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

This week we’re looking at Sparktoro’s homepage and Linkedin ads by Freshworks and Heap

Sparktoro

Full Homepage

Homepage Hero

Freshworks

Linkedin Ad

Heap

Linkedin Ad

Observations

Show Don’t Tell

How Sparktoro Lets Their Product Shine

In Sparktoro’s homepage above, we see a classic headline/body copy combo: Outcomes and Capabilities.

My favorite part about this page is below that, where the CTA is combined with a Product-led interface.

Why sign up for a demo when you can just start using the tool right then and there?

This accomplishes so much. Namely, we have:

• A tangible incentive to give them your email

• A seamless transition onto their free tier

• A visual cue that demonstrates how easy it is to get started

I don’t have access to Sparktoro’s internal analytics, but I can guarantee you they get more qualified leads than anyone who’s CTA leads to a sales demo appointment.

When Does Social Proof Become a Partnership?

As I write this, I am still on the fence about how I annotated Freshworks’s Linkedin ad. Usually, If someone includes the logo of another company, or uses data collected in collaboration with another brand, I mark it as partnership.

If I’m being more realistic, this callout to Blue Nile is purely social proof.

BUT, the decision to use Blue Nile’s logo is just that, a decision that was made at Freshworks.

Like always, an authoritative testimonial is a great angle for an ad. Even better, this will signal to companies similar to Blue Nile that Freshworks is attuned to their industry. What’s more, the testimonial isn’t just “we love freshworks”. It cuts to the heart of a specific issue : no show rates.

If they get their targeting right, they will get in front of sales managers in the jewelry business. If any of those folks are having trouble with no-shows, this ad will be well received, I am sure.

Emojis in B2B SAAS?

I have seen some pretty emoji-heavy ads in my day. And I know folks that swear by them.

They are still somewhat underutilized in B2B SAAS, but they are certainly on a rise.

In Heap’s Linkedin Ad, they were likely put in their to stop the scroll and draw attention to the outcome statement they are all nested within.

So what do you think? Are Emojis cringe? Or do they improve performance?

Any Questions?

Looking for more explanation about the elements of messaging that I highlight? Check out my guide here.

Anything further? I'm happy to take a break from exploring the wider world of marketing & eating chocolate chip cookies to address your questions.

Email me here.

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.