Visual Social Proof Is Rare In Digital Health, But Not For Ro
If you missed the introduction to this series about GLP-1s and product insights in digital health, you can read it here.
As I evaluated the various digital health companies focused on GLP-1s right now, Ro really stood out. Their website features an abundance of social proof, both in the form of before-and-after photos and video testimonials. This is pretty rare for digital health companies.
The website clearly states these Ro members were paid in exchange for their testimonials. However, this disclosure is unlikely to dampen the powerful impact of this social proof. When a potential customer visits the website, they’ll likely identify with at least one of these Ro members. It’s a very short leap from thinking “They’re just like me!” to “I bet this will work for me!”
In addition to the member testimonials, there are also a couple of videos from “Dr. Steve” (Steve Silvestro, MD). He isn’t wearing a white coat, but he does have a stethoscope draped across his shoulders to indicate his expertise. The vertical TikTok format of the videos makes the user experience feel casual, approachable, and personal.
Most potential customers will take all of this at face value, but of course, I like to dig a little deeper. It turns out Dr. Steve is board certified in… wait for it… pediatrics! Of course, this is not to say he isn’t an incredible Associate Director of Clinical Content and Education for Ro. It seems like he is! Nevertheless, there’s an opportunity for Ro to hire additional team members who are board certified in obesity medicine or at least have experience working with patients similar to those Ro is aiming to reach.
When you’re building a company, you have to decide who is going to be the face of your brand. Even though Dr. Steve is a pediatrician, Ro is leaps and bounds ahead of the other digital health companies on this front. Their website prominently features not only “our very own Dr. Steve” but also the faces of eight Ro members. If other brands aren’t able to provide similar social proof, it might be hard for them to compete.