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

Happy April!

This issue, we’re going to look at the homepage copy of two automation solutions (N8N & Make), then Linkedin Ads from two HR tools (Rippling & Bamboo HR)

Website Head to Head: N8N Vs Make

N8N’s Homepage Hero

Make’s Homepage Hero

Why Do We Always Put Social Proof in the Hero?

I have analyzed hundreds of homepages, most of them are B2B SAAS. To find a hero section without any social proof is a rarity.

Make’s homepage hero doesn’t have the logos of companies that use them. It doesn’t have a star rating from G2 or other review aggregators. Not even a testimonial snippet.

It’s quite possible that Make knows something the rest of the industry hasn’t learned yet.

It’s possible this is a decision made based on real insights…

..but I don’t think that’s likely the case.

I am not going to tell you just to follow the crowd on every little thing about copy and messaging and homepage design. But on this point I am fairly confident: putting social proof before the fold seems to be a near-universal correct choice.

Now that we have discussed what I see as a pretty grave error on Make’s part, lets go into our point-by-point comparison.

Headline & Subheadline Copy

Both headlines are similar. Both mention automation. But there is a clear frontrunner here.

Here’s why: They actually break down their headline in terms of what differentiates them, and the broader category they are in.

Make’s headline is good, but it is less clear, and more fluffy.

Headline & Subheadline Copy Winner: N8N

Visuals

In all honesty, I am not a fan of either of these homepages on a visual level. Both are fairly generic. while N8N’s is “cleaner” I appreciate Make’s user interface preview that gives theirs a two-column effect.

Visuals Winner: Make

Use Cases

Both hero sections address the use cases of their software, but I think the way N8N breaks this into persona's is more effective and probably guides their traffic in a more beneficial way.

Use Cases Winner: N8N

Social Proof

This part is pretty easy since Make’s hero section doesn’t have any social proof.

Social Proof Winner: N8N

Overall

I don’t think Make’s visuals make up for the other shortcomings here.

Overall Winner: N8N

Linkedin Ads Head to Head: Rippling VS Bamboo HR

Rippling’s Linkedin Ad

Bamboo HR’s Linkedin Ad

Shots Fired

So these ads are similar in a sense. Each is making the case for switching to the advertiser’s product. The big difference? Rippling came out swinging. Their ad directly calls out Bamboo HR, while Bamboo’s ad is more positive, and cites their easy onboarding.

The Message

I don’t usually tell people to lead with negativity, but Rippling old west style “wanted poster” is a playful way to tee up their criticism of Bamboo.

Bamboo’s ad is vague on several levels which we will get into.

Messaging Winner: Rippling

CTA

Rippling’s CTA is likely the weakest aspect of their ad. It’s quite possible this ad is meant more to be absorbed by the reader, while another ad is meant to “close”. But I can’t give Rippling the benefit of the doubt here.

Rippling’s CTA is vague. Bamboo’s is clear and even offers an incentive.

CTA Winner: Bamboo HR

Visuals

I might have hinted at my favorite here, but lets explore the visuals of these two ads.

Rippling uses a familiar visual motif: a “wanted” poster. It sparks some curiosity, and helps make it stand out in the sea of blue and tech/modern design we see so much of on Linkedin.

I do think they could have maybe made it even more “old timey”. I’ll call it an 8/10 idea with 6/10 execution.

Bamboo’s ad? Is there an idea to the visual? or is it simply a branded design that just serves as a generic backdrop to their testimonial quote? It’s the latter.

Visuals Winner: Rippling

Social Proof

Both of these ads use testimonials, but by looking at how they do so, we can learn alot about how to deploy social proof in our ads.

Rippling’s ad has most of the key elements you want for a testimonial, but it’s in reverse. It is made up of two quotes that depict the issues a customer was having with Bamboo HR. The quotes are specific about the capabilities and outcomes associated to Bamboo HR, and it’s pretty damning.

On the other hand, Bamboo’s own ad shows quite a vague testimonial. It pulls at an emotion, about software switching being difficult, and how Bamboo addresses that with great onboarding. But HOW was the onboarding so great?

I wonder if we called up Jane Jaxon at Wistia maybe they would be able to tell us what specific capabilities, features, outcomes, or onboarding activities led to them calling it the best onboarding experience they had ever had.

Overall

This should come as no surprise. I would say this is less close than our website comparison above.

Overall Winner: Rippling.

Want My Help with Your Ads and Website Copy?

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It’s possible you have miscalculated your messaging or positioning.

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.