By Kiki Schirr, {grow} Contributing Columnist
Sometimes it can be discouraging to watch marketers with a large following. “400,000 readers a month?” I sometimes think. “My blog will never get that sort of traffic.” And besides the slight feelings of inferiority that it can cause, most marketers with a large following have already found their niche.
There’s a lot of value in watching someone new wade into untested waters, try new ventures, and observe an occasional fail. While there is no lesson learned quite like the mistakes you make yourself, there is value in learning from the missteps of others, and for many advanced marketers it can seem as if they never err!
That’s one reason why I keep close tabs on several marketers who are newer to the game. I like their honesty, transparency, and even their occasional sheepish fallibility.
I’ve made a short list of a few of my favorite millennial marketers, in various stages of earning notoriety. You’ll find each of them to be skilled, witty, and a valuable follow. I’ve no doubt that they have an amazing year ahead, and please consider joining me in watching their rise to marketing glory.
Justin Jackson
Justin specializes in helping “makers” find their market. He recently published a book, Marketing for Developers, and is beginning an exciting new challenge in 2016 that he calls the MegaMaker movement. Justin’s an especially good follow for the technically inclined, but his transparency regarding his creative process will be valuable to any marketer.
Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré
I have been lucky enough to collaborate with Nichole on one of her side projects, The Craft, but her main focus right now is her job at Inturact. She’s also done growth for such notable companies as Inbound.org and Product Hunt. I would strongly recommend reading her sometimes eclectic blog, both for it’s data-oriented marketing insights, and for the beautiful art that she posts.
Jim Gray
Jim is a “marketing engineer” and his Twitter feed about data science is at once enlightening and entertaining.
Paul Shapiro
Paul is the SEO Director at Catalyst SEM and is amongst the select few where I feel the title “growth hacker” is well-deserved. His blog and newsletter provide actionable SEO/SEM tips. Following Paul will be most beneficial for marketers who have their eye on search engine marketing –but then, these days, who doesn’t?
Ross Simmonds
Ross wins the title for best Twitter handle in this group–you can find him @TheCoolestCool. What I find coolest about following Ross is that he has a part in many ventures currently. It’s interesting to watch the similarities between his very different companies, and to gain insight on how he rapidly scales them. I’d most recommend watching his progress with Hustle and Grind, and reading his blog.
Violeta Nedkova
While Violeta has recently stepped out of the startup marketing arena she is best known for, I am excited to watch her progress in marketing herself as a “solopreneur” coach. Her goal of helping others step out of the 9-to-5 to find personal satisfaction in freelancing or starting a small business is perfect for her, and I am enjoying seeing her remarkable marketing talents being applied to her best product ever: her amazing advice and support.
Sujan Patel
Sujan recently founded ContentMarketer.io, which is the perfect extension of his considerable writing and hustle talent. Chances are you’ve already read something he’s written on the subject of marketing, whether in Inc, Entrepreneur, or Forbes, but some of his best work remains on his blog. I subscribe to his newsletter in order to keep up–Sujan is always on the move!
I hope that you find this group of individuals as fascinating as I do. I know it’s a short list — there are many amazing millennial marketers out there, and I only hand-picked a small few based on their transparency more than any other trait. Who would you suggest adding to the list? I’d love to follow their Twitters!
Kiki Schirr is a cofounder of the fitness app Fittr, and also does the company’s marketing. She is the author of the The Product Hunt Manual and Tech Doodles. You can find her on Twitter, or at her brand-new (please don’t judge) website.
