The all-virtual Content Marketing World 2020 is upon us. As the largest content marketing conference in the world, CMWorld brings together a stellar array of talented professionals who are loaded with curiosity for future trends, marketing knowledge, and aspirations for new successes in the post-pandemic world. For the past 12 years leading marketers from all over the world have gathered in Cleveland, Ohio for one of the world’s strongest content marketing events, and for this unusual year Content Marketing World is entirely virtual.
Readers of our blog know we have a long history with the conference starting at the beginning, with 10 years of speaking and attending along with seven years of partnering with the Content Marketing Institute to develop speaker and influencer content marketing campaigns.
A TopRank Marketing tradition that has been imitated in recent years but never truly duplicated is our annual list of content marketing experts ranked according to their social influence, a helpful compilation derived from the hundreds of excellent #CMWorld 2020 speakers.
List Methodology: For this list we utilize the Traackr influencer marketing platform to filter the content marketing experts who are speaking at the current year’s Content Marketing World conference using a large number of criteria including the relevance of the individuals to the topic, the degree to which their networks engage, the size of their networks, and other factors. Online data is pulled from blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and other platforms.
The focus topic in question is most definitely “content marketing,” and everyone included on this list is:
- A speaker at #CMWorld 2020
- Ranked in the top-50 for “content marketing” according to relevance, resonance, reach and audience metrics
People always thank me for including them in these lists and there’s no thanks to be given other than to the people who worked hard sharing useful knowledge about content marketing to their social channels, in blogs, videos, podcasts, and online in general.
Many thanks go to all the people who are actively sharing knowledge about content marketing by engaging and helping others with helpful opinions, insights and expertise on the social web. This list is only a starting point to help expand your content marketing universe.
In this year’s list there are familiar faces and quite a few new entries. We plan to learn new lessons from these 50 content marketing influencers and hope you’ll do the same throughout the rest of the year and into 2021 and beyond.
50 Content Marketing Influencers Speaking at CMWorld 2020
Julia McCoy @JuliaEMcCoy
CEO, Express Writers
Presenting: How to Build an Online Audience Through Powerful, Consistent Search Optimized Content Creation
Christopher Penn @cspenn
Co-Founder & Chief Data Scientist, Trust Insights
Presenting: Practical Applications of AI in Content Marketing
Lee Odden @leeodden
CEO, TopRank Marketing
Presenting: Influencer Marketing Unleashed: Top Tactics for Success from Global B2B Brands
Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
Content Marketing Agency CEO & CMO Influencer, Marketing Insider Group
Presenting: Content Optimization & Distribution Strategies – Mapping Content to the Buyer Journey (and ROI)
Pam Didner @PamDidner
Author, Founder & VP of Marketing, Effective Sales Enablement
Presenting: 3 Trends You Can’t Ignore As a Content Marketer
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Pam Dinner
Christoph Trappe @CTrappe
Chief Content & Marketing Officer, The Authentic Storytelling Project
Presenting: How to Make Sure Your Company Ranks in Voice Search
Ann Handley @MarketingProfs
Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Ann Handley
Presenting: Precedented: 5 Principles of the Last Chaotic 10 Months That Are the Very Key to Content Marketing Success in the Next 10 Years
Viveka Von Rosen @LinkedInExpert
Co-Founder & Chief Visibility Officer, Vengreso
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Viveka von Rosen
Presenting: Why Your B2B Sales Force Should Be Your Greatest Content Distribution Channel
Bernie Borges @bernieborges
Chief Customer Officer, Vengreso
Presenting: How to Develop an Account Based Podcasting Content Plan that Drives Revenue
Robert Rose @Robert_Rose
Chief Strategy Advisor, Content Marketing Institute
Presenting: Architecting Desire: A New Strategy for Content Marketing for the Next Ten Years
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Robert Rose
Presenting: Content Marketing 101 – Let’s Begin
Presenting: Content Marketing Strategy For Agencies – How To Create, As Well as Deliver, Content Marketing Strategy To Clients
Presenting: Welcome to Content Marketing World 2020
Dennis Shiao @dshiao
Marketing Consultant, Attention Retention
Presenting: The Magic of Meetups: How to Use Meetups to Build Community, Drive Brand Engagement and Inform a Content Marketing Strategy
Erika Heald @SFerika
Marketing Consultant, Erika Heald Consulting
Presenting: Content Marketing for Marketing Agencies: Make Your Services Sing
Melanie Deziel @mdeziel
Chief Content Officer, StoryFuel
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Melanie Deziel
Presenting: More Brain, Less Storm: The Power Of The Creative Process
Andrea Fryrear @AndreaFryrear
Agile Marketing Coach & Trainer, Co-Founder, AgileSherpas
Presenting: Persistently Agile: Why the Key to High Performance Marketing Lies with People Not Projects
Jay Baer @jaybaer
Founder, Convince & Convert
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Jay Baer
Presenting: Courageous Content: 6 Ways to Get Noticed Amidst the Noise
Jay Acunzo @jayacunzo
Founder, Marketing Showrunners
Presenting: Start Here: How to Make Things that Make a Difference by Changing How You Begin
Andy Crestodina @crestodina
Co-Founder & CMO, Orbit Media Studios
Presenting: Google Analytics for Content Marketers: How to Optimize Content for Traffic and Conversions
Presenting: SEO Workshop
A. Lee Judge @ALeeJudge
Co-Founder & CMO, Content Monsta
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With A. Lee Judge
Presenting: Be Content
Jonathan Crossfield @Kimota
Content Writer & Storyteller, Freelance
Presenting: Show Your Work: How to Become a Fact-Checking Pedant (and Why You Should)
Presenting: The Content Marketing Diamond Model for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Kathy Klotz-Guest @kathyklotzguest
Founder, Keeping It Human
Presenting: Fearless Content Teams: Creating a Safe Place for Unsafe Ideas
Joe Pulizzi @JoePulizzi
Founder, Content Marketing Institute
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Joe Pulizzi
Presenting: Keynote – Where Do We Go from Here? Disney, Diversification & The New Marketing Business Model
Brian Fanzo @iSocialFanz
Virtual Keynote Speaker, iSocialFanz
Presenting: What Podcasting & TikTok Can Teach Us About Creating Empathetic Content!
Amy Balliett @AmyBalliett
Founder & CEO, Killer Visual Strategies
Presenting: Marketing to Gen V: Engaging the Visual Generation
Rich Schwerin @Greencognito
Senior Content Strategist, Autodesk
Presenting: The Magic of Meetups: How to Use Meetups to Build Community, Drive Brand Engagement and Inform a Content Marketing Strategy
Amanda Todorovich @amandatodo
Senior Director of Digital Marketing & Health Content, Cleveland Clinic
Presenting: #CMWorld Cleveland Clinic Health Summit
Presenting: The Test of Time: Long-Term Success at the Cleveland Clinic
Zari Venhaus @zvenhaus
Director of Corporate Marketing Communications, Eaton
Presenting: Developing Global Content for Local Audiences
Amber Naslund @AmberCadabra
Principal Consultant, Content Solutions, LinkedIn
Presenting: Digital Doubt: Fighting Imposter Syndrome in a Hyperconnected, Content-Saturated World
Luvvie Ajayi Jones @iLuvvit
New York Times Bestselling Author & CEO, AweLuv Inc.
Presenting: Keynote
Nancy Harhut @nharhut
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, HBT Marketing
Presenting: 10 Human Behavior Hacks that Make Your Email Crazy Effective
Andrew Davis @DrewDavisHere
Keynote Speaker & Best-Selling Author, Monumental Shift
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Andrew Davis
Presenting: Limit Less: How Successful Brands Increase Their Revenue, Generate More Leads, and Spread Their Message in a Crowded Marketplace
Cathy McKnight @cathymcknight
VP of Strategy & Consulting, The Content Advisory
Presenting: Learn How to Move from Mayhem to Momentum by Building a Content Strategy
Presenting: Technology Forum: From Figuring Out Your Audience to Gaining Market Share – A Tech Company’s Guide to Effective Content Marketing
Tamsen Webster @tamadear
Founder & Chief Message Strategist, Find The Red Thread
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Tamsen Webster
Presenting: Pressure Test Your Message
Val Swisher @valswisher
Founder & CEO, Content Rules, Inc.
Presenting: The Personalization Paradox
Giselle Abramovich @GAbramovich
Executive Editor of Enterprise Thought Leadershhip, Adobe
Presenting: Trade Secrets: How the World’s Most Successful Content Marketers Deliver Results
Tim Riesterer @TRiesterer
Chief Strategy Officer, Corporate Visions
Presenting: Account Expansion: The Conversations, Content & Collaboration that Grow Customers
Sydni Craig Hart @SydniCraigHart
CEO, Smart Simple Marketing
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Sydni Craig-Hart
Presenting: Compelling Multicultural Marketing: What You’re Missing, What’s Working Now and How to Get Results
Ardath Albee @ardath421
Interim VP of Marketing, Modus
Presenting: Account Expansion: The Conversations, Content & Collaboration that Grow Customers
Presenting: Take a Sales Enablement Approach to RevOps
Presenting: Use Serial Storytelling to Drive Demand for Complex Solutions
Liz Willits @lizwillits
Founder, Liz Willits
Presenting: Email Automation Crash Course: How to Create Emails People Want to Read
Zontee Hou @ZonteeHou
Head of Strategy, Convince & Convert
Presenting: Financial Services Forum
Maureen Jann @NeoLuxeMo
Chief Marketing Strategist, NeoLuxe Marketing
Presenting: Content Marketing for Marketing Agencies: Make Your Services Sing
Presenting: The Content Marketing Diamond Model for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Doug Kessler @dougkessler
Creative Director & Co-Founder, Velocity Partners Ltd
Presenting: Let’s Steal from The World’s Most Awesome Content
Jared Johnson @jaredpiano
Founder & Content Producer, Shift.Health Network
Presenting: #CMWorld Cleveland Clinic Health Summit
Ashley Zeckman @azeckman
Senior Director, Inprela Communications
Presenting: Staying Power: How Authentic Storytelling can Transform Your Marketing from One-Hit Wonder to Lasting-Legend
Ahava Leibtag @ahaval
President, Aha Media Group
Presenting: Writing with No Respect: Find Out What it Means to Me
Christine Michel Carter @cmichelcarter
Strategy Consultant, Minority Woman Marketing LLC
Presenting: Ask Me Anything With Christine Carter
Presenting: Creating Authentic Content for a $1.5 Trillion Audience
Carmen Hill @carmenhill
Principal Content Strategist & Writer, Chill Content
Presenting: Combining Story + Structure to Create a Sustainable Content Marketing Strategy
Laura Ramos @lauraramos
VP & Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Presenting: Drive Your Content Transformation From The Bottom Up
Shafqat Islam @shafqatislam
Co-Founder & CEO, NewsCred
Presenting: Ask Me Anything with Shafqat Islam & Alex Cheeseman
Presenting: Beyond Breaking the Rules: Why Connections in Marketing Matter More Than Ever
Jennifer Jordan Robustelli @jenastelli
VP & Head of Content, USA, Babbel
Presenting: Flood The Zone! A New System For Creating Compelling Social Video
Jacquie Chakirelis @JacquieChak
Director of Digital Strategy, Quest Digital
Presenting:
Even the best statistical analysis, no matter how deep and well-researched, can only take you so far in finding the people who you’ll consider 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 content marketers that influence you most in the comments section below.
To further your own content marketing expertise, here’s a bonus list of some of our best recent posts about content marketing:
- How to Win at B2B Influence With The Magic of Content Co-Creation
- Your Guide to Effective Storytelling in B2B Content Marketing
- 5 Steps for a More Powerful B2B Content Marketing Strategy
- 7 B2B Content Marketing Tactics For Long Term Success
- How to Optimize Original B2B Research Content For Credibility and Impact
- A Day in the Life of a Content Marketer During the Pandemic: Challenges and Tips
If you’d like to learn more about creating a successful B2B influencer marketing campaign, you’re in luck! Our CEO Lee Odden will be presenting at Content Marketing World on the topic. Here are the details:
Tuesday, October 13th – 4:00pm – 4:30pm Eastern
Workshop with Lee Odden & Ursula Ringham, Global Head of Influencer Marketing at SAP
Influencer Marketing Unleashed: Top Tactics for Success from Global B2B Brands
We hope to see you virtually at the Content Marketing World conference, and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @toprank for real time updates during the conference.
