An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
I’d say the most interesting part of my career is this unexpected exposure to fields I never imagined would be part of my day-to-day work. I see this as a real privilege to be working with so many technology companies and witnessing firsthand the most creative ideas turn into reality. It is never boring for us to meet with entrepreneurs and promising startups.
As part of my series about “How Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” I had the pleasure of interviewing Regev Gur.
Regev Gur is the Founder and CEO of Narrative Group, a leading influencer marketing company based in New York, New York. At Narrative, Gur oversees and manages millions of dollars in advertising and marketing campaigns focused on strategic influencer programs for leading global brands.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is your “backstory”? What brought you to this point in your career?
I am a people person. I enjoy meeting new people, learning new ideas, and connecting people with others. I constantly look for ways to make an impact in my personal and professional life. Through my business, Narrative Group, I’ve found a way to help businesses use the personal and professional network that I’ve created over the years.
Founding Narrative Group has been like seeing an old dream come to life. We are fortunate to work with leading global technology companies, connecting them with content creators and managing influencer marketing campaigns to drive brand awareness and customer engagement. Our growing agency helps companies spread the word by working with content creatives to reach millions of like-minded people every day.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you in the course of your career?
In my first year launching Narrative Group, I was working with one of the most popular and sought-after influencers in the business. I was very eager to bring them in one new project that involved one of the largest companies in the technology sector. It was a little intimidating at first and a challenge to get their attention. Little did I realize this mega star was also involved in a similar charitable effort and cared deeply about the same cause. I was able to leverage that connection to set a course of our collaboration. I learned that you can always find a way to connect with another person and that looking below the surface is one of the best ways to build a relationship.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I attribute my success to having a purpose. I believe in the cause and the impact of our work. Our clients are aligned in our vision that impact matters. We are constantly looking for ways we can help society and use the power of our connections to consider the bigger picture and think of the incredible platform they have to spread their message. Working with mostly tech companies, we’ve been helping our clients to promote important issues such as data privacy, financial inclusion, and transparency.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?
Failure is how you grow. Facing challenges along the way are part of the journey. Failing played a much bigger role in leading me to where I am today than success. Fails and disappointments are inevitable, and it is all a matter of how you react and learn when they occur.
The same can be said for the amazing creators and social media influencers we work with. These talented individuals did not start off famous or successful and their career is a product of sheer determination, adjusting their focus, and finding their right position in the market. That is why we find that influencers are such effective marketing tools. Their audience can relate to their authenticity and accessibility.
Despite my setbacks, I kept going and never doubted my vision. I think that if you truly believe in the impact of your work and the cause you are fighting for, you have more chances to succeed.
So what are the most exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
One of the most intriguing campaigns I have had the chance to work on is a new NFT project. This, to me, is an example of how our work as marketing professionals has evolved and overlaps with many areas of the business. NFTs and similar trends add sophisticated layers to our work and integrate marketing efforts into gaming, design, and finance.
Following the great success of fashion and cosmetics influencers, we are also seeing an increasing presence of B2B technology firms exploring the influencer marketing space. The potential of this market is limitless, especially as companies look to influencer marketing in the metaverse. It is exciting for us as industry pioneers to be exploring more creative ways to ‘tell the company story’. We are working with some of the biggest names in the b2b influencer markets, including ‘Who’s the Boss’, Nas Daily, and Linus tech tips
What are your “Top Five Ways That Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” . (Please share a story or example for each.)
The influencers we work with have worked hard on building their audience. It takes a lot of sacrifices to be willing to share your day-to-day life with millions of people in a credible, authentic way. At the same time, it’s a crowded field and very competitive to make a living. We are strong advocates for the creators we work with and encourage them to think about new ways to generate income, including:
1. Sponsored Posts
This is the most common way influencers monetize their brand. They can film themselves testing a product or explaining its benefits to their followers. These posts have the potential to be way more effective than other channels in terms of marketing, especially high-quality content.
2. How to & Live Q&A
Successful influencers are popular professionals within their niche. They build their reputation after years of hard work positioning themselves as experts within their industry. They are able to leverage their prestige to host live events and forums. They take questions, give advice, or post explanatory videos. Companies and followers are willing to pay these expert influencers for serving as a moderator and hosts of these online gatherings.
3. Sales
We are seeing more influencers asking for commissions on sales. This approach gives them a greater incentive to make an impact on the bottom line. By measured sales associated with those influencers, they can directly measure their outcomes. Influencers can share coupon codes or links that help track their sales and calculate their ‘share based on bonafide metrics.
4. Creating Product Lines
Influencers have built their credibility in front of their audience and followers to the point where they can actually cobrand products with a larger brand. They can choose to create and market their own products in partnership with leading brands or as a standalone product.
5. Guest Appearances
Some influencers might be willing to share their stage and help their clients gain exposure by featuring them on their platforms. A blog, video, or a simple shoutout can make a great impact when positioning clients directly in front of their target audience. While influencers are very selective when it comes to bringing a client onto their platforms, it is one of the most effective ways for a brand to stand out.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can inspire.
Being more inclusive. The high-tech sector is still dominated by certain types of individuals. For example, the LGBTQ and special needs communities are still very much left on the outside. The world of remote work and the rise of the metaverse can create countless opportunities for employees with disabilities. What I would like to see more is companies targeting these groups that have been excluded for years and creating equitable work environments that welcome more parts of society.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 🙂
I am always a big fan of people who use their power to spread good and give back. One in particular that I adore is Eynat Guez — Co-Founder and CEO of Papaya Global. She is one of the most inspiring tech leaders out there. What I admire about her work is that it seems like her main focus is always on the impact of her company’s work and her added value to society, rather than on revenue.
What is the best way our readers can follow your work online?
https://www.instagram.com/regevgur/?hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/in/regevgur
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Regev Gur of Narrative Group: Five Ways For Influencers To Monetize Their Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.