AGBeat’s top 50 industry influencers

Christopher Penn

[dropcap style=”style1″]W[/dropcap]ell known as one of the founders of PodCamp, Christopher Penn is a popular speaker, and a ninja. What? Yep. He actually studies martial arts, so he’s allowed to use the phrase.

But what is most inspiring about Penn is his consistent giving back to his community not only through tweets, but through events like Marketing Over Coffee which he cohosts. He is a marketing professor and the VP of Marketing Technology at SHIFT Communications.

He’s a busy guy, but is on a constant quest to share his wisdom, particularly through his Twitter account as well as his marketing blog.

Danny Brown

[dropcap style=”style1″]W[/dropcap]ith the number one marketing blog in the world, it is hard to argue with Danny Brown’s expertise. This year, he co-authored Influence Marketing, and is the founder of the 12for12k charity initiative. Brown is the Manager of Social Engagement and Insights at Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), driving the development and execution of the social media annual and long range plan for OLG’s iGaming division. Irrelevant to why he influential, he is also fun to know because he has a thick Brogue accent (video proof) and one hell of a sense of humor.

Dave Kerpen

[dropcap style=”style1″]W[/dropcap]hat is fascinating about Dave Kerpen is not just that he is the CEO of Likeable Local (social media software startup for small businesses) and the chairman and former CEO of social media marketing firm, Likeable Media, but he is actually likeable – a difficult feat in the social media world.

Kerpen is a frequent keynoter and author of the NY Times bestseller, “Likeable Social Media” as well as his newest work, “Likeable Business.”

He’s an optimist in a sea of pessimists, and he is squarely focused on helping small businesses to become more effective online.

Dave Jones

[dropcap style=”style1″]V[/dropcap]ice President of Social Media at digital marketing agency, Critical Mass, Dave Jones is a well respected public relations veteran who has been involved with social media’s intersection with marketing and PR since 2005.

Jones says, “I’ve worked in sports (my first love) and the beer business (guy heaven), but most of my career has been spent on the agency side where I’ve been lucky to work with dozens of well-known brands and organizations on a variety of communications challenges.”

He is inspiring for his calm, level-headed approach to social media, and deep insight into how people think and react online and how brands can take advantage of that. Learn from him on his blog or over on Twitter.

Eve Mayer

[dropcap style=”style1″]E[/dropcap]ve Mayer is the CEO of Social Media Delivered and you’ve probably seen her on stage or read her book, The Social Media Business Equation.

But what Mayer most inspires us with is her deep knowledge about LinkedIn, a professional network that many people misunderstand, misuse, and worse, ignore.

Check her out on Twitter, or of course, on LinkedIn – she really is the LinkedIn Queen!