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50 B2B Marketing Influencers and Experts to Follow 2018

Posted on Nov 14th, 2018
Written by Lane Ellis
In this article

    Ready to elevate your B2B brand?

    TopRank Marketing drives results with content, influencer, SEO & social media marketing.

    B2B Marketing Influencers 2018

    MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2018 is here, as some of the world’s savviest B2B marketing leaders and innovators come together in San Francisco for a much-anticipated conference.

    To help business marketers find helpful voices to learn from, we’ve sorted through the nearly 100 excellent speakers and are thrilled to publish our annual list of B2B marketing influencers speaking at MarketingProfs B2B Forum.

    List Methodology: First, we pulled the list of all speakers from the MarketingProfs website. Then we added those speakers to the Traackr influencer marketing platform to crawl each speakers’ respective social profiles and start tracking their content and the impact of that content amongst their networks. Using Traackr’s algorithm for ranking, we then sorted the speakers according to their respective social influence: reach, relevance, resonance, and audience metrics.

    A variety of criteria go into such a ranking including the topical relevance of the content each influencer publishes, how much their networks engage with that content and the size of their networks with online data pulled from Twitter, blogs, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, and several other platforms. This is important to know, because many lists rely entirely on Twitter and we all know Twitter alone does not represent the entire social media universe.

    2018 #MPB2B Influencers Network

    Many thanks to all who continue to actively share their knowledge about B2B marketing through year-round engagement and by providing help to others with insight and expertise in our vast social realm. We hope this list will serve as a handy jumping off point to start your ongoing journey of learning from these leading B2B marketing industry influencers.

    You’ll likely see both many familiar faces and a wonderful variety of new speakers. We are very happy to see that 5 out of the top ten influencers are women. In fact, of the list overall, 45% are women and 54% are men. Not perfect, but definitely improving.

    We plan to learn new lessons from these 50 B2B marketing experts and hope you’ll do the same throughout the year and on into 2019.

    50 B2B Marketing Influencers Speaking at MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2018

    Fittingly, at the top of this year’s list of the most engaging B2B marketing influencers, according to our Traackr analysis, is conference founder Ann Handley. Congratulations, Ann!

    Ann Handley

    Carla Johnson @CarlaJohnson
    Global Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author and Storyteller
    Presenting: The Innovation Factory

    Lee Odden @LeeOdden
    CEO, TopRank Marketing
    Presenting: Panel – The Confluence Equation: How Content and Influencers Drive B2B Marketing Success

    Margaret Molloy @MargaretMolloy
    Global Chief Marketing Officer + Head of New Development, Siegel+Gale
    Presenting: Keynote — CMO 2 CMO: What’s Now, What’s Next in B2B Marketing

    Matt Heinz @HeinzMarketing
    President, Heinz Marketing Inc
    Presenting: Revenue-Responsible Marketing: Aligning Marketing & Sales Priorities for Predictable Results

    Brian Hansford @remarkmarketing
    Vice President – Client Services, Marketing Technology and Performance Management, Heinz Marketing Inc
    Presenting: Building a Predictable Pipeline: Strategies and Tactics to Increase Your Confidence in Hitting Your Number Month After Month

    Katie Martell @KatieMartell
    Marketing Consultant, Katie Martell, On-Demand Marketing
    Presenting: Can I Have Your Attention… Please?

    Michael Brito @britopian
    Executive Vice President, Zeno Group
    Presenting: Using Social Data To Win The War of Brand Relevance

    Mari Smith @MariSmith
    Keynote Speaker, Brand Evangelist, Bestselling Author
    Presenting: Facebook Marketing: What’s Working for Brands Today (And What Isn’t)

    Kerry O’Shea Gorgone @KerryGorgone
    Director of Product Strategy, Training, MarketingProfs
    Presenting: The Secret to Memorable Marketing: Lessons From 300 MarketingProfs Podcast Interviews

    Christopher Penn @cspenn
    Co-Founder and Chief Innovator, Trust Insights
    Presenting: Digital Marketing Analytics: From Data Zero to Marketing Hero
    Presenting: The Present and Future of B2B Analytics and AI

    Jon Miller @jonmiller
    CEO and Co-Founder, Engagio
    Presenting: The Secret Sauce for ABM: Maximizing New Business & Lifetime Value

    Larry Kim @larrykim
    Chief Executive Officer, MobileMonkey
    Presenting: 10 Facebook Messenger & Chatbot Marketing Hacks for Content Marketers

    Ardath Albee @ardath421
    CEO & B2B Marketing Strategist, Marketing Interactions
    Presenting: B2B Tech Marketers Create Experiences That Convince Customers to Stay

    Tim Washer @timwasher
    Keynote Speaker, Event Emcee, PowerPoint Comedian, Ridiculous Media
    Presenting: Creating Lifelong Customers With Laughter

    Andrea Fryrear @AndreaFryrear
    President and Lead Trainer, AgileSherpas
    Presenting: Grain by Grain: How Small Content Creates Huge Results

    Nancy Harhut @nharhut
    Chief Creative Officer, Nancy Harhut & Associates
    Presenting: How to Attract Eyeballs and Action: The 26 Words and Copy Constructs You Need Now

    Robert Rose @Robert_Rose
    Chief Troublemaker, The Content Advisory
    Presenting: Killing Marketing: The Great Content Marketing Reboot

    Paul Roetzer @paulroetzer
    CEO, PR 20/20
    Presenting: How to Get Started with Artificial Intelligence in Marketing

    Zontee Hou @ZonteeHou
    President and Founder, Media Volery LLC
    Presenting: How to Build Customer Loyalty Through Behavioral Economics and Big Data

    Carlos Hidalgo @cahidalgo
    Founder & CEO, VisumCx
    Presenting: Buyer-Centric Demand Generation 101: Demand Generation in the Age of the Sophisticated Buyer

    Samantha Stone @samanthastone
    Founder & CMO, The Marketing Advisory Network
    Presenting: Marketing Strategy & Planning: How To Rise Above The Competition

    Allen Gannett @Allen
    Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, Corp Dev, Skyword
    Presenting: *GOLDEN TICKET* The Inspiration Myth: Four Scientific Laws to Creative Success

    Amisha Gandhi @AmishaGandhi
    VP, Influencer Marketing, AR & Partners, SAP Ariba
    Presenting: Panel – The Confluence Equation: How Content & Influencers Drive B2B Marketing Success

    Jason Miller @JasonMillerCA
    Head of Content and Social Media Marketing, LinkedIn Sales & Marketing Solutions EMEA, LinkedIn
    Presenting: How LinkedIn Uses LinkedIn for Marketing

    Randy Frisch @randyfrisch
    Co-Founder, CMO & President, Uberflip
    Presenting: How to Personalize Content Experiences at Scale

    Karen Talavera @SyncMarketing
    President and Founder, Synchronicity Marketing
    Presenting: Secrets to Successful Automated Email Journeys: Series & Sequenced Campaigns

    Bryan Kramer @bryankramer
    International Keynote Speaker, Emcee and Event Host, PureMatter
    Presenting: Redefining “Human” in a Machine-Driven Age

    Sean Callahan @sean_f_callahan
    Senior Manager, Content Marketing, LinkedIn
    Presenting: Effective Video on a Shoestring Budget

    Stephan Hovnanian @stephanhov
    Social Strategy Consultant, Sprout Social, Inc.
    Presenting: Advocacy in a Box

    Ashley Zeckman @azeckman
    Senior Director of Digital Strategy, TopRank Marketing
    Presenting: Stranger Things Have Happened: How Collaborating With Influencers Can Help You Save the Day and Change the World

    Andy Crestodina @crestodina
    Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Orbit Media Studios
    Presenting: Content Strategy and SEO for B2B

    Scott Sweeney @scotttsweeney
    CEO, MassMarTech.com
    Presenting: Your 2019 Marketing Technology Strategy Simplified

    Doug Kessler @dougkessler
    Creative Director & Co-Founder, Velocity Partners
    Presenting: Eureka! The Power of an Experimental Mindset in B2B Marketing

    Ashley Faus @ashleyfaus
    Sr. Manager, Integrated Media, Atlassian
    Presenting: How to Add Live Streaming to Your Marketing Mix

    Dr. Konstanze Alex @Konstanze
    Director B2B Influencer Relations, Dell
    Presenting: Panel – The Confluence Equation: How Content & Influencers Drive B2B Marketing Success

    Lucy Zarlengo Moran @lucymoran
    SVP, Digital, Content & Creative, Dun & Bradstreet
    Presenting: Panel – The Confluence Equation: How Content & Influencers Drive B2B Marketing Success

    Nancy Duarte @nancyduarte
    Principal, Duarte, Inc.
    Presenting: Keynote — Turn Marketing Data Into a DataStory™Closing

    Kathy Klotz-Guest @kathyklotzguest
    Speaker, Chief Storyteller, and Ms. Chief Officer (say it out loud), Keeping it Human
    Presenting: Turn Your Content Culture Into an Idea-Driven Startup

    Bill Sebald @billsebald
    Founder / Partner / SEO, Greenlane Search Marketing, LLC
    Presenting: Overcoming SEO Roadblocks: Identifying and Curing Difficult SEO Problems

    Clare Mcdermott @clare_mcd
    Co-Founder and Head of Research, Mantis Research
    Presenting: Give Them What They Want: Produce Original Research Your Audience Craves

    Jon Burkhart @jonburkhart
    Founder/Chief Creative Officer, TBC Global
    Presenting: The Blockchain Trust Tango: A Constant Curiosity Game Show

    Kevin Carroll @kckatalyst
    Owner, Kevin Carroll Katalyst, LLC
    Presenting: Keynote— Play@Work: Unleashing Growth Through Creativity and Innovation

    Gopi Kallayil @GopiKallayil
    Chief Evangelist, Google Social for Brands, Google
    Presenting: Opening Keynote — The Age of Assistance

    Donovan Livingston @DLive87
    Program Manager, Pre-College Programs, Wake Forest University
    Presenting: Keynote — Lift Off

    Ahava Leibtag @ahaval
    President, Aha Media Group
    Presenting: The Top 7 Writing Secrets of Rockstars

    Jessica Falarski Cross @JFayeSF
    Head of Account-based Marketing, RollWorks, a division of AdRoll Group
    Presenting: Make ABM Actually Work: A Blueprint Forward

    Keith Reynold Jennings @keithjennings
    Vice President of Community Impact, Jackson Healthcare
    Presenting: Six Hats & a Banana: A Tactical Playbook for Others-First Marketing

    Michael J. Barber @michaeljbarber
    SVP, Chief Creative Officer, Godfrey
    Presenting: Don’t Do This, Do That for B2B Email

    Allen Weiss @allenweiss
    CEO & Founder, MarketingProfs
    Presenting: Mindfulness With MarketingProfs CEO Allen Weiss
    Presenting: Marketing Strategy & Planning: How To Rise Above The Competition

    Rashmy Chatterjee @rashmyc
    Global Sales leader, IBM Security
    Presenting: Keynote: CMO 2 CMO: What’s Now, What’s Next in B2B Marketing

    Statistical analysis, no matter how deep and well-researched, can only go so far in finding the people who you’ll find the most helpful and influential in your daily professional marketing lives, which is why we’d love it if you’d please share the name of B2B marketers that influence you most in the comments section below.

    To further your own B2B marketing expertise, here’s a bonus list of our top 10 posts about B2B marketing from the past 12 months: