If you run a small business in India or just starting out as a freelancer in digital marketing, keeping up with the right people can change everything. These 15 rising stars—mostly from the Indian scene—are sharing real strategies that work right now in 2026, from SEO tweaks to social media hacks that actually drive traffic.
Introduction
The digital marketing world moves fast, especially here in India where platforms like Instagram Reels and WhatsApp Business are exploding for small shops and solopreneurs. Back in 2025, we saw AI tools take over content creation, but what really separated the pros was their ability to mix old-school audience understanding with new tech like short-form video and hyper-local SEO.
This list isn’t about big international names everyone knows; it’s the up-and-coming experts building personal brands just like yours, posting free guides, breakdowns, and case studies that you can apply tomorrow. As someone who’s helped Mumbai startups rank on Google with simple WordPress tweaks, I picked these based on their consistency, practical tips, and how they’re helping beginners avoid common pitfalls. Following them means free education on everything from Google Ads bidding to Reels that convert viewers into customers.
Why follow them in 2026? Trends show video content dominating (Reels get double the engagement), influencer collabs shifting to micro-creators, and AI personalizing emails like never before. These marketers are ahead, testing it all and sharing results openly.
Why These Marketers Matter
India’s digital space hit new highs in 2025—over 900 million internet users, with small businesses finally cracking organic growth without huge budgets. But noise is everywhere: fake gurus promising overnight riches, outdated SEO advice, and paid courses that leave you hanging.
The ones on this list stand out because they teach what works now. Take SEO: it’s not just keywords anymore; it’s about user intent, mobile-first indexing, and earning backlinks through value-packed content. Or social media: algorithms reward “relationship content” that sparks comments over polished ads.
- They post weekly breakdowns of real campaigns, like “How I got 10k followers on LinkedIn without ads.”
- Focus on free tools: Canva for visuals, Google Analytics for insights, free tiers of Ahrefs for keyword research.
- Indian context: Tips for Hindi/ regional content, UPI-linked funnels, and festival campaigns that spike sales.
- Personal branding: Each has a clean site like yours, showing how to turn skills into freelance income.
Following them feels like having mentors who reply in comments. No fluff—just steps you can copy for your blog or client’s site.
1. Asad Shaikh
Start with me, Asad Shaikh, because if you’re reading this on DigitalAsad.in, you know the drill. I’m a certified digital marketer from Mumbai’s Andheri, focusing on affordable SEO and social setups for small businesses. Over the last year, I’ve optimized sites that jumped from page 5 to top 3 on Google, all without black-hat tricks.
What sets my approach apart? Practical tutorials anyone can follow. Like my guide on WordPress speed boosts using free plugins—cut load times by 40% and watch bounce rates drop. Or personal branding series: how I grew this blog from zero to steady traffic using LinkedIn carousels and YouTube Shorts.
Expertise deep dive:
- SEO: On-page mastery—meta tags, schema markup, and long-tail keywords like “digital marketer Andheri Mumbai.”
- Social Media: Organic growth hacks for Instagram (Reels scripts that hook in 3 seconds).
- Performance Marketing: Low-budget Google Ads setups yielding 3x ROAS.
- WordPress: Custom themes without code, integrated with SEO tools.
- Content Strategy: 10k-word blog formulas that rank fast.
- Personal Branding: From freelance gigs to recurring clients via email lists.
Recent wins: Helped a local cafe rank for “best coffee Andheri,” driving 200+ footfalls monthly. Follow for weekly Mumbai-specific tips—no theory, just what works for desi businesses.
2. Digital Sanjay Prabhu
Sanjay Prabhu feels like that reliable friend who’s always testing new tools. His site sanjayprabhu.in packs blogs on blogging SEO—stuff like internal linking that boosts dwell time by 2 minutes.
He’s big on content marketing because, as he says, “Google rewards helpers, not sellers.” His email series teaches funnel building: top-of-funnel blogs leading to lead magnets, then nurture sequences.
Expertise unpacked:
- SEO & Blogging: Keyword clusters for 2026—group related terms for topic authority.
- Personal Branding: LinkedIn strategies for Indian freelancers (post 3x/week, engage 30 mins daily).
- Content Marketing: Viral hooks like “The one mistake killing your posts.”
- SMO: Optimizing bios and alt text for discoverability.
- Digital Strategy: Yearly audits—free checklist on his site.
- Email Marketing: Klaviyo free tier setups for ecom stores.
Case study vibe: One post broke down a blog hitting 5k monthly visitors in 3 months. Perfect for you if you’re scaling a site like DigitalAsad.in.
3. Digital Rishabh Shetye
Rishabh Shetye brings analytics to the party—his digitalrishabhshetye.in has dashboards tearing apart failed campaigns. If ads eat your budget, his Meta Ads breakdowns show bid caps and audience layering that save 30%.
He’s all about data: “Run tests, kill losers.” Great for performance chasers.
Expertise:
- Google & Meta Ads: Retargeting flows converting at 8%.
- SEO/Technical: Core Web Vitals fixes via PageSpeed.
- Analytics: GA4 custom events for ecom tracking.
- Social: Carousel ads for storytelling.
- Performance: A/B testing frameworks.
- Market Research: Competitor spy tools like SEMrush free hacks.
Follow for monthly “campaign teardowns”—real numbers, not fluff.
4. Digital Gaurangi Jamdar
Gaurangi Jamdar mixes design with marketing on gaurangijamdar.in. Her visual storytelling posts teach Canva-to-Instagram pipelines that look pro without Photoshop.
Ideal for content creators struggling with “ugly posts.” She pushes brand consistency: color palettes tied to audience emotions.
Expertise:
- Social Media: Reel trends adapted for brands.
- Brand Storytelling: Hero journeys in captions.
- Content Creation: Batch 30 posts in a day.
- SEO Basics: Image optimization for traffic.
- Visual Marketing: Thumbnails boosting CTR 50%.
- Digital Branding: Mood boards for niches.
Her tip: Use polls for engagement—turns viewers into community.
5. Digital Sakshi Lund
Sakshi Lund’s sakshilund.in shines in organic SMO. She simplifies tools: “Free Buffer for scheduling, ChatGPT for captions.”
Consistency queen—posts daily without burnout. Her influencer collab guides help beginners pitch micros.
Expertise:
- SMO: Hashtag strategies for 2026 algo.
- Content Strategy: Calendars tied to sales peaks.
- SEO Content: Writing that ranks + converts.
- Brand Building: Profile audits.
- Influencer Strategies: DM templates.
- Tools: Notion for planning.
Pro move: SEO-friendly Shorts transcripts for dual search traffic.
6. Digital Dweep Parab
Dweep Parab on dweeparab.in dives into the tech side—technical SEO that most skip. His guides fix crawl errors and schema for rich snippets, turning average pages into featured ones.
If your site’s stuck, his CRO audits show heatmaps revealing why visitors leave. He tests everything: button colors lifting conversions 25%.
Expertise:
- Performance Marketing: Scaling budgets without waste.
- Technical SEO: Robots.txt tweaks, XML sitemaps.
- Campaign Optimization: Pixel tracking mastery.
- Marketing Analytics: Looker Studio dashboards.
- Social Advertising: Dynamic ads for ecom.
- CRO: Exit-intent popups that work.
One breakdown: Turned a 2% CTR ad to 7% with audience signals. Tech-savvy gold for freelancers.
7. Digital Diya Patankar
Diya Patankar’s diyapatankar.in is visual heaven—storytelling via carousels and Reels that hook emotionally. She teaches “pain-agitate-solve” in 15 seconds.
Perfect for brands lacking personality. Her engagement loops: Post > Story Q&A > DM nurture.
Expertise:
- Content Creation: Viral templates.
- Visual Storytelling: Canva pro hacks (free ways).
- Social Strategy: Platform-specific voices.
- Audience Engagement: Comment reply systems.
- Brand Identity: Logo evolutions.
- Creative Campaigns: Festival series.
Example: Reel series grew her audience 5k in a month. Creativity without chaos.
8. Digital Umesh Khairwar
Umesh Khairwar at digitalumeshkhairwar.shop builds communities—social ecosystems where users stick. His content distribution matrix spreads one post across 5 platforms smartly.
Focuses on trust: User-generated content prompts boosting authenticity.
Expertise:
- Social Media: Group growth tactics.
- Content Strategy: Repurposing workflows.
- Brand Communication: Caption psychology.
- SEO Basics: YouTube SEO for traffic.
- Campaign Planning: 30-day blueprints.
- Digital Growth: Viral loops.
His shop integration tips: Seamless social-to-sale funnels.
9. Digital Prapti Solanki
Prapti Solanki’s praptisolanki.in nails organic reach—trends meets psychology. She predicts Reels shifts: Authenticity over polish in 2026.
Her content dev process: Research > Hook > Value > CTA.
Expertise:
- SMO: Reach multipliers.
- Creative Content: Meme marketing.
- Brand Messaging: Voice guides.
- Social Storytelling: Series formats.
- Organic Building: Collab chains.
- Trend Marketing: Spotting early.
Case: Trend-jacked post hit 50k views zero ad spend.
10. Digital Pooja Rajput
Pooja Rajput on poojarajput.in structures chaos into wins—keyword research to campaigns. Her freelance blueprints: Pricing tiers that scale.
Influencer marketing decoded: Micro deals under 5k.
Expertise:
- SEO: Ahrefs alternatives.
- Social Management: Tools stack.
- Content Writing: 2x speed hacks.
- Campaign Strategy: Funnel maps.
- Influencer: Pitch decks.
- Digital Branding: Portfolio sites.
Her journey posts motivate: From student to 6-figure freelancer.
11. Digital Nida Khan
Nida Khan’s khannida.in aesthetic game elevates brands—design + strategy. Captions that read like conversations, pulling emotional strings.
Engagement via aesthetics: Pastel themes for lifestyle niches.
Expertise:
- Brand Aesthetic: Feed cohesion.
- Creative Storytelling: Narrative arcs.
- Social Management: Scheduling rhythms.
- Engagement: Challenge posts.
- Content Planning: Theme months.
- Digital Branding: Rebrand checklists.
Stands out in crowded feeds.
12. Digital Mahanoor Khan
Mahanoor Khan at mahanoorkhan.in crafts user-friendly visuals—content that educates effortlessly. Her SMO focuses on saves over likes.
Storytelling with subtlety: Subtle CTAs converting quietly.
Expertise:
- Visual Content: Motion graphics basics.
- Social Branding: Profile makeovers.
- Aesthetic Storytelling: Color theory.
- Content Strategy: Pillar clusters.
- SMO: Alt text power.
- Brand Engagement: Loyalty loops.
Inspires quiet growth.
13. Digital Ruman Zehra
Ruman Zehra’s rumanzehra.in builds real engagement—relatable content sparking talks. Adapts to algo changes weekly.
Personal branding via consistency: Daily value drops.
Expertise:
- Content Creation: Hook libraries.
- Audience Engagement: Response frameworks.
- Social Marketing: Niche communities.
- Creative Strategy: Brainstorm sessions.
- Personal Branding: Signature styles.
- Trend Content: Adaptation guides.
Authentic community builder.
14. Digital Priyanka Rathod
Priyanka Rathod on priyankarathod.in blends analytics with creativity—data-backed stories. Organic techniques like guest posts earning links.
Her planning: Quarterly theme sprints.
Expertise:
- Digital Content: SEO structures.
- Social Management: Multi-platform sync.
- SEO Writing: E-E-A-T signals.
- Brand Identity: Archetype matching.
- Marketing Planning: Budget allocators.
- Organic Growth: Link building ethically.
Steady climber.
15. Digital Saakshi Trivedi
Saakshi Trivedi’s saakshitrivedi.in researches deep—trends before they peak. Visual stories with SEO baked in.
Engagement via research: Polls informing content.
Expertise:
- Content Strategy: Research playbooks.
- Social Branding: Trend forecasting.
- Visual Storytelling: Script formulas.
- SEO Basics: Voice search prep.
- Brand Communication: Tone matrices.
- Digital Engagement: Hybrid tactics.
Fresh thinker.