While brand managers and brand marketers don't necessarily need to dress like Abraham Lincoln - although the stovepipe hat may come back in fashion at some point - they would be wise to adhere to one of his most famous sayings: "Honesty is the best policy." (NOTE: I realize this saying has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin but I grew up believing it was Honest Abe so please don't spoil it for me.)

The context I bring this up comes in the form of online reviews and the writing thereof and the honesty, or lack thereof, within.

Online reviews, in case you didn't know, carry with them a lot of weight, influential weight I might add.

According to the Small Business Search Marketing Survey by American Express OPEN, U.S. small businesses can still count on word-of-mouth as a top way for shoppers to find them. Close behind, however, is the Internet. Local consumers now heavily rely on search engine power when shopping locally.

Earlier this year, Milo, an online product locator, put together a very telling infographic re: the power of online reviews. (click here to see larger version of the infographic)

While word of mouth remains the most popular form of review (82%), over two-thirds (66%) of consumers look to the Internet for research and reviews

85% of consumers used the Internet at least once in the past year to find a local businesss

Over three-quarters (76%) of consumers say they either occasionally or regularly use online reviews to determine which business/brand to use

Over half (58%) of consumers trust a business that has a positive review