We’re inspired every day by the things we see in online marketing and often there are key voices that we see time and time again sharing and creating incredible resources. In this post we asked 17 of the Koozai team to share the marketers who inspired them and to explain why. We’d also love for you to do the same in the comments.
Oliver Ewbank (@OliverEwbank)
Inspired By: Tim Ferris
Why? Referred to as the Indiana Jones for the digital age Tim’s Twitter account was selected by Mashable as one of the ‘5 Must Follow Twitter Accounts for Entrepreneurs’. He works with a range of start-ups and is an angel investor/advisor for companies like Facebook and Twitter. Tim has written international bestsellers including ‘The 4 Hour Workweek’ and when it comes to online marketing he knows his onions. I find Tim inspirational because he is motivated by lifestyle, fitness and having fun. Plus who wouldn’t want to work 4 hours a week, be ripped and travel the world!
Gemma Holloway (@Koozai_Gemma)
Inspired By: Aleyda Solis
Why? The person who inspires me the most in online marketing is Aleyda Solis. Aleyda spoke at Brighton SEO in 2012 about Mobile SEO shortly after I entered into my role at Koozai. It was the first time I had taken such a specialist role and I was apprehensive as to what to expect. Listening to Aleyda talk changed my perception of things. She was passionate about the topic and so incredibly knowledgeable in the field. I remember thinking ‘that’s what I want to work towards’. A year later at Brighton SEO 2013, I met Aleyda at the Digital Females lunch. She was a lovely person and really easy to talk to. It’s nice to know that someone who can inspire you so much, can also be a normal person too.
Tom Howlett (@Koozai_Tom)
Inspired By: Gary Vaynerchuk
Why? One person who inspires me online is Gary Vaynerchuk. He is quite well known for his enthusiasm and approach to business/social media. He mainly speaks about building brands and social, focusing on the way brands and individuals are portrayed online in this new internet era of social. The reason I chose him is that he is really inspiring, you only have to watch one or two of his videos and then you suddenly want to go out there and make these waves through the internet. It is encouraging and highlights that businesses with a little bit of creativity can go a long way when they embrace online – even in ‘boring’ industries. I recommend reading ‘Crush It’ and ‘The Thank You Economy’ – both books written by him.
Laura Phillips (@Koozai_Laura)
Inspired By: Daylan Pearce
Why? Inspires might be a bit strong, but I very much appreciate and enjoy the writings of Daylan Pearce when it comes to digital marketing. He manages to keep a fair and level perspective while providing usable information in an entertaining and/or meaningful manner. The guy clearly knows his stuff, but does not consider himself to be a ‘ninja’, ‘rockstar’, or any other form of pseudo-super powered marketer. There are a number of other industry types who I really appreciate including Nathalie Nahai and Dave Trott, plus a ton of others.
Cat Fyson (@Koozai_Cat)
Inspired By: Joe Pulizzi
Why? Not only is Joe’s favourite colour the same colour as Koozai’s branding (completely coincidental FYI), he is the founder of the ultimate source for content marketers: The Content Marketing Institute. He has a wealth of knowledge about all things SEO and specifically content marketing which he collates and shares on the CMI blog, providing awesome examples as well. His writings on content inspire me to focus on providing practical tips and real examples of brands doing it well.
Andy Williams (@Koozai_Andy)
Inspired By: Rae Hoffman
Why? I enjoy Rae’s no nonsense posts and opinions. I don’t always agree with what she says but I do enjoy reading her blog. The “take no prisoners” approach is refreshing especially in an industry where egos can get in the way at times. She also knows her stuff and you always find great “take-aways” from her posts. Some probably find her out-spoken but I feel she just cuts out all the waffle and just says it how it is.
Lenka Istvanova (@Koozai_Lenka)
Inspired By: Seth Godin
Why? There are many great online marketers who you can learn a lot from so it’s really hard to pick just one. However the top spot on my list of the top Online Marketers would be definitely occupied by Seth Godin. Seth has changed the way people think about marketing and specialises in spreading ideas, and most importantly, how to change everything. I love reading his daily blog posts which change the way you think and look at things around you. No doubt he is the most influential business blogger.
Mike Essex (@Koozai_Mike)
Inspired By: Rand Fishkin
Why? At the start of my SEO career I learnt a ridiculous amount of the basics from Rand Fishkin thanks to his posts and videos on SEOmoz (now Moz) and even now I’m inspired by the insightful presentations he creates and his incredible attitude towards growing and shaping the industry. The content in his videos and slide decks has grown more advanced as my own skillset has increased and I always learn something new whenever he shares something.
Dean Marsden (@DeanMarsden22)
Inspired By: Oli Gardner
Why? Oli has inspired my online marketing through his epic Conversion Rate Optimisation blog posts. The ideas that the Unbounce team put together are so very valuable to anyone’s website. Oli and his team have helped push Conversion Rate Optimisation into the view of more webmasters which ultimately results in better websites for users and visitors.
Harry Gardiner (@Hr_Gardiner)
Inspired By: Michael King
Why? I’m inspired every day by fantastic content from across the web; but if I had to pick a specific person, I would have to go with Michael King (aka @iPullRank). SEO Engineer, Inbound Marketer, Developer and Rapper (yes rapper!), the guy seems to be doing it all, and doing it well.
He’s also the creator of some pretty fantastic content too, like this Legend Of Zelda themed post on the principles of better outreach. Apart from geeking out over his posts, I really admire his ‘get up and go’ attitude. It’s nice to see such raw creative talent in what can sometimes be quite a dry industry.
Emma North (@MorphNorth)
Inspired By: Chris Cemper
Why? Chris Cemper is the man behind the LinkResearchTools collection, a number of in-depth Penguin Case Studies and the annual SEO Scavenger Hunt competition. Chris is a major contributor of tools and insight in the realm of backlink analysis and toxic link removal and his tool Link Detox is one of my favourite backlink analysis tools. He also provides a wealth of free services including frequent webinars and regular insight into Penguin victims and ways to recover.
Graeme Benge (@GraemeBenge)
Inspired By: Jason Acidre
Why? Jason has that irritating ability of being able to create epic works, regularly! What I like best is that I learn something that I can implement or at least recommend from pretty much each of his blog posts; be it content marketing, link building or keyword research.
Ali Moghadam (@AlMoghadam)
Inspired By: Kevin Ashton
Why? I was inspired by @SantiagoSwallow a Twitter superstar that doesn’t exist. Or rather Kevin Ashton, the man behind the “celebrity” account. He totally won me over with his practical demonstration of how people fake their way to the top and, although I would never use his methods, I respect him for helping to expose the darker side of online identities. To talk the talk is one thing, but he walks the walk.
Tara West (@Koozai_Tara)
Inspired By: Sam Noble
Why? The person in digital who inspires me is Sam Noble because not only is she really knowledgeable about a huge variety of aspects of the digital industry, but she also always has a really positive attitude all the time. This means that any obstacles or challenges can be dealt with logically and she always finds a solution, whether it relates to dealing with a challenging client or to creating an awesome new remarketing campaign.
James Perrin (@JamesaChallis)
Inspired By: Kelvin Newman
Why? I hope Kelvin does not mind me saying that I appreciate this isn’t a conventional choice, but I find what Kelvin has done for SEO, and Content Marketing more recently, has really helped myself learn more about this fantastic industry, and the great people that work within it too. If it wasn’t for events like Brighton SEO and the Content Marketing Show we wouldn’t be creating the great types of content that we’re currently working on for our awesome clients. Additionally, I really admire Kelvin’s strategic take on digital marketing activities and trends; when he talks, I listen.
John Waghorn (@John_Waghorn)
Inspired By: Ann Smarty
Why? I’m inspired by Ann Smarty as her passion for the online marketing and digital landscape has resulted in her providing a platform for content creators and those looking for content to connect and build relationships. It’s good to see that her passion has caused her to create and maintain this platform and at the same time she is giving something back by helping out others within the industry.
Anna Lewis (@Koozai_Anna)
Inspired By: Avinash Kaushik
Why? Avinash Kaushik has always inspired me to make my online marketing better by focussing on the right numbers and carrying out in depth analysis to improve performance further. His epic blog posts are always down to earth, inspirational and educational. It often takes a while to read them but once you’ve finished a blog post of his you will be full of ideas and raring to get stuck in to your data!
We’d love to hear which voices in online marketing have inspired you to do great things or if you agree with any of the choices above. Please leave your views in the comments below.
Image Source
Inspiration concept via BigStock
I have to say that I am truly honoured to be included in this list, thank you Tara. The digital marketing industry is such a good place to be working in and this is helped massively by the number of individuals that share ideas and help one and other. Great idea for a post Mike.
No worries Sam :) It’s nice to be able to pick someone who is inspiring and within our own organisation.
Always love seeing the incredible talent in this industry! Thanks for sharing.
The entire team of KOOZAI truly inspires me! But to be very honest, Sam Nobles is my idol. :)
There are quite a number of online marketers that will readily come to mind as inspirations. The list will include Neil Patel, Ste Kerwer, Pat Flynn, Yaro Starak, Darren Rowse, Zac Johnson, Spencer Haws and Sonia Simone etc.
These marketers offer practical tips and experiences that easily inspire bloggers. If you ask me, all of these and more offer inspirations in different ways, but I will stick with Pat Flynn!
In the IM social site – kingged.com, this article was shared, and I have left the above comment on it.
Sunday – kingged.com contributor
You, Koozai people, are my inspiration with such a post!
Aleyda, Avinash and Kelvin are my favourites, but I discover new ,awesome, online marketers everyday. It’s plenty of talented people out there! ;-)
Honored and really appreciate the mention Graeme!
I’m actually a big fan of Koozai’s recent content marketing efforts. You seem to have all the best complete guides in the online marketing space right now (and I think I’ve submitted a lot of them on Inbound.org for the past several weeks too).
Again, thanks for the mention!
– Jason
No worries Jason, appreciate the comment and the Inbound.org love!
Great list but I would also recommend Matthew Barby, he has been inspiring me for the past few months and is always sharing fantastic content on Inbound.
I really like the work done by:
Will Reynolds – Link Building and Creative ideas.
Jim Boykin – Link Building and strategy
Wow. That is a pretty list. I’ve heard some of those inspirations, and some are totally new to me. It is definitely nice to hear who inspired these creative Koozai individuals. We could use some of those inspirations. :)
Personally, I have lots of them, but I would like to mention Sonia Simone of CopyBlogger. I just get her writings. It is so easy to swallow making it easier to comprehend and apply. I love simplicity and she has that.
Thanks for this wonderful article! I’ve shared it on the IM social networking site, Kingged.com.
Woah! Thanks guys.
Although putting my name on a list with names like the ones mentioned is a bit like putting a two year olds finger painting next to a Picaso.
I just like writing about nerdy stuff and happy if someone reads it.
Thanks so much.
Haaaaa! Well I’m nerdy and I like it, and it looks like I’m not alone! :)
Good list. I would add Neil Patel. His insights, quotes, and entrepeneurial spirit are all very inspiring.
Hey Cat…I’m honored to be included in this list. I’ll keep working with the CMI team to develop content that inspires. Thanks so much!
Hey Joe, huge thanks for commenting!
I look forward to continuing to read your content and the content of the rest of the CMI team – thanks for providing all of the content marketing team here to Koozai with great stuff.
hey Mike
that’s a very intriguing article, with lots of insightful resources — would love to see more soon.
I also get inspired by Tim and Gary — often — I believe they’re two of the most prolific entrepreneurs I’ve heard about in the last 5 years — along with Seth Godin, which is also in the list…
How could we forget one of the most affluent business authors in the world, right? :)
Sign up now and get our free monthly email. It’s filled with our favourite pieces of the news from the industry, SEO, PPC, Social Media and more. And, don’t forget - it’s free, so why haven’t you signed up already?
17 Comments