Social Media Speakers: 10 to Know

*** Updated for 2011 ***

Looking for a social media speaker for your next event? With hundreds of options to choose from, and with new “experts” popping up every day, how do you know who is the best — and more specifically, the best for your event?

Knowing that social media is one of the most in-demand topics for meetings and conferences today, we have scouted books, articles and conferences for leading authorities who meet the following criteria:

1. The individual must be established as a uniquely successful practitioner of social media and/or be frequently called on to share his or her expertise in the field — specifically as it relates to corporate and association social media practices.
2. The individual must have a proven ability to discuss social media in a way that is easily understandable and relevant to each unique audience.
3. The individual must be able to effectively engage the audience (every “expert” who writes an article is not necessarily someone you want on your platform as a speaker).

Based on those criteria, we’re assembling a powerful roster of social media speakers to help you address this highly relevant, in-demand subject at your next meeting or convention. Following are 10 such speakers from our roster to help you get started in your search (in alphabetical order):

Gwen Bell

Recently Named One of the 50 Most Influential Women in Social Media

Gwen Bell believes that achieving success in the social web is “99% practice, 1% theory.” She approaches her work as she does her yoga practice: she keeps getting back on her yoga mat and falling out of poses until she masters them. Mistakes are part of the process and your ability to recover gracefully from failure is your greatest strength. Gwen can help you set yourself, your business and your presence online and off, on fire.

Chris Brogan

Co-Author of Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Ryan Paddock of Digital Scientists says it best: “Chris Brogan, true to his reputation, is the authority when it comes to helping companies discover and implement social media into their business model. Chris… challenged the attendees to think differently about how to generate ROI in a strict corporate culture using social media and digital tools. His participation and prowess in the field undoubtedly added to the success of the event.”

Maggie Fox

Founder and CEO, Social Media Group

Maggie Fox is the founder and CEO of Social Media Group, one of the world’s largest independent agencies helping business navigate the new socially engaged Web. Widely acknowledged as industry-leading pioneers, SMG has created and executed social media strategies for the Canadian Government, SAP and Yamaha Motor. SMG has also been Ford Motor Company’s social media agency since 2007. Maggie is a communications and content expert who has never met a medium she didn’t like. Over the course of her career, she has led teams that have marketed, written and produced television and web content for some of the biggest and best-known brands in North America, including Sears, Deloitte and Disney.

Scott Klososky

Former CEO of Three Successful Startups; Specialist in Analyzing and Forecasting Technology Trends

Scott Klososky has proven multiple times that by combining technology knowledge with information on social trends, a person can have a huge impact in growing a business. In his presentations, Scott can help audiences understand “Digital Plumbing” (how to make data more valuable by leveraging the business intelligence layer), Social Media (how target and proximity marketing are playing out in the advertising and marketing space), Technology and White Collar Lean (using technology to lower back office and operations costs) and Web 2.0 Tools (Blogs, RSS Feeds, social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook,Twitter, crowdsourcing, other “hot” tools, plus Scott’s 10 favorite websites of the month). After all, he says, “Technology is simply a tool. Without the people who utilize it, there is no value.” Read some of Scott’s insights in this recent Q&A.

David Kralik

Director of Internet Strategy for American Solutions; One of the “Top Ten Changing the World of Internet and Politics”

While qualified to discuss a broad range of issues related to social media, David’s specialty is discussing the benefits of bringing Silicon Valley culture to Washington, DC. (He recently spoke about this during a Policy Talks@Google session which you can watch here.) David asks: What if the government ran on 20% time? David can help governments from the municipal level to the federal level understand how social media can help them tell their stories online, build and engage a following, and communicate with their constituents.

Jennifer Leggio

ZDNet Blogger, Expert on Social Media Trends and Online Security

Jennifer Leggio has spent more than 15 years in the communications industry, nine of which have been focused on technology and network security. She has worn a variety of hats including journalist and editor, and has managed influencer relations programs for several network security and enterprise technology companies. Jennifer has led or supported interactive social networking efforts for security industry conferences including SOURCE Boston, RSA Conference (Security Bloggers Meet-Up 2008 and 2009) and Black Hat USA, and founded the Security Twits, a community for network security professionals on Twitter. Jennifer is the director of strategic communications for Fortinet, a leading network security appliance vendor.

Clayton Morris

Co-host of “FOX & Friends Weekend” and the Technology Show, “Gadgets and Games with Clayton Morris”

Clayton appeared on a panel with Rick Sanchez, Ann Curry, Brian Solis and others at the groundbreaking 140 Characters Conference and shared insights on how social media is changing the world of broadcast news. He is continuously uncovering best practices in social media by speaking with thought leaders such as Jeff Pulver, Robert Scoble and Gary Vaynerchuk, among others — see his chat with Jeff, Robert and Gary about the future of social media on the June 26 episode of Gadgets and Games.

Joe Rotella

Industry Expert on Usability, Web Design and Social Media

People are hearing fantastic stories about successful social campaigns that cost little or nothing to implement, and perhaps you’re considering putting your organization’s toe into the social media marketing pool. But are you really ready? Joe’s expertise can help you get ready. Joe recently spoke about social media and usability at the Ohio Hospital Assocation’s Annual Meeting and Tiffany Himmelreich, Manager of Media & Public Relations at OHA, said, “Attendees were frantically scribbling down pearls of wisdom, which proved to be challenging as they were simultaneously laughing at Joe’s humorous and engaging delivery. We have never received so many compliments about a speaker.”

Peter Shankman

Authority on PR and Marketing; Creator of the 100k-member-strong Social Media Success: HARO

Peter’s PR and Social Media clients have included the Snapple Beverage Group, NASA, The US Department of Defense, Walt Disney World, The Ad Council, American Express, Discovery Networks, Harrah’s Hotels, and many others. Peter is perhaps best known for founding Help A Reporter Out (HARO), which in under a year has become the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 100,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,200 queries from worldwide media each week and adding thousands of new members each week.

Aliza Sherman

Web Pioneer, Original Cybergrrl, Social Media Expert

Aliza Sherman is the Original Cybergrrl – an Internet thought leader, highly sought-after online marketing expert and passionate evangelist for the Internet, particularly as a valuable and useful tool for our personal and professional lives. She is a motivational and inspirational speaker who has spoken around the world about the Internet, social media, virtual worlds entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment. She co-founded the veteran social media marketing agency, Conversify.

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To find the perfect social media speaker(s) for your unique audience, meeting objectives and budget, contact us at The Speakers Group and we would be happy to offer some guidance and help you uncover opportunities to utilize social media in enhancing your business and your events.

And for additional help in your search for a social media speaker:

Be sure to read Peter Shankman’s “Is Your Social Media Expert Really An Expert?”

Not sure if a social media speaker is right for your meeting program? Read our blog post about the widespread interest in social media across numerous professions and industries.

Connect with The Speakers Group through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (company, founder).

Bookmark our Social Media Speakers page to stay up-to-date as we add more authorities on this topic to our roster.