Too many thoughts, not enough leaders.

There is no shortage of advice online right now. Especially when it comes to social media.

The problem is, many of the sources of information lack credibility and substance. They are failing to effectively implement new media tools for their own business, yet they preach to others what is right and wrong with social marketing.

We are in unchartered territory for business owners. Consumers have been empowered with a voice they never had before. This changes everything we know about marketing.

Who you decide to listen to has never been more important.

I pride myself on being a curator of great information. A lot of it comes from the three people mentioned below.

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For that I thank them.

Their advice doesn’t just make sense, it also makes the companies they work with dollars.

A highly underrated metric as of late.

3 Social Media Gurus Actually Worth Listening To

1. Mitch Joel

I was first introduced to Mitch Joel three years ago when a friend recommended his book, “Six Pixels of Separation.” It’s truly a must-read. The best way I can describe the book is that it reminded me of Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It,” except it focuses on businesses, not bloggers. Mitch is a partner at Twist Image, a highly sought-after digital marketing agency based in Canada. The Twist Image blog is an amazing resource for marketers. Be sure to check it out on your mobile device to see a mobile website done brilliantly. Mitch releases a new Podcast every Sunday that I never miss, also entitled Six Pixels of Separation. With more than 300 past episodes in iTunes, Mitch has built a digital footprint second to none. His past guest list reads like a who’s who of the marketing, PR and social media spaces.

2. Neil Patel

 

Neil Patel is the founder of KISSmetrics. KISS (keep it simple, stupid) provides easy to understand and use social media analytics software. More importantly, their blog has some of the best and most in-depth research on the Web regarding the usage of social media for business. I especially enjoy their extremely well-done Infographics and Marketing Guides. Neil also founded and blogs frequently at Quick Spout. In my opinion, no one does list style posts (7 ways to accomplish X) better than Neil Patel.