1. Introduction: Why is your website the most important channel?

I think it is an unquestionable fact that websites are the center of revenue generation in modern marketing activities. In fact, according to one survey, 91% of marketing leaders recognize that websites generate more revenue than any other channel. However, contrary to its importance, many companies face deep-seated issues in operating websites.

For example, despite a slight wording correction on the site, a request to an external contractor is required, which increases time and costs. Alternatively, they are plagued by the inefficiency of manually exchanging data between multiple marketing tools such as CRM, MA tools, and analysis tools. Furthermore, even though they want to provide an experience optimized for each customer, they are unable to handle the complexity of creating personalized content. There are many cases where valuable lead information obtained cannot be smoothly shared with the sales department, leading to lost opportunities. Also, the difficulty of accurately measuring the effects of implemented marketing measures and running an improvement cycle based on data can also be said to be a barrier faced by many people in charge.

What is attracting attention as an innovative solution to these universal issues is the collaboration between the no-code website construction platform “Webflow” and the data linkage/automation tool “Clay.” Webflow is known as a tool that can build highly designed websites without coding, and by linking with Clay, its capabilities are dramatically improved. This combination has the potential to evolve beyond a simple website creation tool and into a powerful marketing foundation. Specifically, marketers can link data sources with Webflow to dynamically update content and automatically reflect structured information.

In this article, we'll dive deep into the dramatic efficiency and automation of marketing workflows brought about by the collaboration between Webflow and Clay, and its specific possibilities and implementation methods. We will comprehensively explain everything from specific solutions to the challenges marketers face every day, to success stories of companies that actually reduced update work by 90%, and step-by-step guides for in-house implementation. F2T, the only Webflow officially certified expert in Japan, will tell you the latest collaboration technology and its utilization strategies in an easy-to-understand manner. We hope this article will help you find tips that will take your marketing activities to a new level.

2. The collaborative power of Webflow and Clay to break down barriers to website operation

2-1. 5 barriers marketers face

Why do so many marketers face the challenges of running a website? The reason behind this is the difficulty of linking conventional website management methods and tools. For example, content updates. The experience of “being billed 30,000 yen after being made to wait 1 week for minor corrections” is definitely not an unusual story. In situations where we have to rely on outsourcing, speed and cost efficiency tend to be sacrificed. There are even survey results showing that marketers spend an average of 15 hours or more per month coordinating site updates in small to medium enterprises.

Also, in modern marketing, it is common to make full use of multiple tools such as CRM, MA tools, analysis tools, SNS management tools, etc., but there are many cases where data is divided between these tools. Manual data entry and copying and pasting not only results in significant time loss, but there is also a constant risk of human error.

Personalization, which is essential for improving the customer experience, is also an area with high implementation hurdles. Even though it is known that preparing optimized landing pages and content for each customer segment will lead to an increase in conversion rates, the effort required to create and manage them is enormous.

Furthermore, effectively managing lead information obtained from websites and sharing it with sales teams in a timely manner has also become an issue for many companies. In manual collaboration, there is a possibility that lead responses will be delayed, information may not be conveyed properly, and valuable business opportunities may be missed. Also, the work of accurately grasping whether the measures implemented are really effective and what elements are contributing to conversion based on data, and leading to improvements also requires a lot of resources.

2-2. Solutions provided by the Webflow and Clay collaboration

The collaboration between Webflow and Clay provides a truly revolutionary solution to these deep-seated challenges. Through this collaboration, firstThe workflow itself has become dramatically more efficientIt will be done. Since Webflow content can be updated directly from the Clay interface, there is no need to go back and forth between multiple tools.

Next,Data can be automatically linked and managed centrallyIt will be. Clay can collect data from various sources, such as spreadsheets, databases, and various APIs, and automatically reflect it in Webflow. This reduces manual errors and ensures that information is always current and consistent on the website.

By combining Webflow's powerful CMS capabilities with Clay's flexible data management capabilities,Dynamic content creation made easyIt will be. For example, advanced personalization, such as automatically switching the content to be displayed according to the season, event, or visitor attributes, can also be realized.

Regarding the use of lead information, Clay automatically processes information obtained from Webflow forms and can be linked to CRM and MA tools. As a result,Leads are prevented from being missed, and quick and appropriate follow-up is possibleThis will contribute to improving the efficiency of the overall sales process.

Furthermore, by utilizing Clay, Webflow site performance data is collected and analyzed,Continuous improvement based on dataIt can be promoted. Advanced optimizations, such as automatically selecting and displaying optimal content according to A/B test results, are also coming into view.

With these solutions, marketing teams are freed from complicated day-to-day tasks and can focus on higher value-added tasks such as strategy planning and creative production.

3. Why are Webflow+Clay integrations difficult with WordPress?

By the way, is it difficult to achieve a similar collaboration with WordPress, which is widely used? In conclusion, it's not impossible, but it is difficult for several fundamental reasons.

3-1. Fundamental architectural differences

Whereas Webflow was initially designed as a cloud-based SaaS with an integrated architecture that assumes API collaboration, WordPress evolved from a blog tool and has an “afterthought” structure that expands functions with plug-ins.

3-2. Key issues in implementing WordPress integrations

For this reason, each plug-in often has its own unique data structure and specifications, and in order to smoothly link across them, there are many hurdles, such as inconsistent data structures, restrictions on real-time collaboration, compatibility issues between plug-ins, effects on security and performance, and advanced technical knowledge.

3-3. Which one should I choose?

Therefore, the combination of Webflow and Clay is a strong choice, especially when focusing on close collaboration with marketing automation and CRM, design and data consistency, advanced collaboration without technical knowledge, and performance and security.

4. Webflow x Clay Collaboration to Accelerate Marketing: 5 Automation Techniques

Specifically, what kind of marketing operations can be automated and made more efficient by linking Webflow and Clay? Here, let's take a closer look at 5 typical uses.

4-1. Dramatically make adding and updating CMS content more efficient

Webflow's CMS is extremely powerful, but the task of frequently adding and updating content such as product information, blog articles, and case studies still tends to be a burden for marketers. Partnering with Clay fundamentally changes this process. Conventionally, the work of manually inputting information managed by Excel etc. into Webflow is automated by connecting a data source (spreadsheet, database, API, etc.) to the Webflow CMS via Clay. By simply updating information on the data source side, the content on the Webflow site is automatically rewritten. As a result, many companies actually hear voices saying, “What used to take half a day to update product information every week is now completed with the touch of a button.”

You are freed from various routine update tasks, such as synchronizing price and inventory information, disclosing new information, managing team members and customer feedback, and updating event schedules. Furthermore, if you use Clay, you can change the prices of multiple products all at once during the sale period, update multiple related content simultaneously at the turn of the season, etc.Batch updates can also be easily implementedYou can do it. At a real estate company, as a result of linking the property management system with Webflow with Clay, the property information update work time was shortened from 8 hours per week to just 0.5 hours (94% reduction), and there are also cases where information inconsistency due to human error has also been reduced to zero.

4-2. Stay up to date with real-time content updates

Providing website visitors with up-to-date and accurate information at all times is critical for gaining trust and preventing lost opportunities. The collaboration between Webflow and Clay is a powerful weapon to achieve this. When information is changed on the data source side, Clay detects the change, reflects it in the WebFlow CMS in almost real time through an API, and publishes it on the site.

This mechanism isReal-time display of stock status(EC site),Immediate publication of breaking news and press releases(media sites and corporate sites),Automatic start/end of limited-time campaigns, orAutomatic update of fluctuation data such as exchange rates and stock pricesIt demonstrates its power in various scenes, etc. The “90% reduction” in update work is no exaggeration, and many companies have achieved this level of efficiency by centralizing data sources, setting automatic collaboration rules, and thoroughly automating exception processing (for example, display switching under specific conditions). An event management company also reported that the time required to update event information was reduced by about 90% compared to manual work.

4-3. Improve CVR by automatically generating personalized landing pages

Providing optimized information (personalization) to individual customers rather than a uniform message is essential for maximizing marketing effectiveness. According to research, personalized landing pages have an average conversion rate of 26% higher than typical pages. However, creating and managing a large number of optimized pages for each target took a huge amount of time and money using traditional methods.

The collaboration between Webflow and Clay is a revolutionary solution to this challenge. By utilizing various customer data managed by Clay (for example, industry type, company size, job title, region, past site action history, email engagements, etc.) and combining it with Webflow's dynamic page function,Dynamically generate and display content tailored to each visitorIt will be possible. Detailed personalization can be realized, such as displaying case studies tailored to the visitor's business type, recommending highly relevant content based on past browsing history, providing region-limited benefit information, and adjusting message tone and appeal points according to job title.

In particular, in account-based marketing (ABM), which targets specific key customer companies, this collaboration is extremely effective. Security company Verkada has built a system that can “generate 600 landing pages for each target company with the touch of a button” using Webflow and Clay. Create a dedicated page incorporating each company's company name, logo, industry-specific issues, etc., and send the URL by email or LinkedIn message. By tracking page visits and interactions, efficiently identifying promising leads, and collaborating with sales teams, we have succeeded in improving ABM campaign deployment speed by 10 times and conversion rate by 3 times.

4-4. Reducing lost opportunities through smooth coordination between marketing and sales

How to smoothly hand over leads acquired by the marketing department to the sales department and lead to effective follow-up is an eternal issue for many companies. The collaboration between Webflow and Clay removes these barriers between departments and enables seamless collaboration.

Lead information submitted through forms on the Webflow site is automatically processed through Clay. On Clay, for example, it is possible to automatically register in CRM or MA tools after assigning (enriching) information such as company size and industry type by linking with an enterprise information database. As a result,Lead information input omissions and time lags are eliminated, and quick response is possibleIt will be.

Furthermore, it is also possible to automatically perform scoring based on leads' in-site behavior and attributes, automatically update funnel stages according to their scores and actions, and automatically display nurturing content tailored to the stage on the website. Then, leads judged to be likely to be negotiated are automatically assigned to sales representatives at an appropriate timing, and notifications are sent, etc.Optimize your entire sales funnelIt can also be realized.

Information provision to improve the quality of sales activities can also be automated. For example, when a lead takes an action with high purchasing motivation, such as browsing specific important pages (price pages, etc.) or downloading materials, notifications are immediately sent to the sales person in charge on Slack, etc. Alternatively, it can be used to automatically send reports on interests analyzed from the customer's recent site visit history and browsing trends before business negotiations. In one manufacturing client, as a result of introducing such a system, sales representatives were able to grasp customer concerns in advance and make more accurate proposals, and results have also shown a 23% improvement in business negotiation completion rates.

4-5. Establishing a continuous optimization cycle based on data analysis

The ultimate value of the Webflow and Clay collaboration is that it is not limited to simply improving efficiency, but also being able to establish a continuous improvement cycle based on data. This makes it possible to continue to maximize the effectiveness of marketing activities at all times.

Clay acts as a hub for collecting and analyzing various performance data for Webflow sites. It also links with Google Analytics and other access analysis tools, such as which inflow routes generate high-quality leads, what content increases engagement, what routes customers follow to convert, or where do they leaveGet deeper insightsYou can do it.

Based on this data,Implementing A/B tests and measuring effectiveness has also been made more efficientYou can do it. For example, set headlines and CTA button variations for specific landing pages, and automatically run tests through Clay. Operations such as analyzing the results and automatically applying the most effective version to the production environment will be possible.

Thus, it is called “data collection → analysis → planning and execution of improvement measures → effect verification”Run the PDCA cycle at high speedThis can be said to be the true value of the Webflow and Clay collaboration. You can automatically generate weekly performance reports, identify improvements, present improvement plans based on past success patterns, and establish a cycle of execution and verification. Also, for seasonal campaigns and event policies, continuous optimization is possible, such as analyzing past data, identifying success patterns, automatically reflecting them in current policies, recording the results, and utilizing them in the next fiscal year. This makes it possible to realize data-driven marketing activities that do not rely solely on intuition or experience, and maximize ROI.

5. [Case Study] Renewal work reduced by 90%! Tech Solutions Challenge

Let's take a look at the effects of the Webflow and Clay collaboration with specific company examples.

5-1. Challenge: Inefficient update workflow full of manual work

The IT solution company Tech Solutions Co., Ltd. (pseudonym) faced the following issues with the operation of the Webflow site. Marketers update blog posts once a week, update seminar information twice a month, add case studies every quarter, and publish product information and press releases that occur from time to time,Busy with frequent content updatesIt was done. They spent a lot of time not only creating content, but also entering it into Webflow's CMS, preparing it, and publishing it. Furthermore, it was necessary to manually re-enter the same information into multiple systems, such as CRM, email marketing tools, and SNS management tools, etc., and at the same time, it was inefficient, and at the same time, there was always a risk of human error. It was also a problem that updates tend to be delayed during busy periods or when there is no person in charge.

Marketers spent about 10 hours a week on these update-related tasks, and they found themselves in the dilemma of not being able to allocate time to the strategic tasks they should have focused on.

5-2. Solution: Introduce collaboration between Webflow and Clay

In order to overcome this situation, which can be called “update hell,” the company decided to introduce a collaboration between Webflow and Clay. At the time of implementation, we first thoroughly analyze the current workflow and identify bottlenecks. Then, we set specific goals such as “90% reduction in update work man-hours,” “elimination of human errors,” “implementation of real-time updates,” and “strengthening cooperation between marketing and sales.” On top of that, we designed in detail how the data flows and which processes to automate. Utilize Google spreadsheets used internally as master data sources for content, and detect mechanisms to automatically reflect them in Webflow CMS via Clay, collaboration with event management tools, two-way collaboration with CRM (automatic registration of lead information to CRM and personalization of WebFlow content based on CRM information), and important user actions (price page browsing, etc.) and use Slack to sales representatives We have built a mechanism for automatic notifications, etc. Prior to implementation, the entire team was also trained on the new workflow.

5-3. Results: Dramatic improvements in efficiency and marketing results

Just 3 months after implementation, the results were remarkable. It was my goalUpdate work time was actually reduced by 90%, from 10 hours per week to 1 hour per week. For example, updating event information, which until now took 45 minutes per event, is now almost automated, with the exception of exceptional adjustments, and now only takes about 5 minutes.

It's not just about improving efficiency. The frequency of content updates has been improved (once a week → 3 times a week), personalized content can now be provided, and follow-up with leads has been made faster, etc.Monthly lead acquisition increased 73% from 45 before implementation to 78I did it. Furthermore, the cost of acquiring leads has also been reduced by 43% from 12,000 yen to 6,900 yen per case.

Compared to the initial investment (total approx. 710,000 yen for clay license fees, in-house training costs, etc.), the expected annual cost reduction effect (man-hours reduction effect approx. 1.3 million yen+lead acquisition cost reduction effect approx. 4.77 million yen = total approx. 6.07 million yen) is extremely large, **ROI (return on investment) for the first year has reached about 755% **.

This successful experience brought about a major change in Tech Solutions' marketing activities. The person in charge is freed from simple tasks and can now focus on more creative and strategic tasks, leading to planning and execution of new policies.

6. [Practice Guide] Webflow and Clay Linkage Setup Steps

I will explain step by step the procedure for actually implementing the Webflow and Clay collaboration.

6-1. Step 1: Preparation - Account Setup and Basic Setup

First, let's set up the environment necessary for collaboration. On the Webflow side, in order to use the collaboration functionRequires a contract equal to or greater than the CMS planThat's it. From the “Integrations” tab in project settingsEnable API accessThen, make sure that appropriate permissions (at least CMS read/write permissions) are granted to the API key to be obtained later. Also, in order for cooperation to be carried out smoothly,Pre-organize Webflow's CMS collection structureI recommend that you keep it. Make field names easy to understand (alphanumeric characters are recommended), clarify required and optional items, and check that reference fields etc. are set correctly.

Next is the Clay side. On Clay's official website (clay.com)Create an accountI will do it. A free trial is also available. After creating an account,Create a workspaceThen, invite team members as needed. Also check the basic settings such as the time zone.

When performing collaborative work, WebFlow site administrator rights, API access rights, Clay workspace administrator permissions, etc.Required PermissionsMake sure you have it. From a security perspective, it is also recommended to securely manage API keys, consider regular updates, and enable two-factor authentication on both platforms.

6-2. Step 2: Basic Integration - Connecting Webflow to Clay

Once you're ready, connect Webflow and Clay. First, click “Generate API Key” in Webflow Project Settings > Integrations > API Access and copy the displayed API key. You'll only see this key once, so keep it in a safe place.

Next, go to the Clay administration screen and go to the Integrations menuSearch and select WebflowI will do it. Click the “Connect” button, paste the Webflow API key you copied earlier, and enter an arbitrary connection name (example: “our website”) to complete the connection.

Let's run a simple test to confirm that the connection was made correctly. If you can create a new task in Clay, select the “Webflow” action, execute “List Collections”, etc., and obtain a list of collections on your own Webflow site, then the basic connection is successful.

6-3. Step 3: Advanced Setup - Workflow Automation

Finally, we will build specific automated processes. First,Clearly design a data flow about what kind of data, where from (data source), how to process it, and what Webflow collection you want to reflect it inI will do it.

Next, from Clay's “Tables” menu,Connect data sourcesI will do it. It is compatible with various sources such as Google Sheets, Airtable, various databases, or external APIs. Enter your credentials and import the required data into Clay.

Then, in Clay's “Automations” menuCreate automated rulesI will do it. First,Set a trigger for “when” this automation will runI will do it. It can be set under various conditions, such as when a specific time is reached (schedule execution), when there is a change in the data source, or when a Webflow form is sent.

Next,Set an action called “what to do”I will do it. Here, select “Webflow” and select specific operations such as “Create/Update Collection Item” (create/update CMS items). Specify the target Webflow site and CMS collection ID, and most importantlyfield mappingI will do it. This is the task of setting which items in the data source correspond to which fields in Webflow. It can be done intuitively by dragging and dropping, but care must be taken to ensure that all required fields are mapped without omission.

When mapping,Transforming data (Transform) You can also set it. For example, processing such as changing the date display format, extracting parts of text, and calculating numerical values can be performed before sending to Webflow. Furthermore,Conditional Mappings (Conditional) If you use, it is also possible to set values according to conditions, such as “if the category is' news', set this image URL”.

Once all settings have been completed, enable (Enable) the created automation rule. Now, processing will be performed automatically based on the triggers that have been set.

6-4. Step 4: Troubleshooting - What to do when issues occur

While setting up and operating a collaboration, unexpected issues may also occur. Here are some common issues and tips on how to resolve them.

Integration errorsWhen it happens, it's important to check the Clay log first to understand the details of the error message.Authentication errorsIf so, check that the API key is correct, that it hasn't expired, and that the required permissions have been granted.data sync errorIf so, check that the field mapping is correct, that the required fields contain values, and that the data types (number, text, date, etc.) match. API'srate limitIf (maximum number of accesses in a short period of time) is reached, it is necessary to review the frequency of execution of automation and adjust the amount of data to be processed at once. The processing time is too longtimeoutIn this case, measures such as reducing the amount of data to be processed, dividing processing, or simplifying complex data conversion logic can be considered.

Optimize performanceIn order to do so, it is effective to narrow down the amount of linked data to the minimum necessary (introduction of differential synchronization, etc.), compress large image files beforehand, and set an automated execution schedule to a time period when site access is low.

If you get stuck solving a problem,Utilize support resourcesLet's do it. Official documentation and tutorials such as Webflow University and Clay Documentation are very extensive. Also, it's a good idea to ask questions in user communities such as the Webflow Forum or the Clay Community, and refer to other users' stories. If you need more specialized support, consider consulting official Webflow or Clay support, or a Webflow specialist partner like F2T.

7. Conclusion: The future of marketing opened up by Webflow application integration

The collaboration between Webflow and Clay is not simply a tool for streamlining daily work. It is an entity that can truly be a game changer, transforming the very way marketing activities are carried out and enabling advanced strategies that have been difficult to implement until now.

7-1. Innovations brought about in marketing workflows

One of the biggest changes brought about by this partnership isAn environment where marketers can concentrate on creative work that they should focus on is createdThat's it. By freeing yourself from repetitive and time-consuming updates and data entry tasks, you can focus your time and energy on thinking more strategically, exploring customer insights, and creating engaging content. This leads to improving the quality of marketing activities themselves.

Also, with real-time data collection/analysis and automated processes,The speed and accuracy of data-based decisions have improved dramaticallyI will do it. By quickly grasping the effects of measures and running the improvement cycle at a high speed, it is possible to continue taking the optimal approach at all times. Instead of relying only on intuition and experience, strategy execution based on objective evidence such as data becomes commonplace.

Furthermore, according to the attributes, behavior history, and interests of each customer,Automatically deliver highly personalized content and experiencesWhat you do becomes a reality. As a result, customer engagement will increase dramatically, and conversion rates can be expected to improve significantly. It is possible to break away from uniform messaging and achieve truly customer-centered communication.

Interdepartmental barriers will also be removed. By smoothly sharing lead information and customer insights obtained through marketing activities with the sales department in real time,Marketing and sales are integrated, enabling a more effective customer approachIt will be. The quality of leads will improve, and it will also contribute to shortening sales cycles.

Also, by making it possible to easily carry out A/B tests and various content experiments at low cost, it becomes easier for the** experimental culture of “try it out first” within the organization** to be fostered. An environment where new ideas can be challenged without fear of failure is the foundation for innovation.

7-2. Next steps to get started today

Why not start with what you can do right now to ride this wave of transformation and take your marketing to the next level? First, analyze what tasks take the most time and effort in the current workflow, and where the areas where automation is likely to have the greatest effect,Set specific goalsLet's start by doing it.

Next, instead of suddenly aiming for large-scale collaboration, for example, automatically updating a single CMS collection or personalizing specific landing pages,Start with a small pilot projectI recommend it. While accumulating small successful experiences, we evaluate their effects,Gradually expand the scope of cooperation and optimizeIt's realistic to go ahead.

7-3. Specialized support through F2T

In order for this initiative to be successful, it is necessary not only within the marketing team, but also in the sales departmentCooperation with relevant departments, and understanding and cooperation of the entire organizationis essential. In order to build a new workflow and maximize its effectiveness, it is important to have a team working together.

As the only Webflow officially certified expert in Japan, F2T comprehensively supports all processes related to the cooperative implementation of Webflow and Clay from a strategic point of view, from technical implementation to operation and optimization after implementation. From current issue analysis to ROI estimation, formulation of specific collaboration strategies, CMS optimization, clay collaboration settings, necessary training, and continuous improvement support after implementation, we will propose optimal solutions to achieve your business goals!

‍