Brand management is a tough job, and talented brand managers and brand marketers continue to be a hot commodity. The internet has drastically changed how consumers behave and how businesses market their products and services. Traditional marketing models still apply, but marketers now need a whole new set of skills, as well as up to date knowledge of digital media to create their digital marketing strategies.

Within larger companies, brand managers operate like a small business owner or the CEO of their brand. While they may be considered to be part of the marketing function, a brand manager is a broader strategic role that’s charged with monitoring market trends, differentiating their brand in a crowded competitive space, and providing direction for the future of the brand.
To be a good brand manager, you better be a continuous learner, because your market, your customer needs, and your role are all constantly evolving. It helps to stay in touch with some of the folks on the leading edge of the profession.

Here are some key influencers to follow on LinkedIn:

• Charlene Li, Principal Analyst at Altimeter
• Jeff Bullas – CEO at Jeffbullas.com Pty Ltd “There is an elephant in the room for many digital marketers. They love the vanity metrics of traffic, social media sharing and follower growth. They are hooked on the engagement and feedback that cool content provides to the brand. But they often don’t work on the last few hard yards. It isn’t seen as sexy and it can be boring. It’s converting that traffic and engagement into leads and sales. It’s is time for many social media and content marketers to grow up”
  
• David Aaker, Vice Chairman at Prophet, Brand Strategist and Author
• Fred Reichheld, Bain Fellow, Author/Speaker on Loyalty
• Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva
• Ann Handley, Author of “Everybody Writes” and “Content Rules,” Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs
• Michael Brenner, CEO, Marketing Insider Group and Author of The Content Formula
• Ryan Holmes, CEO at Hootsuite
• Joe Pulizzi, Founder at Content Marketing Institute, Author of Content Inc., Speaker & Entrepreneur
• Dharmesh Shah, Founder and CTO at HubSpot
• Shane Snow, Journalist, geek, and bestselling author. Cofounder of Contently
• Brian Solis, Principal Analyst, Altimeter Group (a Prophet co.), Author of X: The Experience When Business Meets Design
• Daniel Goleman, Brainpower: Mindsight and Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
• Neil Patel, Co-Founder at Crazy Egg & Hello Bar
• Joe Fields, Digital Marketing Associate at Onalytica
• Jay Baer, Marketing and customer experience consultant, NY Times best-selling author, keynote speaker and emcee, investor

What other influencers do you follow on LinkedIn?