Follow these International Influencer Marketing Experts Now

In 2022, influencer marketing is part of almost every marketing campaign, but the industry evolves so quickly that it is often difficult to stay up-to-date with current trends and developments. That is why Kolsquare recommends following six industry experts, which is why we have curated a list of the top influencer marketing experts from France, Germany, Spain and the US.

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Key Takeaways

Influencer marketing has huge potential with an estimated growth of 30% by 2025.
Follow experts to learn the latest trends and tips straight from the industry.
Kolsquare‘s IM expert is our founder and CEO Quentin Bordage. Alongside him, our list of experts includes Neal Schaffer (USA), Gordon Glenister (USA and UK), Camille Jourdain (FR), Jenny Song Schmidt (DE) and Ignacio Santiago (ES).

With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% until 2025 and a value of €10b to €11b in 2021, influencer marketing is a lucrative market in Europe. As Kolsquare operates in different markets, we consequently present top experts from France, Germany, Spain and the US.

Kolsquare’s Influencer Marketing Expert: Founder and CEO Quentin Bordage

Before Quentin Bordage recognized the untapped potential of the celebrity marketing industry and founded his first startup, Brand and Celebrities, in 2011, he spent five years working as a business economist in the technology industry on growth issues in Europe, Africa and South America. The industry was changing rapidly, and with the explosion of social media use, Bordage saw an opportunity to apply his technology to the influencer marketing industry.

From a roster of 6k celebrities to more than a million key opinion leaders (KOL), Kolsquare today helps brands and marketing agencies harness the potential of online media and social networks with a SaaS model. 50 dedicated employees are now working out of France with fundraising as €3.5m on ongoing international expansion.

Image via Quentin Bordage

The expert from the USA: Neal Schaffer

California native Neal Schaffer helps companies to digitally transform their sales and marketing. He is also the founder of his digital marketing consulting firm, PDCA Social, and now works as a fractional CMO for several companies.

In addition, Neal Schaffer teaches at Rutgers Business School and Irish Management Institute. He also shares his expertise in four sales and marketing books, including “Maximize Your Social” and the recently published “The Age of Influence,” which is intended to be a complete guide to IM.

Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin, the marketer is a keynote speaker who has spoken on four continents in more than a dozen countries. So he knows what he is talking about, including in his podcast, “Maximize Your Social Influence.”

Image via Neal Schaffer

Gordon Glenister: The book on Influencer Marketing

The influencer marketing expert, keynote speaker, author, podcast host and CSO of Audience2Media aims to answer the basic questions for his clients. How do I find the right influencers, how can I improve my own influence, how do I implement an IM campaign, how do I create a community or membership and what do I pay for influencers?

In his book “Influencer Marketing Strategy”, published in the UK and America, he explores these very questions in over 40 interviews, case studies and other tips. One of his projects is a weekly influencer marketing roundtable, to which he invites guests from around the world to talk IM with him. The recordings are available to members of his Facebook group IM Secrets.

Image via Twitter @GordonGlenister

Camille Jourdain knows his way around Influencer Marketing in France

Camille Jourdain studied marketing and then worked for eight years in a social media agency, today the Frenchman is an independent consultant for IM and author of his 2019 book “Influence Marketing – Stratégies des marques avec les influenceurs” [Influence Marketing – Strategies of Brands with Influencers].

In it, he asks the following questions: what are the trends in influencer marketing? What strategies should you use when dealing with influencers? What types of partnerships should you form? What content do they prefer to publish and on which social networks? Which brands are getting the short end of the stick with creative and effective campaigns?

At just 21 years old, Guillaume founded his first company while still a student. After many more career steps, since 2016 he is Head of Digital Communications at WNP909, a social media agency that implements communication strategies on social networks, influencer:ins, for PR campaigns and events.

Image via Camille Jourdain

Jenny Song Schmidt advises clients in Germany

Together with her team of 10, influencer marketing consultant Jenn Song Schmidt focuses on performance-based, data-driven influencer marketing. Before starting her own business, the Berlin native was Senior Lead Influencer Marketing and Social Media at Gymondo, Germany’s leading fitness platform for women online, for four years.

She helps companies with the first steps in influencer marketing, creating campaigns through to evaluating them. Song Schmidt has been an entrepreneur since 2021 and has worked with Vanessa Mai, Team Harrison, Cathy Hummels, Daniel Aminati, Adrienne Koleszar, Ivana Santacruz and Paola Maria, among others.

This September, Song Schmidt is hosting the Influencer Marketing Masterclass powered by Kolsquare together with Sarah Emmerich. The Masterclass is an online course that stretches over four weeks and is online available in Germany for now.

Image via Instagram @jennysongschmidt

Influencer Marketing Expert in Spain: Ignacio Santiago

Ignacio Santiago has been running a digital marketing agency for more than eight years. Clients are mainly entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to implement all types of projects.

Previously, the Spaniard studied marketing at the prestigious ESIC Business and Marketing School. But even while working for different agencies, he knew he would one day realize his dreams. Santiago wanted to aim high and risked a lot, at a time when in Spain a job was just like winning the lottery. His passion and drive still drive him today to do the best he can for his customers.

Santiago describes himself as a “trend hunter”, which is why he has been on the Internet for a long time and knows “how to anticipate trends and take advantage of them”. Accordingly, he also writes blogs about each of his hobbies, which range from motorcycles, fashion for men and fitness.

Image via Instagram @ignaciosantiago

About Kolsquare

Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.

Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.

With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.

As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.

Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.