Exit 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) Power - elevates personal authority and autonomy Revenues - creates wealth, directly or indirectly Exposure - enhances awareness and presence Leverage - benefits employer/important stakeholders Self-awareness - clarifies focus & goals Word of Mouth - build referrals and buzz Damage Control - combats negativity/bad publicity/rumours Differentiation - make you stand out from the crowd Fulfillment - creates a happier you (e.g. personal satisfaction, recognition, ego) Networks - fosters connections, collaborations and discussions Skills - exhibits your expertise and leadership Reputation - builds trust and credibility 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): Operations/Production Entrepreneurs/Small Business Owners CEO Sales Supply Chain/Procurement Prospective/New Hires Junior Managers/Staff Legal/Regulatory Marketing Finance Customer Service IT/Technology Executives/CxOs Senior Directors/Managers Human Resources Other (please specify): Question Title * 8. What are the key success factors of a great personal brand? (max. three choices): Network - wide/deep/multi-channel presence and connections Distinctive - memorable, differentiated personal brand Appearance - style/tone/first impressions support personal brand Authenticity - genuineness/transparency of personal brand Purpose - noble/higher-order vision/values behind personal brand Commitment - persistence/stick-to-it-ness in personal brand efforts Credibility - substance/track record to support personal brand Clarity - coherent/understandable personal brand promise Affinity - likeable/trustworthy/positive image and perception Passion - enthusiastic, infectious delivery of personal brand Content - interesting/provocative/widely shared media Other (please specify) Question Title * 9. What are best media/content tools to promote a personal brand? (max. three choices): SEO/Links Awards/third party recognition Collaborative Forums/Wikis/Q&As Authoring Book Media Appearances Podcast/Webinars/Webcast Articles/Guest Contributions to Media Partners Association membership/involvement Email Newsletter Offline Networking Direct Outreach to Influencers Personal Website Social Media/Networks Offline Tools (e.g. business cards/appearance/giveaways) Blog Video/Photo Sharing Presentations/Speaking Opportunities Other (please specify): Question Title * 10. What are the most frowned upon/negative aspects of personal branding? (max three choices): Lacking authenticity/fakery Too much time spent on themselves vs. bigger purpose Tone wrong - (e.g. too serious/too casual) Absence of credibility/substance Unethical behaviours - (e.g. spamming/backstabbing) Erratic - no consistency of focus/tone Sameness - looks/feels like everybody else Absorbed - solely in it for themselves Shameless/over self-promotion Boring - does not provoke interest/provocation Valueless - not enhancing follower/fan's lives Lazy - not willing to put in time and effort Out of sync with employer/partner brand(s) 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 LinkedIn 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 Snapchat 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 Facebook 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 Twitter 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 Slideshare 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 Medium 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): Younger generations driving more open, social culture Organizational acceptance of strong personal brands Increased globalization Ability to monetize personal brand Entrepreneurship as an aspirational career focus Rise of freelancing/free agent jobs helped by personal brand reputation Enhanced ability to measure personal brand appeal Enhanced technology/limitless connectivity Ease in building/scaling large personal brand audiences 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
