7 Social Media Rock Stars to Watch

You know I’m a big believer in social media and how it can solidify your brand, expand your tribe, and actually create a lot of sales.  One of the best ways to learn social media is to watch people that are doing it successfully.  On that note, here’s a list of seven people that are rock stars in the space.

Some are the usual suspects, but there are a few others that may surprise you.  They’re not in any particular order.  Each person was selected for different reasons and many have a unique approach.  But they all offer great lessons on how you can connect, engage, and develop your business.  So let’s begin with…

Scott Stratten

Scott hails from that area north of the U.S. known on the map as “cold front.”  But his social media skills are anything but frigid.  He brands himself as “unmarketing” to reflect the change in the marketplace, and stresses engaging with your customers and providing real value.

His tweets are a great mix of marketing tips, personal connection, and biting sarcasm.  He does a great job with video, weaving in humor, entertainment and insights.  He shows his humanity with his posts on his cholesterol-laden burger binges to updates on his son’s accomplishments.  But he always mixes in a steady dose of great content you can use.  I never recommend Canadians, but he deserves an exemption.

Typical Twitter tweet:
@unmarketing  I think we'd all drive a little nicer if our Twitter name was on the side of our car.

Perry Belcher What can you say about a guy whose bio lists “former Hot Dog Vendor?”   Perry was an early adopter on Twitter and really understands the interaction part of it all.  Looking at his Twitter page you’ll see he is talking to and responding to everyone all the time.

He doesn’t Spam or send out endless pitches.  He engages and provides real value.  When he alerts you to a resource he has, he follows the proven model of providing a lot of value for free, so you know it will be a good investment to buy more.  Notice how he uses videos and other channels to good advantage.

Typical twitter tweet:
@PerryBelcher   My 9 year old is a moon walking freak! Ha!

Damon is a 17-year-old whiz kid in Florida, who is a perfect demonstration of how to bring your personality into play and create viral buzz.  He has over 70,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and he consistently ranks with high traffic on everything he does.

His videos are funny and he really gets Twitter, using it well to communicate with his tribe.  Naturally a lot of his content is teenage angst, schoolyard humor, and sexual innuendo.  But he’s 17, he’s supposed to do that.  If you were this smart at 17, you’d be a billionaire by now.  He’s clever, friendly, and dripping with charisma.  Someone at FOX or the WB needs to give this kid a TV show.  To top it off, he’s already showing entrepreneurial spirit, developing and marketing a line of DFizzy t-shirts.

Typical twitter tweet:

@dfizzy I'm butt naked, touching myself while watching midget porn...what are YOU doing?

Pete Cashmore could model for GQ, but he chose being a computer geek instead.  He’s turned Mashable.com into the go to site for all things social media.  It’s a great resource offering many guest bloggers, follow lists, and helpful articles.  His list of the top social media stories is required reading each week.

Typical Twitter tweet:
@mashable   Mashable’s Weekly Guide to Social Media Conferences & Events - http://bit.ly/3nsP3F

Gary Vaynerchuck is the brash-talking Jersey guy who made WineLibraryTV a web phenomenon.  As far as his Twitter page, he doesn’t really use his account in the traditional way most people do.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Gary actually RT anyone; he kind of uses it more as an email reply medium.

But no one does a better job of using the service to build his brand and drive traffic to his other sites.   And it’s his other sites, particularly WineLibraryTV.com that you want to study.  He’s done a brilliant job at leading his tribe, and then leveraged that into many other spinoff activities.

Typical Twitter tweet:
@garyvee  (watch this) "Hustle, Crush It, and Go Big" http://bit.ly/kaxet

Darren Rowse is an Aussie blogger who blogs about Twitter and tweets about blogging.  Or sometimes he blogs about tweeting about blogging and tweets about blogging about Twitter.  But in any event, his stuff is good.

Blogging may be the most overlooked social media medium out there today, and Darren always has good content about it.    Everyone got enamored with social media sites, but I find my blog does more to drive traffic and create sales than anything else I do.

Typical Twitter tweet:
@problogger  New at ProBlogger: How Passion Can Transform Your Blog http://bit.ly/EKc1b

Mari Smith is a relationship marketing specialist that actively engages and participates with her tribe.  She does quite a bit on Twitter, but may be best known for her Facebook presence.   She’s an active blogger as well.

Her blogs, site, and Facebook page all have great content, and she’s worth watching to see how to build a great online following.

Typical Twitter tweet:
@MariSmith Do you have Facebook widgets on your blogs and sites? Fan Box & Page Badge are best. Direct people to your fan page...  http://bit.ly/QEkMC

So that’s the list.  Or at least part one.  I’ll probably do another one in the future.  Let me know what you think, or who you think should be on the list.  If you found this helpful, please share it on the social media sites you frequent.

And if you’re a first-time visitor to the blog, let’s connect on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Randy_Gage and check out the prosperity videos on my Facebook page at: http://facebook.com/randygage While you're there, fan me up and make my mother proud!

Also be sure and check out the Twitter Manifesto and help save the universe!

-RG