The Money Guy Show is a popular financial podcast and YouTube channel focused on teaching practical personal finance concepts to everyday people. Started in 2011 by Brian Preston and Chad Carroll, the Money Guy Show has grown tremendously over the years and now reaches millions of listeners each month. They do a great job breaking down complex financial topics into easy-to-understand terms and providing straightforward advice. Some of their most popular social media campaigns have focused on teaching people how to budget, save for retirement, pay off debt, and build an emergency fund. They regularly create shareable infographics, videos, and social media posts on these topics that generate a lot of engagement from their sizable and growing online following.
One major campaign they ran called #DebtFreeScream encouraged listeners who paid off large amounts of debt to publicly share their success stories. People would post photos or videos of themselves screaming or celebrating being debt-free on social media platforms and tag the Money Guy accounts. This created a sense of community and accountability among listeners while also motivating others who were still working towards becoming debt-free. The hashtag would then trend on days following these posts as more and more people joined in celebrating their financial victories. This campaign in particular seemed to resonate strongly with their target demographic and succeeded in promoting the importance of getting out of debt.
Another highly successful financial literacy campaign was done by the nonprofit Khan Academy through their YouTube channel. Starting in 2020, during the height of the global pandemic, Khan Academy launched a series of videos and social media programs aimed at teaching basic personal finance skills to those who found themselves grappling with unemployment, debt, or other money issues as a result of COVID-19. Their “Personal Finance Basics” playlist racked up millions of views as people sought reliable guidance on topics like unemployment benefits, emergency funds, budgeting on a limited income, delaying or negotiating payments, and understanding new relief programs.
To complement these educational videos, Khan Academy also created sharable Instagram graphics, tweet threads, and Facebook posts focused on breaking down complex stimulus or relief program details into easy-to-digest nuggets of information. Seeing clear examples of who qualified for benefits, how much money people could expect to receive, and specific steps to take proved extremely helpful for many struggling financially during this difficult time. Their ability to convey difficult financial concepts through multiple mediums while actively engaging online communities helped improve financial capability for millions impacted by the pandemic.
The nonprofit Cash Course also warrants recognition for the impact of their social media driven financial literacy campaigns. Since 2014, Cash Course has partnered with community colleges, universities, and organizations across America to deliver personal finance education programs on campus and in workplace settings. In recent years, they have especially focused on expanding their reach through creative social media initiatives. For example, their #PaidDialogues program invites financial experts and influencers to answer personal finance questions submitted by followers, typically in a video question and answer format. Posts are then promoted across multiple platforms. This has allowed tens of thousands to have their specific money questions addressed by reputable sources.
Cash Course also regularly crowdsources financial challenges or goals people want to accomplish, then creates weekly video lessons, mailable worksheets, and online discussion boards to support people through multi-week programs together – like saving for a down payment or paying off credit card debt. Following specific cohorts of people on this financial journey and celebrating their wins publicly on social networks like Twitter and Facebook has proven highly engaging while also motivating continued progress. Evaluations consistently show participants gain confidence and skills from interactions within these online communities.
These are just a few examples of successful financial literacy campaigns driven primarily through social media engagement that have notably improved financial capability and empowered individuals and communities to make smarter money decisions. By leveraging popular online platforms and interactive multimedia content, organizations are able to convey vital financial knowledge to huge audiences, foster communities of support and accountability, and promote widespread behavior change – all keys to advancing financial well-being on a large scale. With ongoing innovation, social media certainly provides huge potential to advance financial literacy for many years to come.