Skill building and careers

Marketers You Should Know: 16 Brilliant Thinkers to Follow on LinkedIn

Editor's Note: Enjoy this special encore post, which was one of readers' favorites so far in 2021. It was originally published on March 10.

When’s the last time you introduced new voices into your LinkedIn feed?

It’s natural to get comfortable with your carefully cultivated network and seeing content shared by people you know and like. As marketers, though, if we don’t take active steps to broaden our horizons and open ourselves up to new perspectives, we face the risk of stagnation. Fresh ideas and viewpoints are the lifeblood of creativity and innovation.

With this in mind, we’ve assembled a list of 16 voices worth adding to your LinkedIn feed. Some are marketers in the traditional mold, while others blur the line in this new dynamic world of business and digital media. Some are up-and-comers who are just beginning to carve out a niche, while others are well-established thought leaders.

All of them are valuable individuals for modern marketers to keep an eye on.

16 Inspiring and Intriguing Voices for Marketers to Follow 

Apolline Adiju 
Digital Marketing Manager, Detail Online

Named as one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Marketing and Advertising, Apolline has built a large following by offering sharp and consistent insight around a variety of marketing topics, including strategy, SEO, and B2B lead generation. Her emoji game is very strong.

Luvvie Ajayi Jones
CEO, Awe Luv Media

Describing herself as a “professional troublemaker,” Luvvie is a bold thinker and fierce advocate for change. Her first book, I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual, was a New York Times bestseller, and her latest release Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighting Manual, is now making waves. She’s got a great sense of humor and a keen handle on pop culture. 

Naomi Assaraf
Founder and CMO, cloudHQ

Naomi is a futurist who’s helping usher in the next evolution of marketing technology. Her company, cloudHQ, offers email management software and she’s the co-chair of ARVR Women and Allies, which helps female developers find opportunity in the augmented and virtual reality space. Her passion for mentorship makes her a valuable person for young professionals in these industries to be connected with.

Shana Bull
Digital Storyteller

With a background in both PR and social media, Shana prides herself in being able to connect with audiences (especially younger ones) through storytelling and emerging channels. She runs online courses to help marketers sharpen their skills and is an avid fan of wine.

Juntae DeLane
Founder and Chief Strategist, DIGITAL DELANE

He’s a speaker, blogger, and podcaster with a lot to say about the current state (and future) of marketing. Juntae is a digital branding luminary and he frequently shares advice for sharpening LinkedIn strategies. In 2016 he founded the Digital Branding Institute, which provides education, resources, and training to individuals and organizations.

Maya Elious
Brand and Content Strategist, MayaElious.com

Maya’s expertise centers more on personal branding as opposed to corporate branding, but that too is a valuable focus for today’s marketers in a competitive digital environment. She’s got an educational spirit and aspires to lift up others, providing an assortment of courses, workshops and programs with a special emphasis on helping women build wealth and monetize their skills.

Zontee Hou
President and Chief Strategist, Media Volery

Zontee is a consultant and speaker with a knack for communicating ideas clearly and delivering actionable advice. In addition to running her own full-service digital marketing agency in Brooklyn, she also heads up the strategy team at Convince & Convert, a consultancy for top brands. Zontee was recently named by TopRank Marketing one of the top 50 B2B content marketing influencers to follow.

A. Lee Judge
Co-founder and CMO, Content Monsta

A. Lee’s expertise lies at the cross-section of marketing, sales, and technology, but his bread-and-butter is content. His company, Content Monsta, helps organizations produce a wide range of content types, from copy to video to podcasts to design. With a finger on the pulse of industry trends, A. Lee keeps his audience looped into the latest innovations and breakthroughs.

Michael King
Founder and Managing Director, iPullRank

Michael is one of the leading voices in SEO and how the practice is being disrupted and enhanced by technology. Search Engine Land named him Search Marketer of the Year in 2020. He’ll bring candid takes and a modern entrepreneurial mindset to your feed. 

Jeanine Liburd
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, BET

In addition to her role as CMO for the cable television powerhouse BET, Jeanine also heads up the company’s social impact initiatives. The work she and her team does exemplifies the power of content to act as a societal catalyst and contribute to real change. She has a fascinating background that includes working in Bill Clinton’s White House back in the 1990s.

Gail Moody-Byrd
Chief Marketing Offcer, Noodle.ai

Noodle.ai is one company leading the charge for enterprise artificial intelligence, so if you’re curious to see how this emerging technology will impact big business, you’ll want to follow their top marketer. Gail is a versatile leader who oversees the breadth of Noodle.ai’s marketing activities. Prior to this gig, she spent more than a decade climbing the ladder at SAP. She’s a major advocate for social justice and empowering women.

Jennifer Polk
Chief of Research and VP of Marketing & Communications, Gartner

Jennifer’s professional journey has taken her through a variety of renowned organizations, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sears, Edelman, and now Gartner. Her experience and wisdom are vital assets to the many CMOs and marketing leaders she advises. Follow her to stay on top of key new marketing research findings from Gartner.

Rakia Reynolds
Founder and Executive Officer, Skai Blue Media

Energetic, optimistic, and extremely sharp, Rakia is an influential voice in the creative business industry. Her public relations company, Skai Blue Media, pitches itself as a “non-traditional communications agency,” with high-profile clients like Serena Williams, Comcast, and Airbnb. She has an active and jovial presence on LinkedIn.

Rachel Rodgers
CEO, Hello Seven

Scroll through Rachel’s work experience and you’ll see a few recurring job titles: Founder, Founder, CEO, Founder, CEO. She’s a relentless entrepreneur who’s focused on helping women — especially women of color — level the playing field and find their own success in business. The story of how she adapted her company’s business strategy in the wake of COVID, creating more flexibility for clients and to break revenue records, is inspiring and instructive.

Dennis Shiao
Marketing Consultant, Attention Retention

Another practitioner who lives on the cutting-edge, Dennis is a martech maven whose background — in his own words — “combines a left-brained IT Pro with a right-brained creative, writer and communicator.” Prior to his current role as a freelancer, Dennis spent five years as the Director of Content Marketing for DNN Corp, and he was a podcasting pioneer during his early days with TechTarget.

Sangram Vajre
Chief Evangelist and Co-founder, Terminus

Account-based marketing is coming to play an increasingly important role in the world of B2B marketing strategy. In fact, Sangram would simply argue that ABM is B2B — he did just that in the title of his latest book. As co-founder of the ABM-focused company Terminus and host of the ABM-focused Flip My Funnel podcast, Sangram is a key figure to follow for those who want to track the evolution of this fast-growing strategic bedrock.

Absorb a Wide Range of Marketing Expertise

From PR to social media to branding to entertainment and beyond, these folks cover the gamut of modern customer engagement strategies with their varied specializations. Each one will bring something a little bit different to your feed, helping you become a more well-rounded and knowledgeable marketer.

Give them a follow and enjoy their insights. While you’re at it, make sure you subscribe to the LinkedIn Marketing Blog as we’ll be highlighting some of these rising voices in the coming months.