Photo Credit: Chuck Coker
Last October, LinkedIn took its content game to next level by introducing the ability to follow thoughts leaders. Over the past few months it’s become clear that LinkedIn has now positioned itself as a powerful publishing platform in its own right.
While there are only a few hundred LinkedIn Influencers among its 200 million members, we thought it would be helpful to highlight a few of the LinkedIn thought leaders that we find most compelling for B2B marketers:
1. Jonathan Becher – Chief Marketing Officer at SAP
In his latest post, Jonathan Becher says that hearing voices is a good thing for the modern marketer because they need to hear not only the voices of their consumers, but also develop a keen ear for the voice of the market. Whether you hear voices or not, we think that Jonathan is one voice that you should be hearing.
2. Beth Comstock – Chief Marketing Officer at GE
Could MacGyver be the key to unlocking innovation for your marketing team? In a recent post, Beth Comstock shares her thought leadership around “frugal innovation” and shows how General Electric and others have rediscovered innovation by getting in touch with their inner MacGyver. Regardless of what you think about 80s television, we think that Beth is on to something here, and that you might want to keep up with her latest observations.
3. David Edelman – McKinsey partner leading Digital Marketing Strategy Practice
While everyone’s heard that “content is king”, David Edelman encourages us to see how content is actually queen. David brings his perspective to this excellent article written by his colleague Roxane Divol. Maybe it’s time for you to explore your feminine side? Whatever the case may be, David brings a well-balanced approach to his thought leadership, and kings and queens alike should give a listen.
4. Steve Rubel – Chief Content Strategist at Edelman
When Steve Rubel says that putting a content engine inside your company is a top priority in 2013, we couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly. Steve understands how vital it is for modern marketers to master content marketing, and he outlines the key steps needed for brands to become successful publishers. Is your content engine in need of a tune-up? If so, we suggest a regular supply of Steve’s thought leadership to keep your marketing team humming along.
5. Brian Solis – Principal at Altimeter Group
How evolved is your company’s social business strategy? Brian Solis sheds some light on this topic by sharing insights from a report by the Altimeter Group on “The Six Stages of Social Business Transformation”. As Brian points out, businesses need to evolve from merely having a social presence to putting practices in place that are part of a broader strategic business process. Brian and the Altimeter Group speak to what’s top of mind for today’s top B2B marketers.
Our list of thought leaders is by no means exhaustive. We’d be surprised if LinkedIn did not continue to expand their influencer program. That said, we’ll continue to add on to this list and feature additional posts on LinkedIn thought leadership and who you should consider following.
Which thought leaders are essential to you and your marketing team? We would love to hear who your favorite thought leaders are on LinkedIn, so please do leave comments and include links to their influencer page.