For many creatives, a career in finance or insurance isn’t the first choice when considering a professional path. Like many people, I think of Wall Street, data, and sharp suits when I picture these industries — while fields like advertising, writing, marketing, and media seem completely separate. But as I’ve learned, that’s not the case.
Discovering Your Path
My journey into financial and insurance marketing wasn’t straightforward. I have been writing and creating content since I was a teenager, starting with short stories and movie reviews. After college, I landed at a tech start-up, creating content for customers and business partners. There I was, sketching out ideas and writing —and getting paid for it. That experience opened my eyes to new opportunities, not just in tech but also in industries like insurance and finance.
At first, these industries felt like a leap from the creative work of my younger days, but the core remained the same — engaging an audience through storytelling. Today, as a senior content producer at NFP, I write content and film corporate videos for various businesses and industries, including finance and insurance. My work has appeared in Billboard Magazine, at professional sporting events, and on the radio.
Broadening Horizons
Throughout my career, I’ve had the chance to expand my skill set and deepen my understanding of how different business lines function. These have included:
- Aviation: Crafting narratives that emphasize pilot safety and well-being.
- Banking: Designing content that simplifies complex products and enhances financial literacy.
- Entertainment: Promoting financial services tailored to media professionals.
- Sports: Building campaigns around sports management, insurance, and athlete finances.
- Energy and Marine: Developing content on risk management and financial planning in high-risk environments.
- Healthcare: Creating custom infographics and documents that explain critical healthcare services and products.
For creatives wanting to make a tangible impact, finance and insurance offer abundant opportunities.
Creativity in Financial Services
In financial services, there are untapped opportunities for creative professionals to develop persuasive campaigns and demystify complex topics. Here, you interact with services that support our society while shaping how these services are presented and understood.
What’s interesting about marketing is that, no matter the industry, the fundamentals remain the same — whether you’re working with influencers, ads, or campaigns, creativity still drives the message. The difference lies in who you market to and how you convey a message. Understanding your audience’s needs and crafting a story that resonates is always the goal.
“Financial services can feel inaccessible due to its complexity, but finance shapes our everyday lives. As a marketing professional, it’s essential to break down complicated concepts so that they’re easy to grasp, for everyone.
When I’m creating content, I often think about people like my grandparents, who may not be native English speakers, so I strive to make the content as understandable as possible. Marketing is also about empathy. I want people to feel condent in what they’re investing in.”
– Rachelle Rowe, Senior Manager, Sales Content Marketing
The Writer’s Room
In many ways, my work feels like being in a writer’s room. Our content team’s brainstorming sessions are filled with humor, levity, insight, and a sense of responsibility. We work diligently to keep content fresh in an industry where content can sometimes feel tired and boring.
On one hand, you need precision and analytical thinking, while on the other, there’s room to innovate and experiment. Whether it’s developing a video series, creating interactive tools, or launching thought leadership campaigns, the possibilities are almost endless.
Finding Your Niche
Marketing involves a wide range of tasks, and this broad scope can feel overwhelming at times, especially when roles overlap. For example, a content strategist might also work on SEO, and a brand manager could be involved in social media. While this overlap can make it hard to pick a specific path, it also makes marketing exciting.
The ability to adapt and grow is one of the field’s greatest strengths because marketing is flexible.
Within the field, there’s always room to shift focus, blend skills, and evolve. You might start in copywriting and move into product marketing or brand strategy.
In my career, I’ve transitioned from sales marketing to copywriting to video production and, at times, done several all at once.
I’ve worked across various industries, exploring data and analytics while staying true to storytelling and audience engagement.
In the end, if creativity and career flexibility are what you seek, and you’re curious about the financial services industry, financial marketing could be the perfect fit.
It offers the chance to shape narratives, simplify complex products, and evolve within a growing sector. You can help define how consumers engage with financial services and build trust through storytelling.
Marketing in financial services allows you the dual benefit of making a real impact while honing your creative and strategic skills.
