When I’m thinking about buying something, I don’t head to the brand’s About page. I scroll straight to the reviews. On TikTok? Straight to the comments. On Amazon? I’m dissecting that fifth star like it’s under a microscope, trying to see if it’s fully filled in or just a millimeter short of five-star glory.
Because here’s the thing: we trust other people’s opinions—even if we don’t know them. Especially if we don’t know them.
But “reviews” aren’t always tucked neatly into a five-star rating box. Sometimes they show up as a TikTok where someone raves (or rants) about a product. Sometimes they’re comments with 328 likes under an Instagram ad. Sometimes it’s just a flurry of reposts. That’s all review content—it’s all part of how people decide if something is worth their time and money.
Welcome to the consideration stage of the customer lifecycle. This is where opinions turn into influence.
How Customer Reviews and Ratings Impact Your Business
Let’s be blunt: reviews aren’t just a “nice to have”—they are revenue-driving, brand-shaping tools.
They validate purchase decisions. They expose blind spots. They build trust with new audiences. And they help potential customers answer the most critical question: “Will this actually work for me?”
More importantly, reviews are peer-to-peer marketing in its most unfiltered form. And in an age where people trust reviews almost as much as personal recommendations (shoutout to Nielsen for the data), they matter more than ever.
Want to stay competitive? Start mining your reviews for:
- Trends – What are people loving or hating on repeat?
- Frictions – What’s confusing, glitchy, or underwhelming?
- Language – How are customers describing your product? That’s literal copy gold.
How Reliable Are Customer Reviews?
Short answer: mostly.
Longer answer: people aren’t scanning every individual review. They’re looking at the aggregate—how many reviews are there, and what’s the average sentiment? We don’t need to know all 20,000 strangers personally. If the collective hive mind says something is worth it, we usually believe it.
That’s the psychology behind the stars. The volume and consistency of reviews give us confidence that we’re not about to make a terrible decision. (Even if one reviewer wrote “this product ruined my life,” we weigh it against the 19,999 who said “obsessed!!” and hit Buy.)
For example, the 1 star review seen here is not the driving influence behind my purchase decision. But the 4 and 5 star majority ratings are:
Can Customer Reviews Help to Assess the Reputation of Your Business?
It’s not just about getting reviews—it’s about how you respond.
If I see a comment where someone complains about a product, and the business has responded and said “hey thanks for pointing that out! Let us fix that for you or please provide an email we’d love to send you a free gift” etc etc then that comment is recovered as having positive influence.
My point is that a complaint can become a conversion moment if you handle it well. When a brand replies with a helpful, human response? It shifts the narrative. It signals that you’re listening and that you care. That’s rare, and people notice.
A few pro moves:
- Address negative feedback fast – Be clear, kind, and action-oriented.
- Celebrate the love – Share glowing reviews in your marketing. Make your customers feel seen.
- Be consistent – Your tone, response time, and follow-up should reflect your brand standards, not your mood that day.
How to Get Customer Reviews on Google
We just asked. That’s it. We reached out to our clients—via text, Slack, or email—and said something simple:
“Hey! We love working with you, and we’d be honored if you’d leave us a review on Google.”
Then we dropped the link so they didn’t have to go searching. One click. No friction.
Sometimes clients are too busy to write a full review, and that’s okay. In those cases, we go for the verbal testimonial. On a call we might say:
“Hey, we’re putting together a case study on the project and want to plug your business—would you be comfortable sharing a few thoughts we could quote?”
And they do.
It’s all about the personal touch. We reach out, we connect, and we make it easy. Because we’re in the business of long-term relationships. With the level of creative care we put into our work, it doesn’t make sense to hit every client with an automated review request. We’re not transactional—we’re intentional.
But we get it: not every business works like ours. If your model calls for a more automated approach to collecting reviews (and yes, reviews really do matter), here’s how you can still create impact while keeping it authentic:
For Product-Based Businesses:
- Automated Follow-Up: Email or SMS a request 5–7 days after delivery.
- In-Packaging Review Ask: Include a QR code or review prompt card.
- Social Shoutouts: Encourage tagged posts and share the love.
For Brands With Loyal Communities:
- Instagram Polls & Replies
- UGC Review Contests
- “What People Are Saying” Highlights
Tools That Help:
- Loox / Judge.me / Yotpo – For eComm review automation.
- Typeform + Zapier – For customized testimonial capture.
- Google Review Link Generator – Here’s how to make one.
Pro tip: Keep your ask short, low-lift, and mobile-friendly. Bonus points if you pre-write a suggested review or talking point.
Ready to Build a Reputation People Trust?
You don’t need thousands of reviews to make an impact. You need the right ones—and a strategy to get them consistently.
Whether you’re a growing eComm brand, a service-based business, or somewhere in between, your next best marketing asset might already be sitting in someone’s inbox or comment section.
At Sangfroid!, we help brands like yours build credibility, capture the right kind of feedback, and turn customers into advocates. If you’re ready to systemize your review strategy (without sounding like a bot), let’s talk.
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