This is the last part of a series of posts where I list my selection of “36 Most Influential Internet Marketers” – you can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 first, if you like.
As I’m about to complete this list, there are 3 issues I’d like to clarify.
This is MY list of the most INFLUENTIAL among INTERNET MARKETERS.
Notice the emphasis?
“My” list… because I don’t know everyone who is an Internet marketer, and can’t state that these are the only ones with influence. I can only pick from those I know well or have heard a lot about.
“Internet marketers” is a term with varying definitions. I use it to refer to people who are primarily ‘marketers’ who are best known for or focus exclusively on using the Internet. That’s why I didn’t include, say, Jay Abraham or Dan Kennedy in this list – both guys are geniuses with influence, but both don’t read or send email!
Sheesh 
And when John Reese runs more TV ads for BlogRush or Income.com than online marketing campaigns, he’ll be off this list!
Finally, the most controversial issue may be what constitutes “influence”. To me, there is an ethical dimension to this word. I distinguish it from “manipulation” or “coercion” or “mass hypnosis”. I know there are people with larger or more loyal followers than the ones I listed – but don’t think that stems from “influence” (the way I describe it).
This is not to say anyone not on my list is unethical. Far from it.
Ok, enough already. Let’s get this list done!
Paul Smithson
When I think of someone who influences through product excellence, Paul Smithson is the first name that comes to mind. Creator of the amazingly popular website development tool, XSitePro, he re-defined the standard for top quality product design and exceptional value delivery in the Internet marketing area.
Paul Smithson built his brand upon quality and value. His follow up audio bookstore membership, Spoken Network, continued the trend and gained him many more followers and admirers, extending his influence further and wider.
Rich Schefren
Rich Schefren leveraged many things including his offline business building expertise and connections with big name experts to launch his brand as an Internet marketer with Strategic Profits – until today he’s known as the ‘guru of gurus’ – truly an influential position!
In a series of powerful ‘Manifesto’ reports, he brought real-world business systems and strategy training to the ‘hit-or-miss’ random playing field of Internet marketing. Thanks to his message, many ‘beginner level’ online business owners are now looking more ‘professional’ – and running stable enterprises.
Visit Rich Schefren’s blog
Ken McArthur
Ken McArthur acquired influence by helping people who reached many other people – and thereby multiplying his reach exponentially. If you’ve heard of the JV Alert series of events, you’ve surely heard about Ken, because he’s the brain behind making them happen.
Ken McArthur has grown from strength to strength since then, and is now authoring a book that’s going to be a best-seller – just because there are so many people in his universe eager to buy it when he publishes. Now, that’s influence!
Visit Ken McArthur’s blog
Allan Gardyne
Allan Gardyne is an affiliate marketer with influence. To many Internet marketers who have known him over the years, he is a symbol of many things – but above all, how to handle adversity and meet challenges with fortitude.
A deeply conscientious teacher who made ‘informed recommendation’ the de facto standard of affiliate endorsement, Allan Gardyne’s “AssociatePrograms.com” website and forum is the meeting place where thousands of his students and followers learn from the master affiliate.
Visit Allan Gardyne’s forum
Terry Dean
Terry Dean is back with a bang – and he instantly gains entry into the exclusive club of influential Internet marketers. No surprise to those who knew and studied under Terry in the heady early days of the Web.
Terry Dean epitomized the ‘if I can do it, anyone can’ attitude of Internet marketing success with his story of how he built a fortune rapidly from a humble start as a pizza delivery boy.
Visit Terry Dean’s blog
Chris Pirillo
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Chris Pirillo is better known today as an A-list blogger – but he’s one of the top proponents of responsible email marketing and has influenced many Internet marketers since the early 1990’s to implement best practices and harness the prowess of technology to add value to ezine subscribers.
Chris Pirillo built the LockerGnome brand into a well-recognized online publishing powerhouse, and embraced many technological evolutions as an early adopter – and kept the best while growing and layering his business empire to one of predominance today. Truly inspiring, wildly influential. And now, there’s even a Gnomedex!
Visit Chris Pirillo’s blog
Matt Cutts
Matt Cutts making it onto a list of most influential Internet marketers is probably the most I’ve stretched my ‘rules’ for this post – but in a sense, he is an ‘Internet marketer’ as he better represents the ‘human’ face of Google to most online entrepreneurs than even the founders of the company.
As to his being ‘influential’, there’s very little doubt about that… there’s a huge horde of business owners, web content creators and entrepreneurs hanging onto his every word like Matt Cutts is the modern version of the ‘Oracle of Delphi’ – even when it has little to do with ‘Search’. His proclamations on what Google’s up to are pretty much as cryptic too!
Visit Matt Cutts’ blog
Frank Kern
Frank Kern sure wields influence among Internet marketers – to the extent that they’ll buy multi-thousand dollar programs from him… without even a sales letter! There’s one reason for it – value. And Frank offers it in spades.
Frank Kern is a fun-loving guy, and it shows in everything he does. He’s also one of the big ‘givers’ and always seems to be helping someone, hovering in the background when there’s a big launch, and cementing his influence with the influencers!
Ed Dale
Ed Dale self-deprecatingly refers to himself as the ‘Tubby Nerd from Melbourne’ – and endears himself to a vast crowd of Internet marketers for one reason… he’s a possibilitarian! He doesn’t spread doom and gloom, instead prefers to give every newbie hope and a dream – then share the latest ’system’ that’s proven to work.
Ed Dale is the brain behind the ‘Underachiever Method’ – a lazy person’s guide to cracking the code to Internet riches and build income streams the easy way. In a 30 day challenge, Ed convinced thousands of people to push their limits – and many of them will now follow anything he suggests because they’ve proved to themselves that what Ed Dale teaches just plain works.
Visit Ed Dale’s blog
Martin Avis
Martin Avis publishes a self-development newsletter, has authored some nice Internet marketing ebooks, and networks actively online. What puts him ahead of many others who do this are things like his organizing a ‘London Lunch’ – for Internet marketers in the U.K. And that makes him one of the most influential Internet marketers from his country.
Martin Avis sends out an ezine called “Kickstart Daily” – and his readers are all raving fans of his wisdom and wit.
In the end, I chickened out!
If you’ve been keeping count, you’ll notice I only have 35 people listed… not 36 as I first mentioned.
Why?
So that YOU can nominate ONE more person who is NOT already on this list. So go and tell me who you think belongs on the list of “36 Most Influential Internet Marketers”
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