The Windsor Cottage Story
Windsor Cottage is a Rochester-based retail home décor boutique, offering a refined mix of new and consigned home furnishings with an emphasis on value, style, and design. I’ve been working with Peggy and “Team Cottage” for over 15 years as a freelance graphic designer, web developer, and social media content provider.
This client story is a great example of doing big things with a little budget. Small businesses don’t always have the means to out-spend their larger big-box competitors on marketing materials and advertising. But with some smart graphic design and a solid social media marketing strategy, any business can level the playing field and get results.
Project Scope
Logo Design & Branding
Marketing Collateral Design & Production
Website Design & Development
Social Media Marketing
Product Photography
Email Marketing
Social Media Marketing
I managed the Windsor Cottage Instagram and Facebook accounts for a couple of years to help Peggy get some traction in the Social Media space. In that time, we organically grew the Instagram account from about 250 fans to over 1,800+. We also grew the Facebook following from about 300 to over 3000+ and both platforms are still growing.
We grew a fan base steadily and slowly by simply providing quality content and sincere engagement. I’d pop into the store on a regular basis and shoot 100+ photos at a time so that we had an archive of content to work from every week. Below are a few samples from the shoots that made up our Instagram grid.
“We look forward to many more years of creative synergy!”
Creating a brand for a design forward business is both a challenge and a joy, and Michael’s partnership with us has been very clearly one of the secrets of our success.
Michael and I have collaborated for almost twenty years developing our brand’s story. Our logo, packaging, print advertising, website and social media sites have consistently and creatively represented our vision through his interpretation. Over the years, his creative direction has helped us define and refine our image – and today as we are again pivoting our business model, he is once again developing a fresh new look and perspective for us.
To say that working with Michael is a business owner’s dream is an understatement. He is easy going and responsive. His design acumen is exceptional. He listens and understands from the client’s perspective. We look forward to many more years of creative synergy!
Peggy Growney — Windsor Cottage
Email Marketing
I worked with Peggy to both message and design the bi-weekly email blasts and get them set up in Constant Contact with the appropriate tracking. We then repurposed those emails into several social media posts spaced throughout the week, supplemented with other engaging content.
It’s safe to say that Windsor Cottage has some big fans who look forward to receiving news and updates about their favorite shop. We had a yearly average open rate of 34%…that’s 25% higher than the industry average. And our average click-through rate clocked in at 24%, which is 14% higher than the industry average.
For several years in a row, we were even recognized by Constant Contact as an “All-Star Winner” for achieving strong email marketing and customer engagement results for the work we did on the account.
