Kontra

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO and owner of Visitteo, a metasearch engine for the travel industry. We combine various travel companies on our website and place in real-time their listings to our users.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra, and what were your goals?

We needed custom web development project. The goal was to connect our partner's listings to our website. That integration was going through widgets and API.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

First, we heard a positive review for Kontra from one of our partners. Then we take online research and check all the online reviews, which were very good with a positive tone. We check their past projects and when we consider all that, it was good enough to give a chance to Kontra. And we didn't regret it.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We are very pragmatic about our design and development. All specifications that were needed for Kontra were given to them in detail. With all illustrations, icons, sizes, descriptions, etc. They followed these guidelines and it was going like magic for both sides.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were 3 persons included in this project. The project manager, a leading developer, and a design developer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The final product was better than we imagined. The delivery of the project was before the time that we agreed in the first place. Which was incredible for us. They saved us time and money with that. Everything was done, reviewed, and placed live before the deadline. We were more than happy with the end result.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Communication was the best part of the project. And as it should be. First, we have a meeting through Zoom. Then the project manager create a group chat on a Productive website with all developers where we easily communicate. They reply almost instantly to my messages, which was really professional.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their communication, meeting of deadlines, and approach to customers are outstanding and impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The easy answer for us. No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a marketing director in a boutique IT consulting company focused on inspiring organizations to become leaders by increasing their digital acumen.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra?

We hired Kontra to help us reach a very specific target: Independent Software Vendors (ISV's) interested in launching new SaaS solutions. On top of that, we wanted to test LinkedIn as lead generation channel with more targeting options vs. usual ones.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We worked with Kontra before and were really satisfied with the results and professional attitude on their end. In addition, Kontra provided some expert feedback on our plans that showed their expertise in the field.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

This was a rather simple project from the perspective of the steps. Kontra was tasked to reach a specific target

• Independent Software Vendors
• and lead them to one of our online webinars.

This was a pretty straightforward lead generation campaign run via Facebook and LinkedIn and ended up on our registration pages for each webinar event. On Kontra's side this meant creating specific audiences and lookalike audiences based on signals from both Facebook and LinkedIn, drafting and evaluating advertising copy and evaluating campaign visuals. Kontra also covered the budgeting, full campaign management on the social channels and post-mortem reporting.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

During this campaign we worked with 2 key people, 1 was the owner and later we worked directly with their advertising manager - a super-skilled person with expert knowledge and full of extra advices that hit the mark.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Although most of the outcomes are part of the business data that we do not share, I can say that we managed to get a 26€/new lead cost which was a good price compared to some previous engagements and historical records. What is important to note here is that our audience is pretty competitive and our lead evaluation criteria rather strict.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Kontra was really responsive, so the whole workflow was very fluid. When things were slow it was on our end, while Kontra managed to respect all the deadlines that were agreed at the start of the campaign. The whole team has a habit of replying to emails in the expected business timeframe and there was no need for reminders or follow-ups.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

For us, Kontra was a trusted partner who values money and goes the extra mile to deliver expected results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Currently, I have nothing to add here.

Please describe your company and your position there.

EpiGuard is a medical technology startup with one core product - an isolation unit for transporting highly contagious and vulnerable patients. My position is Junior Digital Marketing Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra, and what were your goals?

We hired Kontra for Google advertising. The goal was to set up ads so we can be more visible when our target audience is searching for solutions like ours online. We wanted to target specific geographic areas as well.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

First thing were online reviews of the company and good word of mouth. Then the online presence, which was very good with a positive and knowledgable tone of voice. Also, I have been subscribed to their newsletter for a long time and recognised they are experts in their field.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

We started with an introductory discussion about our goals and vision as a company, and our target audience. Then they set up google ads targeting specific areas and specific keywords of interest. David as a digital marketing strategist in Kontra kindly gave us a couple of hours of free strategic directions explaining in detail how things work in the digital field and showed us some key insights we need to take into account with our overall digital strategy to boost our visibility online. They also set up our Facebook audiences and connected our new website with everything needed to track our digital results properly.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our project manager was David, he is a digital marketing strategist and Marinela. Her position is advertising manager.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Since implementing Google ADs the traffic coming to our website was higher than before with more relevant clicks. We have also gained significant amount of potential leads from that channel compared to the previous period. Also, with their guidance, I have implemented some changes to our digital strategy and our website, and both have yielded positive results.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The managing style and communication was great from the start till the end of the project. We had a couple of online meetings and a monthly email was sent to us with result reports. Whenever I had some questions they have responded in a timely manner and with a professional and friendly tone.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

In every line of communication their knowledge abut the subject is clearly visible. They are experts in their field and we will definitely collaborate with them again in the future.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No major improvements just maybe a little more live meetings discussing the results of campaigns.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Communications at F.O. / Group.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra?

Kontra manages our (Westgate Shopping City's) advertisement through Google's channels (since April 2019) and advertisement on social media (since May 2020). Advertisement on social media / Google isn't sole campaign, but a leg of broader campaign that is developed by us.

What were your goals for this project?

Key goal is to reach specific goal(s) of the campaign (either to raise awareness of our sales concept / event) or gain website clicks. Since our cooperation is continuous for 15 months, may goals were set and reached.

How did you select Kontra?

I've known Ilija for quite some time. When we took the interim-management role at Westgate Shopping City, Ilija contacted me and we held a meeting in which we discussed the possibilities of joint cooperation. Ilija gave me an offer i can't refuse and I agreed to the 3-months trial period in which they would manage Westgate's advertisement on social media.

After the end of trial period, I continued to work with them and in May 2020, we extended the cooperation to advertisement on social media as well.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

As Westgate previously had experience with agencies that provide the same scope of work, we had the knowledge of "goes and no-goes". In the beginning, Kontra ran a test of different set-ups to set the base for advertisement. How to works today?

We create a campaign and send a brief to Kontra with detailed informations and maximum budget allowance. They give their suggestions on how to apply the campaign to digital channels and how to spend the budget (% between channels, allocation within the time...).

After the campaign starts, we receive reports (daily, weekly, periodically) on the execution and discuss the possibilities of improving the results. Although my decision is final, I have confidence in Kontra's work and therefore in accept most of their suggestions.

What was the team composition?

To the date, I corresponded with the CEO, Head of advertising and managers that were/are executing the campaigns. Although members of the team changed over time, it is a great refreshment that there isn't a link between us and executors (such as key account manager or so), but you can discuss the matter directly.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since the beginning of our cooperation, I believe that we get cheaper but yet better placed ads than before. I am satisfied with this cooperation and that is a reason why I exceeded Kontra's scope of work for us in May, providing them with social media advertisement as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communicating with Kontra is on a good level.They are available in off-hours as well as weekends which is a virtue we find extremely important.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have most of the virtues I seek for within the agencies I work with, such as flexibility, availability, humbleness, hard work and knowledge. I admire the efforts they make beside the "regular" job, such as various guidebooks and meet-ups.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always a possibility to improve but improvement needs both parties. In the following period we will introduce some changes - including the jour-fix cooperation, custom campaigns for social media and digital channels and so.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in a spirits distribution company as a Group Brand Manager at regional level.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra?

We've started our collaboration with Kontra following a pitch for social media and influencers integration in the brand communication plan.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for a fresh perspective and a way to give our brand a boost among our young, digital oriented target.

How did you select this vendor?

We've invited the agency to a pitch together with other two agencies, at the recommendation of a brand manager based in the end-market.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Adaptation of the social media calendar provided by Global Team, development of local content for social media upon specific request and proposal of influencers for certain projects, including the handling of the collaboration details.

What was the team composition?

I've collaborated closely with the Brand Manager and sometimes the CEO

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've had a good collaboration so far: the team proved great social media knowledge and skills. They provide a high-quality adaptation work, within the deadlines and with follow up when necessary.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have a great collaboration, although we are located in different countries. We use e-mail, Skype and mobile.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their social media knowledge sets them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Too soon to say.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the marketing manager and sales representative at an IT company in Zagreb. We’re the leading regional company for the development of business accounting solutions and services.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra?

We needed help to build brand awareness in the market and create brand recognition through creative and interesting content. While we’ve been in business for several years, we don't have an in-house marketing staff to help us.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase the recognition of our brand as well as sell more of our products. We needed a good inbound marketing strategy, which would be simple and accessible to the target audience.

How did you select this vendor?

We had a bad experience with a previous marketing agency. Our colleague from Slovenia met Kontra at a marketing conference. She recommended them to us so we organized a meeting. We liked their way of thinking in regards to inbound marketing, which is our primary marketing strategy. It’s important to us to find a partner that can guide us and give us advice.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Kontra arranged a meeting where we defined our goals, budget, and what we want to achieve. Together we decided to create quality and interesting content—blogs, webinars, manuals—that will attract our target audience. Every month we prepare a marketing plan and give them content that they publish and promote on social networks (Facebook and LinkedIn). They also create visuals for the content if necessary.

What was the team composition?

From the vendor's side is involved about 4 people: copywriter, traffic manager, project manager, and designer. Size of the team didn't change over time.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We’ve increased the number of followers and impressions on Facebook since Kontra took over marketing on our social networks. We've also increased the number of followers on LinkedIn. Our Facebook page is more noticeable and interesting to our target audience. We’re very satisfied with the progress, as the results are also visible in our sales.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They use an app called Productive for communication. This tool allows us to describe specific tasks and assign them to a person. It helps us to have all communication in one place. We can also discuss specific tasks by phone or organize a meeting as needed. They send us a monthly report with a detailed analysis, and every task has been up to date so far.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their social media marketing is very creative. Kontra always has new ideas and they completely understand our needs and requirements. Their team is very professional and knowledgeable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We’re quite satisfied with their work. In the future, we may expand our partnership to include other fields of digital marketing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a children’s shoe manufacturer. I’m the marketing manager of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kontra?

We needed work on our social media, particularly in terms of our Instagram account. Even though we’re a big company, we have a small marketing department, so we sometimes need outside help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve managed our Instagram account, produced content for it, and delivered monthly reports to us. We had some goals, which they were tasked with achieving, including to increase our follower count and to focus on some specific markets—the U.K., Germany, and elsewhere. We’re responsible for taking pictures for content and sending them to Kontra.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been in contact with Ilija (CEO, Kontra).

How did you come to work with Kontra?

I’d heard a lot about them, then I attended a conference where Ilija was giving a presentation. I met him later on and we discussed a possible collaboration.

We went on to do some Facebook advertising and remarketing work 2–3 years ago. Due to that, we chose them to work on our Instagram campaign.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from 2015–2018. We took on the work internally 4–5 months ago.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We saw an increase in Instagram followers, based on their monthly reports. We didn’t see a direct correlation with sales, but we’re doing a lot of other things in our marketing department.

How did Kontra perform from a project management standpoint?

They did everything well—we only stopped working with them because we hired an in-house person for the work. The communication was perfect. We had meetings at our office, and we also talked a lot on the phone and via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge was impressive, as it was what we lacked at that moment. We’ve learned a lot from their team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We can always do things better, but they utilized innovations in the industry throughout. Generally, they’re a great agency and they’ve done a lot to improve everything they do.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I don’t have any specific advice. They’re a very good agency, and customers should give them a try. They’re responsive and timely, and did everything within the budget we gave them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Ivan Noa Creative Design.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kontra?

We wanted to develop a website for creatives based in Croatia. We love handmade work and wanted to make something special for others that share our interest.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because we didn’t have concrete ideas, Kontra had to design and develop our webshop from scratch. We’re outdoorsy people, and we wanted the website to reflect that. Kontra designed our site with a simple white background, embellished with natural product imagery. We photograph each product in an outdoor or wooded setting, bringing out the beauty of our users’ creations. The Kontra team continues to provide support.

What is the team composition?

We mostly interacted with Petar Bogdan (CEO & Co-Founder, Kontra).

How did you come to work with Kontra?

We started our search on the internet. We considered another company, but ultimately the partnership didn’t pan out. Then, we found Kontra and reached out. Shortly after, we met with Petar and agreed to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested around 23,000 Croatian Kuna ($3,582 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2018, and it’s an ongoing partnership. We launched the website in September 2018.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our click rates are up, and they’ve implemented a system to track our progress. We can see which of our products are most popular and determine which brands we should promote more. The website is stable—there haven’t been any issues or bugs since the site launched.

How did Kontra perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very kind and helpful. We use ActiveCollab as a project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were overwhelmingly pleased with the end product. We’d waited so long to see it live and the platform was beautiful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. We’ll need them to translate our page to English at some point.

Any advice for potential customers?

Tell them exactly what you want to do. No matter the task, they’ll do it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and owner of a Croatia-based travel agency. We primarily offer European destination packages.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kontra?

We needed help with social media marketing. We wanted to display our last-minute deals and package discounts to our clients so they would be aware and act quickly.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide Facebook and Instagram assistance. Their team publishes our new ads and writes content for our blog posts, as well.

What is the team composition?

We work primarily with their CEO and traffic manager.

How did you come to work with Kontra?

After hearing the CEO’s digital marketing presentation at a business seminar, I was quickly impressed and interested in working with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around €10,000 each year for this project ($11,600).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in 2016, and the work is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve had an increase in sales; the site has seen more traffic and customers. We also receive more calls and emails regarding our services.  

How did Kontra perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate through email and on the phone, depending on the urgency. We occasionally meet at their office to discuss new ideas. They've delivered everything on time and aligned with our plans.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want a creative team that gives solid social media guidance, we recommend working with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner and CEO of an online store that sells handmade wedding and party favors, including invites, gifts, decorations, etc.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kontra?

We needed Kontra to manage our digital marketing efforts, including on Google and social media networks.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed brand awareness to increase our sales.

How did you select this vendor?

I attended the CEO’s lecture and found it to be very informative. After that, I decided to contact them for the project.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We had an initial meeting to discuss my products, audience, and ideas about my brand. We laid out my challenges, primary goals, and optimal budget. They tested multiple types of promotion to find what suited our needs best. Now that they’ve implemented the digital marketing strategy, they use Google Analytics to monitor any changes in sales.

What was the team composition?

I primarily work with the account manager.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Although difficult to measure, our sales have increased since Kontra began their branding services for us. They’ve been able to improve and maintain our brand awareness.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are easy to communicate with them; we talk primarily on the phone or through email. Their team provides monthly summary reports on their progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Kontra’s professional nature and passion for their work make them stand out. They are knowledgeable about everything in the field of digital marketing.