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B2B influencer marketing is big business. Where once influencers were only relied on by consumer brands, today many of the world’s biggest B2B players are using influencers to promote their products and endorse their platforms — often driving serious business results.
Nowhere has this been more evident than in the world of marketing technology.
Working in an overcrowded space with little product differentiation, martech vendors must work harder than ever before to get their products noticed by CMOs, agencies and in-house marketing professionals.
To gain traction with these audiences, martech vendors are adopting a third-party approach. That means working closely with those individuals and influencers whose voices still hold sway in the cynical world of marketing.
Who are the top martech influencers in 2021?
So, just who are these influencers? Here’s our list of the five marketing influencers that every UK martech vendor should be getting to know in 2021.
1. Scott Brinker
Let’s start with an obvious one — Scott Brinker. For those who don’t know, Scott is the VP of Platform Ecosystems at HubSpot, the chair of the martech conference and the editor of cheifmartech.com. In short, he’s basically the king of all things martech. Best of all, Scott’s also a regular speaker, and is open to working with brands. He’s previously provided talks at conferences for the likes of Adobe, Dell, Salesforce, Google and the Financial Times. Scott’s a technologist at heart, so always appreciates the nerdier side of martech stacks and solutions.
2. Rand Fishkin
Another obvious name that graces just about every ‘top influencer’ list you’ll ever find online is Rand Fishkin. Rand is the CEO and co-founder of SEOmoz, a leader in the field of search engine optimisation. In 2009, he was named among the 30 best tech entrepreneurs under 30 by BusinessWeek, and is regularly quoted in the Seattle Times, Newsweek and the New York Times among others. Rand offers a whole host of awesome advice for martech vendors and tech start-ups on his Twitter feed, as well as unique data from his SparkToro platform.
3. Neil Patel
Neil Patel is the creator of the Ubersuggest SEO platform, a New York Times bestselling author, top 100 entrepreneur and was named one of Forbes’s top 10 marketers. Neil is a prolific blogger and search engine expert, providing consultancy, training and advice to many of the world’s biggest marketing brands. His Ubersuggest tool and regular email updates are well worth subscribing to, offering tailored-made insights to help any martech brand.
4. Jeff Bullas
Jeff Bullas is the ultimate CMO influencer, with a following of over 25 million marketing professionals. His blog (jeffbullas.com) offers daily advice on SEO, social media and all aspects of digital marketing, while his podcast provides a deep dive into how the world’s best technology brands have built their marketing strategies. Best of all, Jeff is open to working with martech brands, offering sponsored content on his blog, speaker services and a dedicated influencer marketing service.
5. Bob Hoffman
Bob Hoffman is rarely recognised on these types of lists, but I love his work so just had to include him. Bob is better known as The Ad Contrarian, whose cynical takes on marketing and advertising delight those of us who love to cringe at marketing BS. Bob’s blog is the perfect mixture of humour and serious insight, and his social feeds are always worth a follow. While I’m not sure Bob would consider himself an ‘influencer’, he’s certainly influential. If you have a truly compelling or controversial story to tell, Bob might just be your man.
Other influencers worth knowing
Of course, there’s loads of other great influencers out there who are worth getting to know. Here are a few honourable mentions of other marketing influencers that every martech brand should be aware of:
Hopefully this list provides a good starting point for your own influencer marketing efforts. But always remember, approaching B2B influencers isn’t like buying advertising space or even pitching to a journalist. Always ensure that your content, messaging and brand align with these influencers interests and the stories they want to tell.
Want to learn more about working with B2B influencers? Check out Wildfire’s complete guide to B2B influencer marketing.