Startup social proof

Social proof is extremely important, especially when you're new(ish) to the SaaS world. But how do you get social proof-based customers without more social proof?

Sherlock was in this bind at the time, so one of the main design challenges here was making it look like we were a heavyweight. Solution: Use a patterned background of faded customer logos (some of them even repeats if you look closely) and overlay a product shot. Bonus: This also put the product front and center to further increase trustworthiness.

Add in a testimonial from a loyal long-time customer and watch the on-page conversion rate increase.