Audience Nurture FAQ's

What does “Audience Nurture” mean?

That’s the term we use to describe what we do here at Northstar Collaborative (i.e. help businesses connect and build community with their past customers/clients), as well as why we do it!

Those two words were very carefully and intentionally chosen:

• Audience: A group or community on the receiving end of one’s message

• Nurture: To foster the growth and wellbeing of someone or something

Where does the term “Audience Nurture” come from?

The term was coined by Northstar Collaborative’s Founder, Will Heller, after years and years spent pondering what he ultimately wanted to do with his digital marketing career. Having worked in a staggering range of different marketing disciplines, he was able to find the perfect intersection of his skillset and his mission of “Embodying Healthy Community In Business.”

So “Audience Nurture” is just a fancy term for relationship marketing?

In short, yes and no. Northstar Collaborative actually got its start as a relationship marketing agency, but we have been able to expand on the idea over the years.

At a service level, much of what we do is still built on the fundamentals of relationship marketing, but we use the term “Audience Nurture” to describe a broader philosophy that encompasses things like sales and brand building.

Does Audience Nurture only work on past customers or clients?

While a business’ past customers/clients tend to be the most common target audiences for the work that we do, we have plenty of examples of partnering with companies in really creative ways. We’ve helped nonprofits engage more meaningfully with their donor bases, and we’ve even assisted a company with their internal communication!

Is Audience Nurture worth it?

The very existence of Northstar Collaborative is a sign that audience nurture is worth the effort.

When we get this question, it’s usually in comparison to other marketing or business development efforts (Is audience nurture worth it compared to running ads, hiring a new sales person, etc?), so the underlying question is actually “Is audience nurture the best use of my resources right now?”

If you’re asking yourself this question, we will gladly help you discern whether or not audience nurture is the right strategy for your business! We’ve helped countless businesses through this process, and we’ll be open and honest with you if we feel your time and budget are better spent elsewhere.

How is Audience Nurture different from regular email or social media marketing?

It’s all in the approach.

Where audience nurture differs from traditional marketing efforts is that it seeks to give more than it asks for. It’s the difference between emails/social media posts barking about an upcoming sale and telling you to “ORDER NOW,” and ones that give you a useful piece of advice on how to get the most of the product you bought from them.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should never promote yourself, but if you want the right people to stick around, it’s all about finding that balance of give and take.

How many past customers/clients do I need for Audience Nurture to be effective?

While that depends on a ton of different factors, we will say this: That number is far, far lower than you might think.

If you have 5 email addresses in your mailing list, send them an email reminding them that they are a part of your business’ community. If you have tens of followers on Instagram, post something that makes their experience with your business just a little bit better.

Much of what makes audience nurture so powerful is that it can be effective at any level.

What specific metrics should I track to measure the success of my Audience Nurture efforts?

We have a blog post in the pipeline that will answer this, but in the meantime, here’s a quick list:

• Net Promoter Score (NPS): How likely someone is to refer/promote your business to someone in their sphere of influence

• Lifetime Value (LTV): How much revenue a customer generates over the course of your relationship with them

• Churn Rate: The rate at which people stop doing business with you

• Ratings/Reviews: Clear indicators of customer sentiment provided by the customers themselves

• Direct Website Traffic: How many people are navigating directly to your website, rather than clicking referral links/search results/etc. Note: This one is definitely not as clear-cut, but direct website traffic can sometimes be an indicator of word-of-mouth marketing.