Branding is important.  The perceptions that customers have about a company, and its products and services, play a big part in how they make purchasing decisions.  Personas are important, too.  Social media has changed how brands are defined online and enabled companies to create more robust, almost lifelike, personalities.  Increased brand loyalty, customer acquisition and retention are high on the list of goals for marketers, and branding efforts, be they online or offline, and through digital, social and traditional channels, play a critical role in helping to achieve those goals.   (more…)