Launching a successful startup takes a lot of work, and learning how to navigate the waters of entrepreneurship can be difficult — especially if it’s your first business. As such, it can be wise for aspiring entrepreneurs to seek help and mentorship from others who have already built successful businesses. While it’s not always possible to get directly connected with successful business owners and entrepreneurs, you can glean insight from powerful business minds who share their thoughts and strategies on social media.
If you know who to follow, there’s a ton of valuable information available to you. In a sea of influencers, though, it’s difficult to know where to start. To help, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top business influencers on social media who can help serious entrepreneurs grow their businesses in 2020.
Successful startups know how to quickly and efficiently communicate their value to their target audience. This is achieved through content marketing, and if you want to learn more about content marketing, you should consider following Robert Rose.
Content marketing expert Robert Rose uses Linkedin to share essential tips on creating content and engaging online followers.
As the practice of marketing and branding evolves, The Content Advisory’s chief troublemaker – yes, that’s really his title – and chief strategy advisor for Content Marketing Institute educates small businesses on how to transform their social media strategies so they can maintain followers’ expectations while reaching a new audience.
Related: How to Become a Social Media Influencer
After building a multi-million dollar marketing business that caters to the iGaming and financial services sectors, Erik Bergman left Catena Media less than a year ago to form Great.com, a marketing company that donates 100 percent of its profits to charity.
These days, Bergman is dedicated to giving back in other ways, too. This includes offering inspiration to entrepreneurs. His Instagram account provides a wealth of information to small business owners – short videos on business-related topics, inspirational quotes, helpful tips, and useful facts and figures.
If you want to start making money, he’s the guy to follow.
Peter Voogd, the founder of Game Changers Academy, embraces his reputation as the world’s leading authority for millennials. This passionate media mogul uses Instagram and other platforms to target young entrepreneurs and professionals by posting snippets of practical advice and inspiration to help them elevate their business game plan.
Marketing genius Everette Taylor was recently named chief marketing officer of Artsy, the largest fine art marketplace in the world. Before this, he founded ET Enterprises, an umbrella company overseeing several million-dollar businesses. In 2018, under his watch, the company saw three-times its growth over the previous year, and Taylor was recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 All-Star Alumni.
He’s also a well-known digital influencer and uses his Instagram account to teach followers how to scale and grow their own social media presence. He also relies on his personal story (he’s a high school dropout who was homeless for a brief period as a teen) to motivate entrepreneurs and lead them to success.
YouTube
Leading a startup takes business skills, but it also requires a lot of personal growth and discipline. Recognized by Oprah as a thought leader for a new generation, Marie Forleo, owner of Marie Forleo International, B-School and MarieTV, empowers her followers to succeed in both business and their personal life.
Known for her unflappable optimism, she encourages positive and creative thinking while facing life’s setbacks and uses her platform to inspire viewers to unlock their potential through her YouTube series.
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Not only is Sean Ellis the leading authority on growth hacking, but he also coined the phrase. The founder and CEO of GrowthHackers.com brings his expertise to Twitter, where he drops useful tips and tools on a range of topics — from launching startups to the future of marketing — in order to help entrepreneurs expand their businesses and realize their dreams.
Founder and president of Quintessence Group, a Philadelphia-based marketing consulting firm that serves Fortune 500 brands targeting small businesses, Melinda Emerson shares her knowledge and know-how to her followers on Twitter as the SmallBizLady.
The social media pioneer reaches more than 3 million followers each week by doling out sage advice for new and growing companies. Emerson hosts #Smallbizchat, Twitter’s longest-running live chat for small business owners, and was also named by Forbes as the most influential woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.
Did we miss anyone?
The seven influencers above are great assets as you look to grow your business in 2020 and beyond, but there are certainly countless other great business minds out there. If you follow someone on social media that has helped you grow professionally or personally, please let us know in the comments section below.
