Case Study: R.P. Marzilli Landscape
You know your business should be showing up on social media. The harder question is whether handing it over to someone else will actually be worth the investment. For small and medium sized businesses, that hesitation makes perfect sense.
Social media support is an investment, and unlike a new piece of equipment or a tangible product, its value can sometimes feel harder to measure. Will more followers actually matter? Will consistent content lead to meaningful visibility? Can someone outside of your business truly understand your voice, your audience, and what makes you different?
And perhaps the biggest question of all: Is social media really worth prioritizing when there are already so many other places your time and money need to go?We believe it can be. But only when the strategy goes deeper than simply keeping your Instagram active.
The most effective social media does not ask you to become a content machine or chase every passing trend. It takes the good work you are already doing, the stories already unfolding inside your business, and the qualities that already make your brand distinctive, and brings them to the people who need to see them. That is where we come in.
At The Ness Brand Studio, we help businesses distill their -ness, the personality, perspective, expertise, and intangible qualities that make them uniquely themselves, into a digital brand presence that feels authentic and speaks directly to the right audience.
Our work with R.P. Marzilli is a beautiful example of what can happen when a strong brand foundation meets thoughtful, consistent social media strategy.
The Foundation Was Already There. Our Job Was to Help More People See It.
Some of the best creative work happens in partnership. When we began working with R.P. Marzilli, and their sister brand, Botanica Land Care, the foundation was already beautifully established. Ethos Brand Studio, (formerly Victoria & Co. Digital), developed Botanica's overarching brand strategy and visual identity, creating a clear and distinctive foundation for the brand.
Our role at The Ness Brand Studio was to take that foundation and help it live somewhere people were spending their time every day: social media. We partnered to develop and execute an ongoing social media strategy that felt true to the business while helping the brand reach new audiences, build familiarity, and turn its exceptional body of work into an active digital presence.
Because a beautiful brand identity is only as powerful as the opportunities people have to experience it.
Social Media Is Not Just About Posting
One of the biggest misconceptions about social media management is that the job is simply to make sure something gets posted. But good social media strategy asks much bigger questions:
What makes your business different?
What does your audience actually want to see?
What stories already exist inside your business?
What content will build trust?
What will make someone stop scrolling and remember you?
And perhaps most importantly, how do we create a presence that feels like you?
That is where we begin.
For R.P. Marzilli and Botanica Land Care, we knew the work itself was extraordinary. Their approach to land care is rooted in a deep appreciation for the land, combining luxury landscape care with organic and ecological practices. The landscapes were beautiful. The projects were layered with craftsmanship and care. The visual assets gave us a wonderful starting point.
But beautiful photography alone is not a strategy. We needed to consider how each piece of content could work harder for the brand.
Our Approach
Together, we created an ongoing approach that focused on translating the established brand into a social media presence that felt elevated, consistent, and distinctly their own. Our strategy included:
Showcasing exceptional finished projects and seasonal work
Creating a consistent visual presence rooted in an established brand identity
Strategically highlighting collaborators, vendors, and partners to expand organic visibility
Exploring company culture and recruitment as part of the larger content ecosystem
Testing new content formats as social platforms evolved
Monitoring performance and using data to inform future decisions
Maintaining a consistent presence so the brands remained visible between projects, seasons, and client touchpoints
The result was not simply a more active Instagram account. It became a living portfolio, a place where someone could land on either accounts page and immediately begin to understand the caliber of the work, the world surrounding the brand, and what made the company distinct.
Your brand has a -ness. Let's help people find it.
…And Then, We Let Consistency Do Its Work
This is where social media becomes an investment rather than an expense. Growth is rarely about one viral post. It is about what happens when you consistently give people opportunities to find you.
In November 2021, during our early months of social media management, R.P. Marzilli’s Instagram account reached nearly 52,000 people, representing a 318% increase from the previous month. Content interactions increased by 123%, and the account gained 258 new followers in a single month. Those early results gave us something important to build on: Momentum.
By May 2022, the account had grown to 6,363 followers and gained 773 new followers in a single month. During that same period, R.P. Marzilli reached more than 154,000 accounts, profile visits increased by 111%, website taps increased by 132% and the account generated more than 10,000 content interactions.
But one of the metrics we found most meaningful was saves. That month, R.P. Marzilli’s content received 2,375 saves. People were not simply seeing the work, they were keeping it, saving it for inspiration and returning to it later. Creating a relationship with the brand that extended beyond a single scroll.
For a business built around creating beautiful and enduring spaces, that felt particularly meaningful.
The Long Game
Fast forward to November 2024, and R.P. Marzilli’s Instagram community had grown from 4,424 followers to more than 10,000. The account grew to 10,124 followers. That's more than 128% audience growth. And importantly, the content was continuing to introduce the brand to entirely new people.
Nearly 78% of the account’s reach in November 2024 came from non followers. That means the strategy was not simply speaking to the same audience month after month. It continued creating opportunities for discovery. For a prospective client. A future employee. An industry partner. A collaborator. Someone who had never heard of R.P. Marzilli or Botanica Land Care before but might remember the name when they needed exactly what the brands offer.
That is the long game.
The Results, At a Glance
Instagram followers grew from 4,424 to 10,124
More than 128% total audience growth
154,034 accounts reached during a peak month
More than 10,000 content interactions during a period of significant growth
2,375 saves in one month
Nearly 78% of reach coming from non followers by November 2024
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
So, Is Social Media Management Worth the Investment?
We think the better question is: What happens when your business is not showing up?
When your ideal client cannot find you. When a potential customer visits your Instagram and sees a page that does not reflect the quality of your work. When your competitors are consistently building familiarity while your brand remains quiet. When you have incredible expertise but no time to translate it into content.
Social media is not a replacement for great work but it can make sure more people have the opportunity to see that great work.
It can build familiarity before someone is ready to buy, establish trust before the first inquiry, keep your brand top of mind and over time, it can become one of the most valuable places for your brand to live.
You Do Not Have to Be in the Same Industry to See the Same Value
One of our favorite things about this work is that the strategy itself is never one size fits all. The industries may be different. The people may be different. The audiences are certainly different. But the fundamental question remains the same: What is the most authentic and effective way for this brand to show up?
A great social media strategy should not make your business look like everyone else's. It should help the right people recognize why you are different.
Whether you are a luxury service provider, a founder led business, a wellness brand, a creative entrepreneur, or an established company ready to evolve, we start by understanding what already makes your business special.
Then, we build from there.
Your Brand Has a Ness. Let's Find It.
You do not need to become a full time content creator to have a meaningful social media presence. You do not need to chase every trend. And you certainly do not need to sound like every other business online.
You need a strategy that understands your business, your audience, and the unique qualities that make people choose you. At The Ness Brand Studio, we help distill your ness into a digital brand presence that feels unmistakably like you. One that captures your personality without sacrificing professionalism. One that speaks your audience's language without losing your point of view. One that turns your expertise, your work, and your story into content with a clear purpose.
Whether you have an established brand identity or are still figuring out how to articulate what makes your business different, we meet you where you are.
Then we help you show up. Consistently. Strategically. And beautifully.
Ready for Social Media to Feel Like an Investment in Your Brand, Not Another Item on Your To Do List?
Let's create a presence that does more than fill a feed and one that helps the right people find you, understand you, and remember you.
Your business already has something worth saying. We can help you find the strategy, storytelling, and creative direction to say it well.
