10 Social Media Influencers You Need to Follow

Your parents always stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with ‘good influences’, and we agree! In the digital world a good social media influencer isn’t about how many followers a person has, but rather as Sam Fieorella author of Influence Marketing says, “Influence is the swaying of beliefs, behaviors, or actions.” Straight from the home office in San Diego, California, here are our Top Ten Social Media Influencers to follow that would make your parents proud:

  1. Seth Godin – In the social media world, you can’t get more pioneering or influential than Seth Godin. From authoring 18 books to maintaining various blogs, when Seth speaks, everyone leans in to listen.
  2. Mari Smith – With her large, loyal following on multiple social media platforms, Mari Smith is a respected resource and thought leader in the world of marketing—especially on Facebook. Read about her recent Facebook collaboration and check out her other informative posts on her blog.
  3. Jon Acuff – It’s easy to get burned out and bogged down by the daily grind. Enter New York Times Bestselling author and popular conference speaker, Jon Acuff. He offers a fresh (and comical) perspective on how people and companies can reinvent their work. And Seth Godin called his latest book Do Over, ‘The best career book ever written.’
  4. Scott Monty – For six years Scott Monty served as the head of social media at Ford Motor Company. These days Scott spends his time advising, consulting, and speaking at industry or corporate events about current trends in the worlds of technology, business, digital communications and marketing.
  5. Michael Stelzner – If social media is the jungle, then Michael Stelzner, Founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner, is your expert guide. As one of the largest business blogs around with nearly half a million monthly visits, he writes digestible tips for leveraging social media and teaches online conferences.
  6. David Adler – Thanks to Founder and CEO David Adler, BizBash is an indispensible hub of information on event planning news, ideas, and resources. Not to mention being responsible for events like White House state dinners and the Oscars. In honor of the summer festival season (think Lollapalooza), check out their ‘6 Tips for Securing Large Outdoor Events.’
  7. Liz King – Social media is the driving force behind the success of Liz King Events. As the self-proclaimed ‘Tech Obsessed, Queen of Details,’ Liz uses social media to create dynamic branding events. She is also speaks on event planning and event technology.
  8. Jeff Hurt – With a company called Velvet Chainsaw Consulting and employees referred to as a ‘Justice League for Conferences,’ it’s easy to see Jeff’s appeal. Based out of Texas, his focus is rescuing and improving annual meetings and conferences. Check out ‘Attitudes That Separate Growing, Healthy Conferences From Declining Ones.’
  9. Keith Johnston – Keith Johnston is the Chief Event Technologist and publisher of PlannerWire, an online resource for meeting planners and event professionals. His goal is to help planners and event professionals cut through the clutter so they can learn about new trends, destinations, technologies, and thinking for meetings and events.
  10. Adrian Segar – Innovative and influential are two words often used to describe Adrian Segar. For over 20 years he has perfected what he calls ‘unconferences.’ His upcoming book, The Power of Participation comes out on June 30, 2015 and is already receiving high praise from Oracle’s VP of Marketing, Paul Salinger. Check out Adrian’s tips on his Conferences That Work blog.

Social media and social media marketing is a key aspect to the success of your event. Another key aspect to a successful event is setting up your event on Events.com.