17 Online Marketers That Will Inspire You Today

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!

Who Inspires You?

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

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