Talking Influence, which is in my opinion the top daily news source for all things influencer marketing, has created an honors list of who it sees as the Top 30 Pioneers in Influencer Marketing in the United States. I am on the list, which is both humbling and exciting.
The criteria included being nominated by an industry peer (thank you to whomever is responsible) and then the list was voted upon by the Talking Influence team. That team is responsible for the Influencer Marketing Shows in both the UK and US, so they see the best of the best in influencer marketing thinking, case studies and the like. So, I consider the honor to be quite qualified, not just some listicle produced to get cheap inbound links to its website. (Though I’m happy to provide one, of course.)
I’ve never been a huge fan of lists for two reasons: First, as alluded to above, they can often be one-off plays for SEO or attention and the criteria behind them is suspect at best. I was once included on a Forbes list of business influencers to follow on Twitter that included Richard Branson, Tom Peters and Mark Cuban. My Twitter feed was useful, sure, but come on? (Though I’ve been happy to milk that association for all its worth.)
The second reason is they tend to create an atmosphere of competition. Ted Murphy isn’t on this list and he almost created the influencer marketing software space both in the U.S. and abroad. There are many others I’d consider far more pioneering than I. I’m sure there might be some people who look at the list and roll their eyes that one person or another (or even they themselves) aren’t on it.
What we do is not a competition to me. I gladly point people to other influence marketing podcasts, agencies, thinkers and doers. There’s plenty of room for us all.
But I do very much appreciate the recognition, especially when it comes from a source I consider qualified. And Talking Influence is one of those.
So, thank you for the recognition. I’ll gladly milk this one for all its worth, too. Heh.
Go see the full list, which is quite an impressive group to be associated with. I’m truly humbled.
#talkinginfluence30
Order Winfluence now!
Winfluence – Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand is available in paperback, Kindle/eBook and audio book formats. Get it in the medium of your choice on Amazon or get a special discount on the paperback version of the book by clicking the button below, buying on the Entrepreneur Press bookstore and using the discount code FALLS20. That earns you 20% off the retail price. Read and learn why we’ve been backed into a corner to think influencer marketing means Instagram and YouTube and how reframing it to be “influence” marketing makes us smarter marketers.