- \n
- Following social media marketing experts can help small businesses stay current without trying to become full-time social media pros.<\/li>\n
- In 2026, the most useful experts understand social search, AI-assisted workflows, community-building and content that feels genuinely human.<\/li>\n
- Social SEO matters because captions, keywords, hashtags, alt text, bios and video titles can all help customers find your business inside social platforms.<\/li>\n
- The best experts don\u2019t just share social media tips<\/a>. They show you how to turn attention into trust, email signups, reviews, sales and repeat customers.<\/li>\n
- Small businesses should follow a mix of experts, including writers, SEO thinkers, creator economy watchers, customer experience pros and practical platform specialists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
\n \n\n\n\n Looking to create the perfect website for your small business? <\/div>\n\n\n Try Vista x Wix\u2019s free website builder today! <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n\n Create a website!<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\nWhat makes a social media marketing expert worth following in 2026?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A good expert does more than tell you to post more reels or be authentic for the millionth time. The best people to follow help you understand how customers actually discover and trust businesses across platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why is TikTok the new Google for Gen Z?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
TikTok has become a search tool because users want fast, authentic answers from real people. Instead of searching only on Google, younger audiences look for product reviews, tutorials, local recommendations and business ideas directly inside social platforms. That matters for small businesses because content that answers real questions can work like a mini search result, especially for TikTok entrepreneurs<\/a> trying to build trust from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Small](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_424,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201933\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expers-at-work\/social-media-marketing-expers-at-work.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy does social SEO matter for small businesses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social SEO is the practice of making your social content easier to find inside platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Captions, keywords, alt text, hashtags, video titles and profile bios all give platforms clues about what your content covers. For small businesses, that means a clear \u201chow to choose a wedding florist\u201d post or \u201cbest coffee beans for cold brew\u201d video can keep working long after the day it goes live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the human-AI hybrid workflow?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The strongest experts are not pretending that AI does not exist. They use it for research, planning, repurposing, organizing ideas and speeding up backend tasks. But they keep the final thinking, brand voice, customer insight and storytelling human. That balance is key because AI can help you move faster, but your actual customers still want to hear from a real business run by real people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why does handcrafted content stand out?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Generic content is everywhere, which makes original, specific and slightly imperfect content feel more trustworthy. Vista\u2019s Small Business Marketing Guide found that 63% of SMBs would pay more for branding that feels handcrafted, and the same idea applies to social content. People can sense when something is copy-and-pasted \u201cAI slop.\u201d Experts who prioritize useful and human-made content can help your business stand out in a feed full of sameness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
12 social media marketing experts to follow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
These experts cover different parts of the social media puzzle: writing, SEO, creator trends, paid ads, customer experience, audience research, AI search and community. You do not need to follow every post from every person. Pick the ones whose strengths match your business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ann Handley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1600,h_600,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201937\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-expert-ann-handley\/social-media-expert-ann-handley.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Digital marketing expert Ann Handley via LinkedIn<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Human-made content, writing and brand voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Ann shares advice on writing, newsletters, storytelling, brand voice and content that actually sounds like it came from a person. In an AI-heavy world, her work is a helpful reminder that warm and useful writing still wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Small businesses often do not need louder content. They need clearer content. Ann\u2019s advice can help you write better captions, emails, website copy, product descriptions and social posts that feel natural instead of overworked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rand Fishkin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_300,h_300,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201899\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-rand-fishkin\/social-media-marketing-expert-rand-fishkin.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Rand Fishkin is a well-known digital marketing expert via Sparktoro.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Audience research, zero-click marketing and discoverability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: SEO helps build businesses. Build yours with our small business SEO guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Rand posts about audience research, zero-click marketing, search behavior and how people discover brands across the web. His work is especially useful now that businesses cannot rely only on Google clicks to get attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Rand can help small businesses think beyond \u201cget more traffic\u201d and focus on where their audience already spends time. That includes social platforms, newsletters, podcasts, forums, YouTube and communities where customers make decisions before they ever visit a website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amanda Natividad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Amanda](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_300,h_169,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201928\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-amanda-natividad\/social-media-marketing-expert-amanda-natividad.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBest for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Zero-click content and platform-native marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Amanda shares smart, practical thinking on zero-click content, audience research and creating value directly inside the platforms people already use. Her work is useful for businesses that want to build visibility even when customers do not immediately click through to a website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Small businesses do not always have huge ad budgets or massive content teams. Amanda\u2019s approach is helpful because it focuses on making each post valuable on its own, whether it appears on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube or another platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crystal Carter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_300,h_225,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201921\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-crystal-carter\/social-media-marketing-expert-crystal-carter.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBest for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
AI search, SEO and social findability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Crystal covers AI search, SEO, digital visibility and how brands can show up across new search experiences. That makes her a strong follow for business owners trying to understand how search, social and AI summaries are starting to overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If your customers are using Google, TikTok, YouTube and AI tools to compare options, your business needs to be findable in more than one place. Crystal\u2019s perspective can help you think about discoverability across content, profiles, search results and brand mentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lia Haberman<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_300,h_300,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201894\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media.marketing-expert-lia-haberman\/social-media.marketing-expert-lia-haberman.jpeg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBest for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Creator economy trends and influencer marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Lia tracks social media updates, creator marketing news, platform changes, influencer trends and audience behavior. Her newsletter and posts are useful for understanding what is changing across social platforms without having to scroll endlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Small businesses do not need celebrity influencers to benefit from creator-style marketing. Lia\u2019s work can help you understand partnerships, UGC, platform culture and why audiences respond to some content but scroll past other posts instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rachel Karten<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_376,h_470,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201905\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-rache-karten\/social-media-marketing-expert-rache-karten.jpeg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBest for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Practical brand social media and creative campaign thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Rachel\u2019s Link in Bio newsletter focuses on the real work of social media: brand examples, campaign ideas, platform shifts, creative decisions and what social teams are learning as feeds change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Rachel is a great follow when you want inspiration that feels specific and usable. Her examples can spark social media content ideas<\/a> for launches, community posts, behind-the-scenes stories, creator partnerships and campaigns that do not feel cookie-cutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark Schaefer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_405,h_300,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201909\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-mark-schaefer\/social-media-marketing-expert-mark-schaefer.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Mark Schaefer, renowned marketing consultant, via Businessgrow.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Community, loyalty and human-centered marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Mark writes and speaks about human-centered marketing, community, brand belonging and why customers want more meaningful connections with the businesses they support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Mark is especially useful for small businesses that want to build loyalty, not just reach. His work connects nicely to the handcrafted advantage: people are drawn to brands that feel personal, useful and part of a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amy Porterfield<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_631,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201882\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-expert-amy-porterfield\/social-media-expert-amy-porterfield.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Amy Porterfield as a celebrated marketing strategist via Amyporterfield.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Email lists, digital products and turning social attention into owned audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Amy focuses on list-building, online courses, webinars, digital products and the steps entrepreneurs can take to turn followers into a more reliable audience they actually own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Social platforms are great for discovery, but you do not control the algorithm. Amy is useful for entrepreneurs and service-based businesses that want to move people from a post, video or lead magnet into an email list, offer or paid product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mike Allton<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_235,h_430,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201891\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-mike-allton\/social-media-marketing-expert-mike-allton.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Mike Allton has built a successful career in content marketing strategy via LinkedIn.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Content workflows, social tools and practical implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: Great social media marketing is all about storytelling. Find out how to ace it with our social media content ideas<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Mike shares advice on content marketing, social media tools, AI workflows, automation and how businesses can make their marketing systems more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Mike is a helpful follow for small businesses that want to use tools and AI without handing over the whole strategy. His content can help you save time while keeping the human judgment where it belongs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Larry Kim<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_287,h_300,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201915\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-larry-kim\/social-media-marketing-expert-larry-kim.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Larry Kim is a business founder and digital market expert via LinkedIn<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Paid social, lead generation and automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: Social media advertising could be the answer to growing your audience. Discover the four major types<\/a> and find which works best for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Larry shares ideas on paid advertising, lead generation, automation, AI-assisted customer journeys and ways businesses can turn attention into measurable action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Organic reach can be unpredictable, so small businesses often need to understand how content, ads, retargeting and follow-up work together. Larry is a useful follow if you want to connect social visibility with leads and sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jay Baer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_268,h_300,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782202046\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/social-media-marketing-expert-jay-baer\/social-media-marketing-expert-jay-baer.jpeg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Jay Baer helps brands boost customer engagement via Jaybaer.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Customer experience and word-of-mouth marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Jay focuses on customer experience, word-of-mouth marketing, trust, loyalty and the moments that make people talk about a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Social media is not only about what your business posts. It is also about what customers say after they buy, visit, review, recommend or complain. Jay\u2019s work can help small businesses turn better experiences into social proof and community-led visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neil Patel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_1024,h_482,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201948\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/expert-neil-patel\/expert-neil-patel.jpg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Neil Patel is a world-famous entrepreneur and marketing expert via Neilpatel.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
SEO, traffic growth and beginner-friendly digital marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do they post about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Neil shares beginner-friendly advice on SEO, content marketing, analytics, conversions and traffic growth. His content is broad, but useful if you want accessible explanations of how search and content fit together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why should small businesses follow them?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
SEO and social search now overlap more than ever. Neil\u2019s content can help small businesses understand how keywords, content structure, search intent and discoverability support both website traffic and social visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On phygital marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some of the experts above focus heavily on digital channels, but the smartest small business marketing does not always start and end on a screen. Phygital marketing connects physical customer moments with digital follow-up, and it is especially useful for local businesses, makers, service providers, restaurants, shops and event-based brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why phygital marketing matters for small businesses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Events, packaging, flyers, business cards, signage, stickers and QR codes can all lead customers into social media communities, email lists, review pages, product videos or booking pages. A customer might discover you at a market stall, scan a QR code on your postcard, follow your Instagram, watch your product demo and then buy from you two weeks later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why it helps to follow experts who understand more than posting schedules. Look for people who can connect offline moments with online engagement, customer trust and repeat business. For more learning beyond social feeds, you can also explore the best YouTube channels for entrepreneurs<\/a> and build a small, reliable library of voices you trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Small](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_512,h_768,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1782201875\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/business-owner-holding-box-of-donuts\/business-owner-holding-box-of-donuts.jpeg?_i=AA\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChoose experts who fit your business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The best social media marketing experts to follow in 2026 are not just the biggest names or the people with the loudest posts. They are the people helping businesses become easier to find, more trustworthy and more human across social platforms, AI search results and real-world customer touchpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choose experts who match the way your business actually grows. If you need better writing, follow writing experts. If you need more visibility, follow search and discoverability experts. If you need stronger loyalty, follow community and customer experience experts. The goal is not to copy someone else\u2019s playbook. It is to learn enough to build one that fits your business, your customers and your capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n \n\n\n\n Does your small business\u2019 website look and do what you want it to do? <\/div>\n\n\n If not, try Vista x Wix\u2019s free website builder today! <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n - Small businesses should follow a mix of experts, including writers, SEO thinkers, creator economy watchers, customer experience pros and practical platform specialists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n