While influencer marketing has seen exponential growth in industries like fashion and beauty, it’s been a slow sell in finance. This is largely due to stricter laws on the inclusion of influencers within financial services marketing.

Considering the lack of trust financial institutions experienced since the crisis of 2008, influencer marketing (which drives trust) is not something to sleep on. If you’re looking to include an influencer in your marketing strategy, here are 5 standout financial services thought leaders to keep an eye on. Even if you just want to keep up-to-date on the latest trends in the finance industry, these thought leaders are a fantastic source of news.

Note: The use of influencers is more strictly regulated in financial services than in other industries. The end of this article will have more information.

Chris Skinner

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chris_Skinner

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmskinner/

Chris comments on finance through a wide range of channels. You can find him on his blog, thefinanser.com, and in one of the many books he has written and published: Digital Bank, ValueWeb, and Digital Human. According to his website, he is Chair of the European networking forum The Financial Services Club and Nordic Finance Innovation, as well as being a Non-Executive Director of the Fintech consultancy firm 11:FS. He also does a lot of public speaking. Check out his TED talk here:

Chris has worked with the likes of UBS, Barclays, The World Bank, and Salesforce. He was voted best Fintech speaker in the world in the TMT awards.

Michelle Singletary

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SingletaryM

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/singletarymichelle/

Michelle is an award-winning syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. Her column is called The Color of Money and she’s also the author of “The 21 Day Financial Fast”. The content she writes about is predominantly personal finance.

Michelle also has a lot of television experience, including being the financial expert for a TV show on ABC called “The Revolution”. Additionally, she’s appeared on various talk shows from Oprah, NBC’s “Today”, CNN, and “The Early Show” on CBS.

Brett King

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brettking

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettking/

Brett is a bestselling author and public speaker who hosts his own very successful radio show Breaking Banks which features guests who discuss a wide range of fintech-related subjects. It reaches 177 countries with roughly 6.5 million listeners.

He has spoken in over 50 countries at events organized by companies like Wired, The Economist, and more. Here he is talking about experiential banking at IBM’s event.

Brett appears on television as a financial commentator on CNBC, BBC, ABS, and Fox. He also used to give advice to the Obama administration on Fintech policy.

Anna Irrera

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annairrera

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annairrera/

Anna works for the international news organization, Reuters, as their Fintech correspondent. Her column covers everything from financial news, technological developments in the finance sector, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and online investing.

As well as her social media channels and Reuters column, you can also subscribe to her weekly fintech roundup here.

Simon Cocking

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simoncocking

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-cocking-20540135/

Firstly, Simon is a writer, journalist, and entrepreneur who creates content for a wide variety of publications. Secondly, he is the senior editor for Ireland’s #1 tech site Irish Tech News and the editor-in-chief of CryptoCoin.News. Lastly, he writes regularly for:

Sunday Business Post
Irish Times
G+D
Dublin Globe
Tweakyourbiz
UCD Innovation Academy
Digital Skills Academy
IBM

Legal challenges of working with financial services thought leaders

There are some general rules in place for working with influencers. Additionally in financial services, there are some unique regulations you have to follow.

In any industry, when you work with an influencer, you have to follow the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) disclosure guidelines. The most important of these rules is that any post the influencer makes has to be labeled as an advertisement.

In Finance, you also have to obey the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) advertising rules and regulations. These rules prevent influencers from recommending mutual funds and stocks.

So what is free of red tape? As long as your financial services thought leaders are focusing on experience over specific investment/stock advice, you are good to go!