8 Bloggers You Should Be Reading Right Now

I’ll start this off be saying this is an idea I’m borrowing from Marcus Sheridan, AKA The Sales Lion. He highlighted 15 bloggers who he said were changing the blogosphere and I think he had an amazing list. I am in no way writing this post to take away from those highlighted in Marcus’ list (some will appear here as well).

Social media, blogging in particular, gives people ample opportunities to talk about themselves. It’s not a bad thing, we write about what we know and most people tend to know themselves pretty darn well and have years of anecdotal evidence to prove it.

I see a lot of “Me-Talk” and a lot of conversations, but one thing that is always a nice change of pace is simple praise. That’s why Marcus’ post got my attention and I think it’s time I turned the spotlight on to some people who truly inspire me.

Now, without further adieu, and in no particular order…

8 Bloggers You Should Be Reading Right Now

1. Olivier Blanchard – If you aren’t reading The Brand Builder‘s posts, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Olivier doesn’t stick to a regular posting schedule and a lot of his posts are long and in-depth, but his insights are so spot on and educational, he’s someone you should definitely be reading if you’re wanting to grow a strong brand. He pulls no punches and has very little problem stating how he sees things in the world of branding and social media ROI, but isn’t that what you want? My favorite post of his recently has been about the balance between super creative ideas and safe crowd-pleasers.

2. Danny Brown – Aside from being a leading voice in social media marketing and running two successful blogs, Danny is one of the most humble and nicest people you’ll ever have the chance to meet. He honestly cares about the people that reach out to him and that alone is inspiring to me. I knew of Danny from simply reading his blog and occasionally talking with him on Twitter, but until he reached out to me to join this glorious endeavor, For Bloggers, By Bloggers, I never really had a personal relationship with him. To watch him work behind the scenes and see how much he truly loves what he does never ceases to amaze me. I’ve learned more from him than almost anyone else in the past 5 months about how to write and grow a blog on social media.

3. Marcus Sheridan – I’ve already mentioned Marcus in this post, but he definitely deserves to be on the list. Go online, or better yet go directly to his site www.thesaleslion.com, and watch some video of Marcus presenting. It’s not hard to see where the passion in his writing comes from. He lives it and presents with it every time he goes out. Marcus’ posts are insightful and educational, but even more than that, they energie you. He’s one of those writers that makes you want to get up and go be better.

4. Jeff Goins – Jeff is a Nashville-based blogger who mainly talks about writing. He blogs at Goins Writer. What I love about Jeff is that he writes about becoming a better writer extremely well. The stories and analogies he pulls into his posts really leap off the page and help you understand points in ways you probably hadn’t thought of before. It’s comforting to get writing advice from someone who is clearly an expert writer. Jeff is a must-read for anyone who wants to get better at the craft and art of writing.

5. Gini Dietrich – I’ve been a fan of Gini’s for a little over a year now. She runs the Spins Sucks community and writes probably my favorite PR blog on the Internet. Aside from her wisdom in the PR field and her generosity in letting me guest post twice, Gini may very well be the nicest person online. That’s not to say that she won’t call someone out or fight for what she believes, but her generosity of spirit and welcoming presence make it easy to spend time at least twice a day on her website.

6. Ingrid Abboud – Well, what can I say about Ingrid. If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time, you probably are already familiar with Ingrid. She runs the Nitty Griddy Blog and leaves probably the best, most thought-provoking comments on the Internet. I met Ingrid through Gini and have been grateful ever since. Ingrid is a positive force to be reckoned with who doesn’t take mediocre for an answer. She forces everyone around her to rise to her level of play and we are all better writers and thinkers for it. Thanks, Ingrid.

7. Mark W. Schaefer – Here’s another name you’re probably already familiar with, but just in case you aren’t, start reading Mark’s posts immediately. His take on social media issues will open your eyes to new things and lead you to stories that will inspire you. Mark is one of the hardest workers I know and his efforts really shine in his blog {grow}. I met Mark early on in my blogging endeavor and have been a fan and follower ever since. I’ve had the pleasure of talking with him a few times on the phone and he was even gracious enough to call me to offer advice on the social media class I’m possibly teaching in the Fall. The thing that stand out most about Mark is his interaction with his blogging community. If you think I do a good job of answering comments and engaging, I learned it all from Mark. He’s truly an inspiration.

8. Jay Baer – Last, but certainly not least, is Jay Baer. You’ve probably seen his name around from a little book he write called The NOW Revolution or you’ve seen him at one of the many places he’s been speaking recently, but you really need to be reading and studying his blog, Convince and Convert, as well. His is a blog that I’ll stop whatever I’m doing to read. He talks about new tools, concepts, case studies and more. We talk a lot in blogging about emulating rather than copying, and Jay is someone I definitely try to emulate with the level of help and expertise. Thanks Jay, you’re truly inspiring.

Others and Others and Others

There are SO many more that I didn’t name in this post because if I kept naming people who inspired me I’d have a novel on my hands and I know you’re busy as it is. Don’t worry though, I’m going to try to do these type of posts more often and spotlight some people you need to know.

As for now, add your thoughts in the comments. Do you like the list? Who would you add and why? I’m hoping you’ll name some people I don’t read regularly and I’ll get to branch out a little bit.

Thoughts?

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