It’s the question I ask myself at least once a week—right around the time I’m second-guessing everything: Does this strategy need more time to take root? Or is it just... not working?
The honest answer? It depends. But to really answer it, I like to take a walk in the garden. It’s where I decompress, reconnect, and gather more life wisdom than I ever expected from soil and sunshine. There's a reason the Bible is full of gardening metaphors—plants and people grow in strikingly similar ways. And the longer I’ve worked in marketing, the more I’ve realized: your marketing strategy is a lot like your backyard.
I’m not saying you have to start composting your blog posts—but the comparison works. You prepare the soil. You plant what fits your climate and conditions. And then… you wait. You nurture. You water and weed. And eventually—if you’re consistent—you see growth.
You don’t drop a dollar in and get an immediate ROI snack. You plant. You water. You wait. And eventually—if you’re consistent—you get something beautiful.
When I’m not creating marketing strategy, I’m probably in my backyard in my hammock with my teddybear sunflowers, my dogs, and a good book. Gardening is where I go to unwind, and accidentally come up with metaphors for marketing.
Here’s my favorite:
In the garden, there are two types of plants: annuals and perennials.
Annuals are the overachievers. They bloom fast and fade just as quickly. If you want instant gratification, they’re your go-to. But they burn out. You have to replant them every year.
Perennials, though? They take their time. They put their energy underground first—establishing deep roots. And then—if you’re patient—they start to bloom. And then they come back. Again and again. Bigger and better every year.
There’s a saying I learned in my first year as a Master Gardener:
The first year they sleep. The second year they creep. The third year they leap.
Sound familiar?
If you’ve been in business long enough to know how the world actually works, you’re probably nodding your head. Because this same rhythm plays out in marketing, especially for financial professionals.
This is the root-building year. Year one is not sexy. You’re planting seeds, testing soil, and figuring out what actually grows in your corner of the internet. Your brand is just beginning to take shape, your voice is finding rhythm, and your audience is learning that you exist. You’re laying the foundation: building your brand, figuring out what to say, where to say it, and how to say it without sounding like every other advisor on LinkedIn.
It’s root-building time. You’re expanding your reach, building engagement, and starting to be seen as “someone who knows their stuff.”
But conversions? Not yet. That fruit takes time to ripen, and that’s normal. The goal here isn’t the harvest. It’s building the ecosystem that makes a harvest possible.
Now that you’ve got the foundation in place, it’s time to play with your delivery. You’re not reinventing the message—you’re remixing how it gets out there.
Maybe you switch from newsletters to webinars. Maybe you double down on short-form video. Maybe you finally launch that podcast you’ve been talking about since 2021.
At this stage, you start to see more prospect calls, and your reach keeps growing. You’re no longer shouting into the void—you’re actually getting responses. Not floods of leads yet, but meaningful movement.
And it feels good. Like finally seeing a few tiny green shoots pop up in spring.
This is where it gets real.
You’ve built an audience. You’ve got a consistent presence. You’re no longer introducing yourself. You’re reinforcing your value. People recognize your name. They forward your newsletter. They binge your content during their Sunday coffee scroll.
And best of all, they convert.
Even if you can’t always draw a straight line from TikTok post → client onboarding (spoiler: you usually can’t), you’ll notice something else → your business is growing. Leads are coming from all directions. Conversations are turning into relationships. Your brand is doing its job.
This is the power of marketing with roots.
Let’s talk tomatoes. (Because yes, we’re still in the garden.)
If you forget to water your tomatoes for a week and then try to make up for it with a tsunami of hydration… you’re going to split the fruit. It literally bursts. It's a sad, soggy mess.
Marketing is the same. Showing up inconsistently, then panic-posting three times in one week, doesn’t build trust. It builds confusion.
Your audience doesn’t need a flashy push. They need to know you’re dependable. That you show up when you say you will. That you’re someone they can trust—not just when things are urgent, but always.
So the question isn’t “What’s the fastest way to grow?”
It’s “What can I sustain while also running my firm and living my life?”
One weekly video? Great. Two emails a month? Perfect. Pick what you can actually stick with. And do it over and over again.
Do you want quick blooms and fast burnout? Or deep roots and long-term growth?
The best advisors I know aren’t chasing trends. They’re showing up, strategically, consistently, and authentically. They’re okay being perennials. Because they know the leap is coming.
And when it does? It’s worth the wait.
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