Welcome to TouchPoints, the newsletter that breaks down marketing collateral from top SAAS brands for inspiration and analysis.

Happy May!

This issue, we’re going to look at the homepage copy of two data enrichment & outreach automation solutions (Clay & Freckle). We’ll also look at two Giants of the CRM world and how they promote live events on Linkedin Ads (Hubspot & Salesforce)

Website Head to Head: Clay Vs Freckle

Clay Homepage Hero

Freckle Homepage Hero

A Bold Strategy by an Up-And-Coming Solution

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Is it wise to use a well-established competitor as a way of framing your software’s use cases?

In the case of Freckle, I would say yes.

Clay is a complex, multifaceted tool. Some people use it for data enrichment. Some people use it to set up outreach automations. Others still use it to look into prospect or competitor hiring trends, and theres about a dozen other ways to use it.

Even those of us that have used it are a little unsure what the limitations and best use cases are.

In a field like that, for a new company coming in, there are two extreme options for how to describe yourself.

You can hit the reader with your technical talk, or a subjective description of use cases and capabilities, but some information is bound to be lost in the shuffle.

On the other hand, you can do what Freckle did. Define yourself as a better version of the well-recognized industry standard.

Then your reader is imposing their knowledge of the industry leader on what your tool does.

So you better come correct with a tool that can do most (or even better, all) of what the industry leader can do.

Headline & Subheadline Copy

As a judge, I am biased by risk taking, and the power dynamics in this head to head. If i worked for Clay or a competitor, I am not sure I would do much better than clay themselves at clearly and concisely describing what their tool does.

That being said, Freckle’s simplicity, and the fact that it is a customer quote with a very compelling (if a bit unclear) differentiator is just too sweet.

As far as the sub headlines?

It’s a little bit closer. Freckle hammers back on that “clay alternative” angle, which I think is overkill. Clay comes with numbers of data sources, and a clear outcome that ties back to revenue.

But I also really like the callout chips in Freckle’s subheader. They carry meaning, and give a little preview of the interface of the tool.

This is quite close, but…

Headline & Subheadline Copy Winner: Freckle

Visuals

I don’t place a whole lot of stock into the visual style of a home page. I think the best performing pages have a simplicity to them, so as not to be distracting.

Here’s what Freckle undeniably did right: The interface preview.

But the minimalism of the page makes it seem almost anonymous and generic.

Again, I don’t weigh visuals that heavily, but Clay’s very compelling branding with pastel colors, 3D Clay images, and plant imagery gives them a bit more distinctiveness and identity

Visuals Winner: Clay

CTA

This is pretty cut and dry. I hate to nitpick, but Freckle’s “get started for free” could be a CTA for anything.

Clay’s isn’t much better, but I think it helps with expectations. Clay isn’t magic. You need to build things on it for it to have impact

CTA Winner: Clay

Social Proof

This is tough because i love an underdog. Freckle has some social proof, but nothing is touching that wall of logos on Clay’s homepage. At a larger org where the buyer needs something they know is reliable, this makes a huge difference. Sorry Freckle!

Social Proof Winner: Freckle

Overall

I don’t want to grade on a curve, but let me just say, Freckle’s homepage is taking a very successful swing at a much bigger player. That being said, Clay just has the juice.

Overall Winner: Clay

Linkedin Ads Head to Head: Salesforce Vs Hubspot

SalesForce’s Linkedin Ad

Hubspot’s Linkedin Ad

Apples to Apples? How Two CRM Giants Promote AI Webinars

DISCLAIMER: I work for a Hubspot Partner agency.

I think my lack of bias here will shock you though.

First of all, both ads are fairly generic. I guess when you are testing hundreds at a time, you end up with the ads that worked, and not ones that advertising nerds necessarily gush over.

Here are a few key differences off the bat:

• Hubspot focuses real photography to promote a webinar that they are putting on with several other companies (Canva, Aircall, Gong)

• Salesforce uses graphic design to promote a very specific AI Webinar (Financial services

There is some selection bias here. I wanted to pick two ads that were similar, and had elements worth discussing. So right off the bat let me say, I did not pick the worst Salesforce ad I could, or the best Hubspot ad. I would say these were both in the middle in the sea of ads each company has in Linkedin’s ad library.

The Message

I am a stickler for specificity, but I also appreciate a good team up.

Salesforce clearly indicates who their event is for: Financial services providers.

Hubspot is leaning on their partnerships to add some perceived value to the event. I think this helps, but I don’t know who the event is for necessarily.

Messaging Winner: Salesforce

CTA

It’s close. I don’t love either of them, because I think even with a short CTA button you can get more specific. But Salesforce repeats an important point in theirs: The event is free.

CTA Winner: Salesforce

Visuals

This is also very close. I think Salesforce’s is a bit more generic. I think having the partner logos, and an image that looks like a headshot, and not a screenshot from a news program puts Hubspot’s over the edge.

No, having a cute robot does not help drive the point home that the event is about AI. the ad itself mentions AI and automation half a dozen times.

Hubspot’s is also less busy, more simple, without sacrificing any information or clarity.

Visuals Winner: HubSpot

Overall

If I saw these two ads, I would be much more likely to attend HubSpot’s event. But I am biased.

HubSpot’s also stands out more in that sea of dark blue that is Linkedin.

I still think that the callout to financial service providers makes it much easier for someone to say “is this event for me?” and get a definitive answer from the ad.

Overall Winner: Salesforce

Want My Help with Your Ads and Website Copy?

Is your SAAS website underperforming? Spending money on ads and not seeing much traction?

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But don’t worry, I can help.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to extend our thanks to the following companies for providing examples and insights that made this edition of TouchPoints possible:

• Adfolio - For their awesome repository of B2B ads, with excellent commentary.

• Founderway.AI - An awesome resource that helped me better figure out how to run this newsletter, and forever friends of TouchPoints.

• Concise Copy - Pavlo is an absolute expert at homepage copy. Check out his value prop canvas for a super useful resource.

• Growth Therapy - Amanda is more B2C than me, but her insights about paid media and growth marketing are always welcome.

I sincerely appreciate these folks for providing great content and inspiration. It's great thinkers like these that allow me to deliver the best of modern SaaS marketing to you, our subscribers, every week in TouchPoints.