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I’ve been spending the last few weeks moving dirt around.
Due to a recent construction project, I’ve had to replant a portion of my yard. I’ve been hauling wheelbarrows of dirt, relocating plants, sowing grass seed, and planting bulbs. It’s the end of summer, and I’m planting in preparation for next year.
As I was shoveling dirt yesterday, a thought occurred to me, “This is a bit like marketing.”

“Market today for next year’s business”

Earlier this summer, I attended the Creative Freelancer Conference in San Francisco and heard a presentation by Mark O’Brien of Newfangled, a web development firm. One of his comments was “Market today for next year’s business,” which I promptly retweeted. I remembered this statement yesterday, as I was determining where certain perennials should be planted, though I would not see the blooms until next year.

Are you marketing to get immediate work, or to the clients you’d like to work with in the future? Keep your website updated with content that addresses your target market, and use content and keywords that will help them find you. Promote your website through email newsletters, social media and print materials. Invest time in your marketing now, and it will bring you work in the future.