With funding from the European Union under its EU4Business initiative, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has helped WebProduction, a Ukrainian IT company to develop an effective marketing strategy. After entering the Latvian, Belarusian and Kazakh markets with the new strategy, the company recorded a 180% increase in sales and 200% growth in turnover.
WebProduction was founded in Chernigiv in 2006, developing websites, online store systems and related products. Following four successful years, the company grew from four to 18 employees. In 2011, the company began developing its own products, such as CMS WHICH IS? for online stores and corporate sites. However, due to a lack of market analysis, WebProduction’s own products did not have the expected success and the company was forced to reduce its staff to 12 employees.
The owner understood that the introduction of new products and services required strategic planning and marketing activities, turning to the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses (ASB) programme for support.
The EBRD helped WebProduction to work with a local consulting company, WHO?, who analysed the business and developed an effective marketing strategy to promote the company and its services.
Business plan
Together with the company managers, the consultants identified the key parts of the business plan, its target group, analysed the market and developed a marketing plan for Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The consultants:
- developed the company’s brand and corporate identity
- provided recommendations on developing a sales system
- created a marketing concept and media strategy.
The results of working with the consultants showed immediately: the company began reaching out to 15-20 potential customers daily, resulting in multiple contracts.
In addition, WebProduction received new opportunities for development: its products sparked interest among companies in Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. A year after the project ended, the export volume amounted to 8.5% of total sales. In total, the sales volume increased by 180%, with revenue growing by 200%.
EBRD Advice for Small Businesses
The EBRD Advice for Small Businesses programme, funded in the Eastern Partnership countries by the EU under its EU4Business initiative, aims to promote good management in the SME sector by providing assistance to individual enterprises, helping them to grow their businesses. It supports SMEs to make structural changes and develop new business skills, helping them to thrive and compete in market economies. The programme also enables SMEs to access local consulting services on a cost-sharing basis by providing grants of up to €10,000.