The 2016 Personal Branding Survey Pulsecheck Questions (* - represents optional areas) Question Title * 1. In your opinion, how important is personal branding/reputation management to business & career success? Very Important Somewhat important Neutral Somewhat Unimportant Very Unimportant Reasons Why:* Question Title * 2. Has "personal branding/reputation management" increased in importance over the last 5 years? Yes, it's a lot more important About the same importance as before No, it's a lot less important Why/Why Not?:* Question Title * 3. Are you comfortable with the term "Personal Branding"? Yes, that's what people need/should build No, people shouldn't be brands/should just be themselves N/A, don't have a strong opinion either way Why/Why Not? Alternative terms?:* Question Title * 4. Do employers value staff with strong personal brands? Absolutely, they consider them essential Consider somewhat important Neutral, doesn't really factor into employee value Consider somewhat unimportant Consider no value, potentially damaging Why/Why Not?:* Question Title * 5. How happy are you with your own personal brand right now? Very Happy Somewhat Happy Neutral Somewhat Unhappy Very Unhappy Why/Why Not?:* Question Title * 6. What are the top three reasons to invest in your personal brand? (maximum three choices) Word of Mouth - build referrals and buzz Revenues - creates wealth, directly or indirectly Self-awareness - clarifies focus & goals Networks - fosters connections, collaborations and discussions Differentiation - make you stand out from the crowd Reputation - builds trust and credibility Power - elevates personal authority and autonomy Exposure - enhances awareness and presence Damage Control - combats negativity/bad publicity/rumours Leverage - benefits employer/important stakeholders Fulfillment - creates a happier you (e.g. personal satisfaction, recognition, ego) Skills - exhibits your expertise and leadership Other (please specify): Question Title * 7. Within a business setting, which type of employee stands to gain the most from strong personal branding? (max. three choices): Marketing Entrepreneurs/Small Business Owners Senior Directors/Managers CEO Sales Supply Chain/Procurement Prospective/New Hires Legal/Regulatory Human Resources Executives/CxOs Junior Managers/Staff Customer Service IT/Technology Operations/Production Finance Other (please specify): Question Title * 8. What are the key success factors of a great personal brand? (max. three choices): Clarity - coherent/understandable personal brand promise Purpose - noble/higher-order vision/values behind personal brand Affinity - likeable/trustworthy/positive image and perception Passion - enthusiastic, infectious delivery of personal brand Authenticity - genuineness/transparency of personal brand Distinctive - memorable, differentiated personal brand Content - interesting/provocative/widely shared media Appearance - style/tone/first impressions support personal brand Commitment - persistence/stick-to-it-ness in personal brand efforts Network - wide/deep/multi-channel presence and connections Credibility - substance/track record to support personal brand Other (please specify) Question Title * 9. What are best media/content tools to promote a personal brand? (max. three choices): Awards/third party recognition Podcast/Webinars/Webcast Articles/Guest Contributions to Media Partners Direct Outreach to Influencers Presentations/Speaking Opportunities Email Newsletter SEO/Links Media Appearances Social Media/Networks Authoring Book Offline Networking Personal Website Offline Tools (e.g. business cards/appearance/giveaways) Collaborative Forums/Wikis/Q&As Video/Photo Sharing Blog Association membership/involvement Other (please specify): Question Title * 10. What are the most frowned upon/negative aspects of personal branding? (max three choices): Lazy - not willing to put in time and effort Sameness - looks/feels like everybody else Tone wrong - (e.g. too serious/too casual) Too much time spent on themselves vs. bigger purpose Valueless - not enhancing follower/fan's lives Boring - does not provoke interest/provocation Erratic - no consistency of focus/tone Absorbed - solely in it for themselves Lacking authenticity/fakery Unethical behaviours - (e.g. spamming/backstabbing) Absence of credibility/substance Out of sync with employer/partner brand(s) Shameless/over self-promotion Other (please specify): Question Title * 11. Within social media, rank the following websites/platforms for building your personal brand importance (1 being highest importance): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Medium N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Youtube N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Quora N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Pinterest N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Wikipedia N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Snapchat N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A LinkedIn N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Slideshare N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Vine N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Twitter N/A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N/A Facebook N/A Question Title * 12. Think fast, who do you immediate think of as (and why, if you have a reason): A "great" personal brand A "horrible" personal brand Question Title * 13. What forces may drive the rise of "personal branding" the most in the future: (max three answers): Ability to monetize personal brand Rise of freelancing/free agent jobs helped by personal brand reputation Ease in building/scaling large personal brand audiences Increased globalization Entrepreneurship as an aspirational career focus Enhanced technology/limitless connectivity Younger generations driving more open, social culture Organizational acceptance of strong personal brands Enhanced ability to measure personal brand appeal Other (please specify):* Question Title * 14. Will you be investing more time/effort/resources into your personal brand over the next five years: Yes, a lot more Yes, a little more About the same as I do now No, a little less No, a lot less Why/why not?:* Question Title * 15. What is the best habit you have seen/used for building a personal Brand? * Question Title * 16. Your Contact Details: Name Email Twitter Done
