13 People Who Know How to Engage (Part 2)

Last week, we presented the first half of our Top 13 Social Media Stars —

Those guys who know how to work it on Facebook and Twitter and throughout the blogosphere. 

Now it’s time to reveal our top six social media prodigies.

6. 50 Cent – 50 Cent has over 7.5 million followers on Twitter and spends a lot of time showing them his love, so to speak. His Tweets have inspired a viral Tumblr, Fiddy’s Biddies, that chronicles all the lovely ladies whom “Fiddy” flirts with online. 50 Cent’s relentless mojo has kept him in the top 50 most followed people on Twitter despite his relative irrelevance in the current American music scene. Now that’s truly impressive.

5. Soraya Darabi – At the age of 23, New York City’s social media queen led the New York Times’ dive into social as its manager of digital partnerships and social media. Three years ago, Darabi cofounded Foodspotting, the crowdsourced dining guide that has won over the hearts of foodies everywhere. Darabi, who is still in her 20s, has been featured on the cover of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” issue, named one of Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30," and included in AdAge.com’s “25 Media People You Should Follow on Twitter” — rightfully so, since no one knows digital media better. Her over 400,000 Twitter followers hang on to her every word and know she’s not yet done revolutionizing the media landscape.

4. Ashton Kutcher – Kutcher has successfully used social media to transition from “that guy from the awful rom-com movies” to one of the most successful and influential startup investors in Silicon Valley. When Kutcher first joined Twitter, he snagged the tabloid audience by posting pictures from his bed with Demi Moore. Today, he’s a must-follow for the startup crowd. Kutcher is just as likely to Tweet with the founders of Instagram as he is with his Two and a Half Men co-stars. Consider this: Kutcher will be playing Steve Jobs in an upcoming film. That idea would have been preposterous five years ago; today, it just makes sense.

3. Barack Obama – Let’s be honest: Barack Obama would not be President of the United States of America if he hadn’t worked social media like he was playing a game of one-on-one basketball against Danny DeVito. Heading into the Democratic primaries in 2008, Obama looked like a long shot compared to Hillary Clinton, who was backed by the deep pockets of the party establishment. The Obama campaign turned to social media to spark a grassroots movement and bam! Obama engaged everyone who saw his smiling face and heard his booming voice. Today, President Obama is in a dogfight to get reelected, and he’s still engaging voters online in incredible ways.

2. Lady Gaga – Earlier this year, Lady Gaga became the first person to hit 20 million Twitter followers, thanks to a brilliant engagement strategy: giving all her followers the official name “Little Monsters.” The Little Monsters movement — unified by YouTube claw dances, bizarre fashion, and a love of all things Gaga — has become such a phenomenon that Google featured it in a national spot promoting the Chrome browser. The commercial encapsulates the Little Monsters social movement perfectly, so definitely check it out:

1. Justin Bieber – There is likely no Internet group in the world as rabid and powerful as the Beliebers — fans of Justin Bieber who mobilize on Twitter to do insane things like storm stores and buy thousands of Justin Bieber CDs. Bieber’s Internet power is unprecedented. When he Tweets almost anything, the Internet explodes. He launched Carly Rae Jespen’s career and the worldwide “Call Me Maybe” sensation just by posting a homemade music video of it on YouTube. If the United States ever allowed 13-year-olds to vote and Canadians to run for President, Bieber would definitely get elected. You better Beliebe it!