Twitter isn’t just a place your company can engage with consumers, it’s also an excellent medium to take in bite-sized bits of valuable knowledge by following the top branding experts.  

You’ll learn everything from best practices, industry news and how to be successful from these thought leaders. Here’s a tip: Don’t just pay attention to what they post, but also how they are doing it and what kinds of tweets they are producing. It’s social branding gold.

Follow and interact with these top ten marketing, branding and social media superstars to take in their social skills:

1. Scott Monty — @ScottMonty

If you’re looking for a real world example of a perfectly balanced and engaging brand Twitter feed, hit up the profile of Ford Motor Company’s head of social media,  Scott Monty. He seamlessly blends his personal brand with that of the company, sharing tweets and links about both, all while including just enough personality to be likable. He cements his status as a thought leader by sharing his knowledge, conversing with other thought leaders and customers and linking to great content from other sources.

Monty utilizes other social media platforms and apps, but doesn’t overdo it. You will see that he checks in to Foursquare occasionally–but doesn’t overwhelm with every place he goes–will share the random Flickr photo and makes smart use of Paper.lis. He uses three of these papers to highlight his fields of interest and expertise: The Pure Michigan Daily, The Automotive Daily and The Top Social Media Minds Weekly.

2. Chris Brogan — @chrisbrogan

President of Human Business Works, author, journalist, marketing consultant and social media superstar Chris Brogan is one of the most recognizable faces in social media marketing. He tweets insights into building credibility and using social software.

3. Liz Strauss — @lizstrauss

“Be irresistible” is social business strategist Liz Strauss’ motto and her Twitter feed is just that. Follow her for a deeper look into branding and customer connection.

4. Dan Schwabel — @DanSchwabel

 Personal branding expert Dan Schwabel is a fount of advice on Twitter. The bestselling author of “Me 2.0″ and TIMES/Forbes columnist tweets everything from where and how to network to social media tips.

5. David Henderson — @DavidHenderson

Brand journalist David Henderson is at the forefront of business communication strategy. The author and Emmy Award winning journalist takes to Twitter to discuss best practices, brand and PR flops. 

6. JoAnn Hines — @packagingdiva

JoAnn Hines, aka the Packaging Diva, knows that brands need to put on their best face–and package–for consumers. Her feed is packed with social media tips, branding advice and packaging resources.

7. Mari Smith — @MariSmith

Facebook guru Mari Smith is no slouch when it comes to maintaining a brand on Twitter either. Follow “The New Relationship Marketing” author and social media thought leader’s tweets about social media marketing, brand strategy and how-tos.  

8. Porter Gale — @portergale

As the former Vice President of Marketing at Virgin America, Porter Gale knows what it takes to socially power a major brand. She now lends that expertise to cool tech start-ups and shares her wisdom in 140 characters or less.

9. Olivier Blanchard — @thebrandbuilder

Author of “Social Media R.O.I.” Olivier Blanchard is all about marketing, brand measurement and social business. Watch for his tweets about what brands are doing right…and wrong.

10. Cindy Ratzlaff — @BrandYou

Want to learn how to drive excitement about your product or company through brand ambassadors? Then follow digital marketing expert Cindy Ratzlaff on Twitter to discover the ins and outs of brand evangelism. 

Do you already follow someone on this list? If so, who?

Who else would you recommend following to get the inside scoop on all things branding?