mrs. Landino	12.92
23	@OttLegalRebels	Marc R Gagné MAPP	12.79
24	@k009034	Jukka Heinovirta	12.14
25	@MariSmith	Mari Smith	12.13

 

5. Top 50 B2B Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	100
2	@BrennerMichael	Michael Brenner	87.83
3	@MurrayNewlands	Murray Newlands	72.91
4	@dougkessler	Doug Kessler	68.45
5	@bryankramer	Bryan Kramer	64.52
6	@NealSchaffer	Neal Schaffer	61.47
7	@CarlaJohnson	Carla Johnson	58.62
8	@leeodden	Lee Odden	54.34
9	@TedRubin	Ted Rubin	51.52
10	@bernieborges	Bernie Borges	51.07
11	@Ronald_vanLoon	Ronald van Loon	48.87
12	@jaybaer	Jay Baer	48.08
13	@NoteworthyWifey	Amy Noteworthy	47.8
14	@jose_garde	Jose Javier Garde	46.85
15	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	46.29
16	@teedubya	Travis Wright	44.06
17	@JasonMillerCA	Jason A Miller	42.07
18	@TamaraMcCleary	Tamara McCleary	40.1
19	@TomPick	Tom Pick	39.55
20	@HeinzMarketing	Matt Heinz	39.45
21	@martinjonesaz	Martin Jones	39.28
22	@LElkan	LARRY ELKAN	38.95
23	@evankirstel	Evan Kirstel	37.84
24	@Sam___Hurley	Sam Hurley	37.4
25	@kesbutters	Martin Butters	34.59

 

MAPPING THE COMMUNITY

Below you can see a network map of the online content marketing conversation. This map was created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM). Be sure to click on the map to enjoy the full size network diagram in greater detail.

6. Top 50 Writing Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@brianclark	Brian Clark	100
2	@markwschaefer	Mark Schaefer	96.86
3	@petitegeek	Dr. Angelica Lim	91.38
4	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	89.55
5	@chrisbrogan	Chris Brogan	86.09
6	@neilpatel	Neil Patel	73.12
7	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	63.97
8	@larrykim	Larry Kim	58.82
9	@crestodina	Andy Crestodina	53.14
10	@Ronald_vanLoon	Ronald van Loon	46.84
11	@DholakiyaPratik	Pratik Dholakiya	44.35
12	@CynthiaLIVE	Cynthia Johnson	41.41
13	@sujanpatel	Sujan Patel	41.3
14	@NoteworthyWifey	Amy Noteworthy	38.89
15	@naturewilds	Ray Shrewsberry	37.29
16	@jaybaer	Jay Baer	34.57
17	@ValaAfshar	Vala Afshar	34.52
18	@sangramvajre	Sangram Vajre	34.48
19	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	33.33
20	@FX_Digital	Steve Cartwright	33.2
21	@lieblink	Rebecca Lieb	31.81
22	@lilachbullock	Lilach Bullock	31.61
23	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	31.26
24	@RickKing16	Rick King	29.69
25	@ThisIsSethsBlog	Seth Godin	29.08

 

7. Top 50 Influencer Marketing Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@leeodden	Lee Odden	100
2	@NealSchaffer	Neal Schaffer	79.88
3	@markfidelman	Mark Fidelman	64.07
4	@briansolis	Brian Solis	53.65
5	@markwschaefer	Mark Schaefer	49.85
6	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	46.63
7	@PamMktgNut	Pam Moore	40.32
8	@GuyKawasaki	Guy Kawasaki	38.57
9	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	38.32
10	@iSocialFanz	Brian Fanzo	35.32
11	@BrennerMichael	Michael Brenner	34.35
12	@jaybaer	Jay Baer	33.07
13	@bryankramer	Bryan Kramer	32.72
14	@2morrowknight	Sean Gardner	31.54
15	@rachelloumiller	Rachel Miller	31.08
16	@TedRubin	Ted Rubin	28.87
17	@ajagrawal24	AJ Agrawal	27.15
18	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	25.51
19	@TamaraMcCleary	Tamara McCleary	24.68
20	@CynthiaLIVE	Cynthia Johnson	23.48
21	@joeDmarti	Joe Martin	22.67
22	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	22.24
23	@AmishaGandhi	Amisha	22.12
24	@jose_garde	Jose Javier Garde	20.98
25	@smallbiztrends	Anita Campbell	20.7

If you want to see who ranks from 25-50 please download the full report:

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT

8. Top 50 Agency Strategy Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@carlosgil83	Carlos Gil	100
2	@FuelLines	Ashley Cox	54.34
3	@bryankramer	Bryan Kramer	51.76
4	@michaelgass	Michael Gass	49.02
5	@NealSchaffer	Neal Schaffer	35.16
6	@garyvee	Gary Vaynerchuk	34.76
7	@cspenn	Christopher Penn	33.12
8	@CynthiaLIVE	Cynthia Johnson	32.9
9	@GuyKawasaki	Guy Kawasaki	32.77
10	@dez_blanchfield	Dez Blanchfield	27.73
11	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	27.39
12	@iMariaJohnsen	Maria Johnsen	25.96
13	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	25.67
14	@joelcomm	Joel Comm	25.45
15	@fondalo	Robert Caruso	24.41
16	@ducttape	John Jantsch	23.66
17	@cshasarrived	Courtney Smith	23.16
18	@DaveChaffey	Dr Dave Chaffey	22.88
19	@leeodden	Lee Odden	22.76
20	@sujanpatel	Sujan Patel	22.6
21	@ThisIsSethsBlog	Seth Godin	22.08
22	@JeffreyHayzlett	Jeffrey Hayzlett	21.66
23	@zaibatsu	Reg Saddler	21.66
24	@WarrenWhitlock	Warren Whitlock	21.33
25	@MadalynSklar	Madalyn Sklar	21.32

#ContentMarketing 2017: Top 200 Global Influencers

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9. Top 50 Lead Generation Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@MarketingProfs	Ann Handley	100
2	@lilachbullock	Lilach Bullock	83.6
3	@NealSchaffer	Neal Schaffer	59.72
4	@BrennerMichael	Michael Brenner	57.8
5	@ajagrawal24	AJ Agrawal	57.5
6	@tonyrestell	Tony Restell	57.12
7	@johnfoleyjr	John Foley	45.19
8	@SusanGilbert	Susan Gilbert	43.44
9	@iMariaJohnsen	Maria Johnsen	43.23
10	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	40.9
11	@jaybaer	Jay Baer	38.98
12	@martinjonesaz	Martin Jones	37.24
13	@tylerjanderson	Tyler Anderson	36.34
14	@WarrenWhitlock	Warren Whitlock	36.12
15	@AdeldMeyer	Adel de Meyer	33.42
16	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	32.47
17	@sujanpatel	Sujan Patel	31.05
18	@GrowMap	Gail Gardner	28.99
19	@leeodden	Lee Odden	27.33
20	@larrykim	Larry Kim	26.53
21	@FX_Digital	Steve Cartwright	26.01
22	@NoteworthyWifey	Amy Noteworthy	25.63
23	@elonmusk	Elon Musk	24.83
24	@MandyModGirl	Mandy McEwen	24.43
25	@MarshaCollier	Marsha Collier	24.17

 

10. Top 50 Content Strategy Influencers

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	Influencer Score
1	@kesbutters	Martin Butters	100
2	@jeffbullas	Jeff Bullas	144.39
3	@JuntaeDeLane	Juntae DeLane	78.4
4	@FX_Digital	Steve Cartwright	127.43
5	@jose_garde	Jose Javier Garde	98.53
6	@scottabel	Scott Abel	222.3
7	@pushingsocial	Stan Smith	128.4
8	@NoteworthyWifey	Amy Noteworthy	138.74
9	@jeffsheehan	Jeff Sheehan	63.81
10	@alvinlindsay21	Alvin Lindsay	53.68
11	@SociallySorted	Donna Moritz	77.53
12	@Timothy_Hughes	Tim Hughes	84.6
13	@2morrowknight	Sean Gardner	85.76
14	@NealSchaffer	Neal Schaffer	118.63
15	@GlenGilmore	Glen Gilmore	62.86
16	@zaibatsu	Reg Saddler	69.76
17	@DeniroLinda	Linda Deniro	127.65
18	@Sam___Hurley	Sam Hurley	99.21
19	@markwschaefer	Mark Schaefer	138.77
20	@MariSmith	Mari Smith	133.8
21	@NedFL	Ned James	46.82
22	@neilpatel	Neil Patel	73.31
23	@LElkan	LARRY ELKAN	51.26
24	@CynthiaLIVE	Cynthia Johnson	231.24
25	@katielance	Katie Lance	55.71